What is Worship?
As a follow-up to Dr. Mincy’s thoughts yesterday, I thought it might be helpful to consider this question briefly. The term, worship, has several meanings according to Dictionary.com, but the ones we are most interested in are these:
As a noun, “reverent honor and homage paid to God or a sacred personage, or to any object regarded as sacred.” As a verb with an object, “to render religious reverence and homage to.” As a verb without an object, “to render religious reverence and homage, as to a deity.” These are all primary definitions for each type of word.
The New Bible Dictionary offers this opening paragraph:
WORSHIP. ‘Worship’ (Old English ‘weorthscipe’=‘worth-ship’) originally referred to the action of human beings in expressing homage to God because he is worthy of it. It covers such activities as adoration, thanksgiving, prayers of all kinds, the offering of sacrifice and the making of vows. Nowadays, however, ‘worship’ is used for any kind of interaction between God and his people, expressed in (but not confined to) cultic or formal activity by a religious group or individuals. It therefore includes not only the human approach to God but also the communications of God with his people, and the whole communal activity that takes place when the people gather together religiously. Such activity is the formal expression of spiritual attitudes which should characterize God’s people at all times (Rom. 12:1). Insofar as serving other people is a divine command, the fulfilment of it is a part of worship.1
The first part of that definition seems in sync with the Dictionary.com definitions, “the action of human beings in expressing homage to God because he is worthy of it.” I suspect our readers would like to keep worship in that kind of narrow spectrum. However, as Marshall continues in his paragraph, worship has taken on a life of its own, where modern people think almost any kind of religious activity is worship, especially activity where “I connect with God and God connects with me.”
This modern take on worship is what prompted this article. As I was looking around for a graphic to accompany Dr. Mincy’s article, I turned to one of my favorite sources, Unsplash.com. Well. To the folks at Unsplash, worship definitely falls into the category of experience, especially exuberant experience much like one would find at a secular pop music concert. The selections offered are quite often focused on one individual, arms waving in the air, in a crowd, with a band up front, a light show happening, “smoke” (presumably from CO2) and energy. That’s what worship is today, I guess. Me having an experience.
Marshall’s second paragraph adds an interesting caution, “The term ‘worship’ is misunderstood if it gives the impression that the major element is what human beings do or offer to God. Biblical religion is primarily concerned with what God does for his people (Mk. 10:45).”2
Worship isn’t an experience; it is “reverent honor and homage paid to God.”
I am sure you’ve heard such things before. This isn’t new. Nonetheless, in our experience saturated culture, we would do well to quit looking for a spiritual high at church, and simply spend time acknowledging our debt to the One who is Highest of all.
Don Johnson is the pastor of Grace Baptist Church of Victoria, Victoria, BC, Canada.
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