What is worship?

Worship is the divinely created response to the glory of God. It is motivated by divine love and arises from divine self-revelation towards his creation. In adoration the believer enters into communication with God the Father through Jesus Christ mediated by the Holy Spirit. Worship also means that we humbly and joyfully give God priority in all things. It is expressed in attitudes and actions such as: prayer, praise, celebration, generosity, active mercy, repentance (John 4,23; 1. John 4,19; Philippians 2,5-11; 1. Petrus 2,9-10; Ephesians 5,18-20; Colossians 3,16-17; Romans 5,8-twenty; 112,1; Hebrews 12,28; 13,15-16).

God is worthy of honor and praise

The English word "worship" refers to attributing value and respect to someone. There are many Hebrew and Greek words translated as worship, but the main ones contain the basic idea of ​​service and duty, such as a servant displays to his master. They express the idea that God alone is Lord of every area of ​​our lives, as in Christ's answer to Satan in Matthew 4,10 illustrated: “Away with you, Satan! For it is written: You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve” (Matthew 4,10; Luke 4,8; 5 Mon. 10,20).

Other concepts include sacrifice, bowing, confession, homage, devotion, etc. "The essence of divine worship is giving—giving to God what is due him" (Barackman 1981:417).
Christ said that “the hour has come that the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father also wants to have such worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4,23-24).

The above passage suggests that worship is directed to the Father and that it is an integral part of the believer's life. Just as God is Spirit, so our worship will not only be physical, but also embrace our whole being and be based on truth (note that Jesus, the Word, is the truth - see John 1,1.14; 14,6; 17,17).

The whole life of faith is worship in response to God's action as we "love the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength" (Mark 12,30). True worship reflects the depth of Mary's words: "My soul magnifies the Lord" (Luke 1,46). 

"Worship is the whole life of the church, whereby the body of believers says, by the power of the Holy Spirit, Amen (so be it!) to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" (Jinkins 2001:229).

Whatever a Christian does is an opportunity for grateful worship. "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3,17; see also 1. Corinthians 10,31).

Jesus Christ and worship

The passage above mentions that we give thanks through Jesus Christ. Since the Lord Jesus, who is “the Spirit” (2. Corinthians 3,17) Being our Mediator and Advocate, our worship flows through Him to the Father.
Worship does not require human mediators such as priests because mankind has been reconciled to God through Christ's death and through him "entered in one spirit unto the Father" (Ephesians 2,14-18). This teaching is the original text of Martin Luther's conception of the "priesthood of all believers". “…the church worships God insofar as it participates in the perfect worship (leiturgia) which Christ offers to God for us.

Jesus Christ was worshiped at important events in his life. One such event was the celebration of his birth (Matthew 2,11) when the angels and shepherds exulted (Luke 2,13-14. 20), and at his resurrection (Matthew 28,9. 17; Luke 24,52). Even during his earthly ministry, people worshiped him in response to his ministry to them (Matthew 8,2; 9,18; 14,33; Mark 5,6 etc.). epiphany 5,20 proclaims, referring to Christ: "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain."

Collective worship in the Old Testament

“Children will praise your works and declare your mighty deeds. They shall speak of thy high glorious splendor and meditate on thy wonders; they shall speak of your mighty deeds and tell of your glory; they shall praise your great goodness and glorify your righteousness" (Psalm 145,4-7).

The practice of collective praise and worship is firmly rooted in biblical tradition.
Although there are examples of individual sacrifice and homage as well as pagan cultic activity, there was no clear pattern of collective worship of the true God prior to the establishment of Israel as a nation. Moses' request to Pharaoh to allow the Israelites to celebrate the Lord is one of the first indications of a call to collective worship (2. Mose 5,1).
On their way to the Promised Land, Moses prescribed certain feast days that the Israelites were to celebrate physically. These are explained in Exodus 2, 3. Genesis 23 and elsewhere mentioned. They refer back in meaning to commemorations of the Exodus from Egypt and their experiences in the desert. For example, the Feast of Tabernacles was instituted so that the descendants of Israel would know “how God made the children of Israel dwell in tabernacles” when he brought them out of the land of Egypt (3. Moses 23,43).

That the observance of these holy assemblies did not constitute a closed liturgical calendar for the Israelites is made clear by the scriptural facts that later in Israel's history two additional annual feast days of national deliverance were added. One was the Feast of Purim, a time "of joy and gladness, a feast and a feast" (Esther[space]]8,17; also Johannes 5,1 may refer to the festival of Purim). The other was the feast of the temple dedication. It lasted eight days and began on the 2nd of the Hebrew calendar5. Kislev (December), celebrating the cleansing of the temple and the victory over Antiochus Epiphanes by Judas Maccabee in 164 B.C., with displays of light. Jesus himself, "the light of the world," was present in the temple that day (John 1,9; 9,5; 10,22-23).

Various fast days were also proclaimed at fixed times (Zechariah 8,19), and new moons have been observed (Esra [space]]3,5 etc.). There were daily and weekly public ordinances, rites, and sacrifices. The weekly Sabbath was a commanded "holy assembly" (3. Moses 23,3) and the sign of the old covenant (2. Moses 31,12-18) between God and the Israelites, and also a gift from God for their rest and benefit (2. Moses 16,29-30). Along with the Levitical holy days, the Sabbath was considered part of the Old Covenant (2. Moses 34,10-28).

The temple was another significant factor in the development of Old Testament worship patterns. With its temple, Jerusalem became the central place where believers traveled to celebrate the various festivals. "I will think of this and pour out my heart to myself: how I went in great multitudes to go with them to the house of God with rejoicing
and giving thanks in the company of those who celebrate" (Psalm 42,4; see also 1Chr 23,27-32; 2 Chr 8,12-13; John 12,12; Acts of the Apostles 2,5-11 etc.).

Full participation in public worship was restricted in the old covenant. Within the temple precinct, women and children were normally barred from the main place of worship. The emasculated and illegitimate, as well as various ethnic groups such as the Moabites, are "never" to enter the congregation (Deuteronomy 5 Cor3,1-8th). It is interesting to analyze the Hebrew concept of "never". Jesus was descended from a Moabite woman named Ruth on his mother's side (Luke 3,32; Matthew 1,5).

Collective worship in the New Testament

There are significant differences between the Old and New Testaments regarding holiness in relation to worship. As mentioned earlier, in the Old Testament, certain places, times and people were considered more sacred and therefore more relevant to worship practices than others.

From the perspective of sanctity and worship, with the New Testament we move from an Old Testament exclusivity to a New Testament inclusiveness; from certain places and people to all places, times and people.

For example, the tabernacle and temple in Jerusalem were holy places “where one ought to worship” (John 4,20), whereas Paul directs that men should "lift up holy hands in all places," not only at assigned Old Testament or Jewish places of worship, a practice associated with the sanctuary in the temple (1. Timothy 2,8; psalm 134,2).

In the New Testament, congregational meetings take place in houses, in upper chambers, on river banks, on the edge of lakes, on mountain slopes, in schools, etc. (Mark 16,20). Believers become the temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells (1. Corinthians 3,15-17), and they gather wherever the Holy Spirit leads them to meetings.

As to OT holy days such as a "distinct holiday, new moon, or Sabbath," these represent "a shadow of things to come," the reality of which is Christ (Colossians 2,16-17). Therefore the concept of special times of worship due to the fullness of Christ is omitted.

There is freedom in choosing the times of worship according to individual, congregational and cultural circumstances. “Some consider one day higher than the next; but the other holds all days to be the same. Let everyone be sure of his own opinion" (Romans 1 Cor4,5). In the New Testament, meetings take place at different times. The unity of the church was expressed in the lives of believers in Jesus through the Holy Spirit, not through traditions and liturgical calendars.

In relation to people, in the Old Testament only the people of Israel represented God's holy people. In the New Testament all people in all places are invited to be part of God's spiritual, holy people (1. Petrus 2,9-10).

From the New Testament we learn that no place is holier than any other, no time is holier than any other, and no people is holier than any other. We learn that God "who does not regard persons" (Acts 10,34-35) also does not look at times and places.

The New Testament actively encourages the practice of gathering (Hebrews 10,25).
Much is written in the epistles of the apostles about what happens in the congregations. "Let everything be done for edification!" (1. Corinthians 14,26) says Paul, and further: "But let everything be honorable and orderly" (1. Corinthians 14,40).

The main features of collective worship included the preaching of the Word (Acts 20,7; 2. Timothy 4,2), Praise and thanksgiving (Colossians 3,16; 2. Thessalonians 5,18), Intercession for the gospel and for one another (Colossians 4,2-4; James 5,16), Exchange of messages on the work of the gospel (Acts 14,27) and gifts for the needy in the church (1. Corinthians 16,1-2; Philippians 4,15-17).

Special events of worship included the memory of the sacrifice of Christ. Just before his death, Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper by completely changing the Old Testament Passover ritual. Instead of using the obvious idea of ​​a lamb to point to his body that was smashed for us, he chose bread that was broken for us.

In addition, he introduced the symbol of wine, which symbolized his blood shed for us, which was not part of the Passover ritual. He replaced the Old Testament Passover with a New Covenant worship practice. As often as we eat of this bread and drink this wine, we proclaim the Lord's death until he returns6,26-28; 1. Corinthians 11,26).

Worship is not just about words and acts of praise and homage to God. It is also about our attitude towards others. Therefore, attending worship without a spirit of reconciliation is inappropriate (Matthew 5,23-24).

Worship is physical, mental, emotional and spiritual. It involves our whole life. We present ourselves "a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God," which is our reasonable worship (Romans 1 Cor2,1).

ending

Worship is a declaration of the dignity and honor of God expressed through the believer's life and through his participation in the community of believers.

by James Henderson