On Worship

Back in undergrad, 5 or perhaps even 6 years ago, I was having lunch with some friends when one asked another a question that was slightly out-of-place for a crowded university cafeteria.

"What is worship?" she asked. I think she was joining her church's music ministry at the time.

"Worship is a way of life," was the response. "worship is not just about the church service, it's not just about the music or the singing. Worship is a way of life, and it continues outside church, outside the group meetings, even after the music has stopped."

I was about 17 or 18 at the time, and an atheist, so I listened to the response with an aloof expression on my face... but his words remain with me even today.

I accepted Jesus when I was 19, and joined my church's worship ministry sometime after... which means I've been in the worship team for about 3 years. During these years, I've often asked myself that same questions. What is worship? Why do we worship, what are the aims? And how do we achieve those aims?

My past mentor was fond of saying that you "can't worship God on stage properly until you learn how to worship God in private". My present mentor once said that worship is worthship, that it's about attributing worth to our God, proclaiming His worth. My mentors, past and present, as well as the aforementioned friend, are all men blessed with great wisdom, whom I love and envy. Though I make an attempt to answer the above mentioned questions, nothing I present here is my own. It is, instead, a collection of wisdom from books, the bible, and people I have been privileged to meet.

Worship is a word that is used a lot in Christian teaching, but we are rarely told its definition. So, what is the act of worship? Dictionary.com defines worship as "reverent honour and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred". As my mentor would say, we attribute worth to Him, pay honour to Him, because He is worthy. Because He first loved us.

But how? With our pianos, guitars, and drums, with sermons and prayers, testimonies and bible readings... but it is so much more than that. As my friend would say, worship is a way of life. I love that saying, it resounds through my head like a gong, and I think I will very quickly steal it and try to pass it off as my own wisdom. Not only that, it is backed by a bible verse -

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." - Romans 12:1 (NIV).

Thus, our worship carries on after all the music has ceased. If we present ourselves as living sacrifices, then we worship with every aspect of our lives. And so, we pay honour to our God through our lives - through our work, our families, our conduct in public as well as our private prayers. Even after the last person has filed out of church and the doors are locked, the worship continues in every encouraging word, every kind act, and every smile. That is our living sacrifice, and that is our spiritual act of worship.

The answer to the question of why we worship may be simple enough - after all, we pay honour to God because He is infinately honourable. But why? Can we make God more worthy by worshipping Him? Conversely, if we cease to worship, if one day all the tongues were stilled and all the instruments thrown into the sea... does that diminish His worth?

One of my favourite bible passages lie in Luke 19:39-40. As Jesus was entering Jerusalem, the people were shouting and singing praises. The Pharisees, the Jewish rulers of the day, said to Jesus: "Rebuke your disciples!"

The thunderbolt comes with his reply. "I tell you," he replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."

How great the release! Even if all tongues were held still, the stones themselves will cry out! No matter how badly we sing, we can not diminish God's worthiness. We worship, not to make God more worthy, not even to make God seem more worthy, but simply to enjoy it. C. S. Lewis once said that in commanding us to worship, God is inviting us to enjoy him. We enjoy our worship, just as God enjoys our worship. It is not like other things in life, that seem to have a distinct rationale and aim. Worship is to be enjoyed, it is a vessel through which we are blessed and through which we bless others. It is a glimpse of heaven - because all the heavens resound with continuous worship.

Lastly, as an aside, I can't wait to see the stones sing. I have no desire to keep quiet myself, of course, nor do I want all the people in the world to be stilled. But, there are times, when I wish I could see every thing, even inanimate objects, rise up in praise. That would be a truly awesome sight.