What is worship? What defines a gathering of people at
church as worshipers? While there is no definitive definition of worship in the
Scriptures, there are many passages and clues to what must happen for worship
to take place. The prophet Isaiah, in the sixth chapter indicates that in
worship God is revealed to us and we who are gathered for worship are to
respond to God in our midst. So often, we who attend worship services come
expecting to hear something to get us through the upcoming week or something
which will help us deal with a current issue or need in our lives. Others may
come to worship hoping to hear some words of encouragement. As indicated in
Isaiah, as we worship we are to be moved in such a manner that we desire to
respond to God’s grace and goodness, just as we have experienced it in
our lives. Through both the individual and corporate aspects of the worship
experience, such as words, actions, prayers, and songs, all these parts are
intended to help the worshiper recognize the presence of God in his or her
life, and through praise and thanksgiving we are moved to realize who we really
are and respond to God’s presence in our midst. Our response to God
prepares us to receive grace, forgiveness, pardon, restoration, and therefore
challenges us to respond to the teaching of God’s Word by offering
ourselves and resources to go into the world in God’s service. Each
element of worship is intended to help us realize who God is and how we can
respond to God’s grace in our lives. Worship is about asking the
question, “How am I experiencing God?” and “How am I going to
respond to God’s presence?” May our worship experiences be one that
moves us to hear the same question the prophet Isaiah heard, “Whom shall
I send?” , and may our response also be the same as the prophet’s
“Here I am send me!” And as we are sent into the world may we be
about the business of telling the story of God’s love and grace, and may
we show the same love and grace we have experienced to others.
