What Is Worship? | Jon Stolpe Stretched

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Come, let us bow down in worship,
    let us kneel before the Lord our Maker;
for he is our God
    and we are the people of his pasture,
    the flock under his care.

Psalm 95:6-7

When you hear the word worship, what comes to mind?

I think of going to church and singing. I think this is the answer that is drilled into our heads from an early age – not necessarily on purpose but by tradition. I don’t think that answer is wrong, but I think it short sells worship – big time!

Yesterday, I had the privilege to be a part of a leader/facilitators meeting for a foundations class that is being rolled out at our church. As we were discussing the leaders role in transformation, the following verse from Romans came up for discussion:

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is —his good, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:1-2

Typically when I read these verses, I read about sacrifice and about transformation. And I skip right over “this is your true and proper worship”. If I’m reading this from a leaders perspective, I worship God when I give of myself sacrificially to serve and to lead others. This didn’t say anything about going to church and singing.

So what is worship?

Of course, worship happens at church, but I think there’s so much more.

Worship is the way I live my life. I worship God when I put Him first in everything I do. I can worship God in my parenting, in my marriage, in my friendships, in my exercise, in my job, and even in my writing.

Our worship can be misdirected. We easily get caught up in this culture of consumerism and celebrity. We put movie stars and sports stars on pedestals. We watch TV shows like American Idol (I like that show), Dancing With The Stars, and Celebrity Apprentice. We are consumed with thoughts of greed – “I have to have this” or “I have to have that.” This is all misdirected worship.

God says, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me. You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” Exodus 20:2-6

We have a choice to make. We can allow the distractions of this world to hijack our attention – our worship. Or we can choose today to worship God – at home, at church, at work, and throughout our lives. What’s your choice?

What does worship look like for you today? How do you worship God?

http://www.facebook.com/michael.shaw18 Michael Shaw

Jon: Great post as always. I agree with the point that celebrities and consumerism are the false gods of our time. It has become almost comical to watch as celebrities are placed on a pedestal and worshipped, only to see them knocked down, to make room for the next one, I guess. The influence they can have over people’s lives astounds me.

I would add that, in our time, in contemporary suburban American, we have also made false gods of work and achievement. Many of the people I know work seven days at week. If they are not working at a corporate job, they are working around the house and running errands on their day off. This to me is a form of idol worship, though it is fully approved of as 100% kosher by society-at-large (pardon the expression). The modern obsession with getting ahead, SAT scores, schools, careers, making money, people who have great careers and make a lot of money, has become another form of idol worship.

I try to make time in my life for true worship through the observation of my faith, but I am probably prey to the influence of these false gods as much as anyone. I don’t think it is possible to live in our society and not be influenced by them.

That is my sermon for the day. Wishing you and your family and the readers of this blog a Blessed Sunday.
- http://jonstolpe.com/ Jon Stolpe
  
  Thanks, Michael! I think we all can or should wrestle with fighting this rat race that can become so consuming. I thoroughly admire and am inspired by the Jewish commitment to Sabbath. I think it’s a great way to keep our focus in check. Is God really first in our lives, or do we let the world reign supreme?
http://www.tnealtarver.wordpress.com TNeal

Odd to say on a Sunday, typically a day of worship in church, that worship for me will include four hours in a car with my two sisters and father then an afternoon with my brothers and their wives. And worship will be a part of all we do because of how God has blessed us as a family. We’ve received a godly heritage from my parents and each of us love the Lord. But being in a formal church worship experience today isn’t on the schedule.
- http://jonstolpe.com/ Jon Stolpe
  
  Great response Tom! Hope it’s a wonderful day – of worship.
  - http://www.tnealtarver.wordpress.com TNeal
    
    It was a fabulous day.
http://www.jmlalonde.com Joe Lalonde

Awesome Jon! It seems like there’s so many ways to enter into worship. Sometimes I feel out of place because I don’t raise my hands, dance all around, or other ways that people at my church worship.

I’m content to sit back, take it all in, and praise my savior. Then I also worship him by admiring his handiwork. The beauty of creation can be a powerful and moving thing. Walking through the woods, running along the beach, or watching nature. Acknowledging Him in all of it.
http://billgrandi.com/ bill (cycleguy)

I, too, had it drilled in me that worship was what took place on Sunday morning. I have learned that it is a lifestyle lived 24/7. I have also learned that worship is an Audience of One.