Funny comparison, Kevin. True, it seems to be hard to define. Most people may struggle to do so, but feel like they "know it when they see it."
I think this is a good place to start. I really am asking here, and have very few predetermined conclusions here except that I think that many people confuse "emotion" for worship.
That is one of the reasons I distrust the praise and worship music, or services, just as I am a bit leery of the emotion of revival services. Emotion, as any good politician or rock singer, is relatively easy to manipulate.
I've been pondering this since yesterday, and still don't have a great answer. But here it goes anyway. Worship to me is not something that transforms others lives, but your own. It is something that you hold so strongly and dearly that you alter your own life and lifestyle because of it. It transforms who you are, and how you act toward and interact with other people. Sometimes yes, it does inspire other people to change as well. And obviously, there can be positive and negative worship. Depending on what it is you are believing in, it can change your life for better or for worse. You can worship a deity, science, a drug, money, heck even yourself for that matter. That's where I am on that internal dialog. Great question Streak, good way to get people thinking. Kind of like when my girlfriend (now wife) asked me why I believed the things I did when I was Catholic. It was the first time I ever really asked myself those questions. I realized when I didn't have the answers it was time to do some soul-searching. Changed my life. Hope your questions have the same effect on somenone.
I liked what JoeG said about worship being something that transforms your life. I agree with that. I do not think that worship has to take place in a church, in fact, I think most worship happens outside of church.
Ultimately, for me, worship is about living in the love of God. Worship is something that you have the opportunity to do with every thought, every breath and every action. It is a state of heart and mind that is firmly focused on what is eternal. It is being "in the groove" and in synch with the Spirit. There is an element of emotion to this, since it feels really good, but the emotion is a consequence of this state of being, not the source. The source is the Spirit. I don't believe that God really needs us to tell Him how great he is. I think he knows that. I think that we worship Him best when we are living in a way that communicates His love in all that we do. That is how I see it.
Thanks, Streak, for asking the question and for doing this blog. I really enjoy reading your stuff. GG
For me, worship is grateful recognition of the mystery of God and His creation, a wordless knowledge of His greatness and our unfathomable connection to Him, a feeling of unimportance and centrality. It bypasses the reasoning part of the mind and stops where wonder is born.
Just some thoughts on worship-- Worship always has an object--if the object of worship is not God Himself as revealed in the Bible, then it will always be a lesser god and often man himself. Worship will involve our mind, our will and our emotions. If it only involves our emotions it will be shallow and easily manipulated. True worship will draw us to focus on God and away from focusing on ourselves and our experience.
Just some thoughts on worship-- Worship always has an object--if the object of worship is not God as revealed in the Bible, then it will always be a lessor god and often man himself. Worship will involve our mind, our will and our emotions, if it only involves our emotions it will be shallow and easily manipulated. Worship will draw us to focus on God and away from focusing on ourselves and our experience.
The Augsburg Confession describes the Church as "[The] assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity [i.e., justification by grace alone through faith alone] and the sacraments are administered according to the Gospel." (Art.VII)
It's a meat and potatoes sort of answer to your question, but I think its a good one.
8 comments:
Wow. Great question. It's like trying to definitively define pornography (but not really).
But here's a quote by Arthur Just
"The goal of good liturgy [or worship] is always to transform the lives of people...by the gospel of Jesus Christ."
I think that's a good beginning.
Grace and peace,
Kevin
Funny comparison, Kevin. True, it seems to be hard to define. Most people may struggle to do so, but feel like they "know it when they see it."
I think this is a good place to start. I really am asking here, and have very few predetermined conclusions here except that I think that many people confuse "emotion" for worship.
That is one of the reasons I distrust the praise and worship music, or services, just as I am a bit leery of the emotion of revival services. Emotion, as any good politician or rock singer, is relatively easy to manipulate.
anyone else?
I've been pondering this since yesterday, and still don't have a great answer. But here it goes anyway. Worship to me is not something that transforms others lives, but your own. It is something that you hold so strongly and dearly that you alter your own life and lifestyle because of it. It transforms who you are, and how you act toward and interact with other people. Sometimes yes, it does inspire other people to change as well. And obviously, there can be positive and negative worship. Depending on what it is you are believing in, it can change your life for better or for worse. You can worship a deity, science, a drug, money, heck even yourself for that matter.
That's where I am on that internal dialog. Great question Streak, good way to get people thinking. Kind of like when my girlfriend (now wife) asked me why I believed the things I did when I was Catholic. It was the first time I ever really asked myself those questions. I realized when I didn't have the answers it was time to do some soul-searching. Changed my life. Hope your questions have the same effect on somenone.
I liked what JoeG said about worship being something that transforms your life. I agree with that. I do not think that worship has to take place in a church, in fact, I think most worship happens outside of church.
Ultimately, for me, worship is about living in the love of God. Worship is something that you have the opportunity to do with every thought, every breath and every action. It is a state of heart and mind that is firmly focused on what is eternal. It is being "in the groove" and in synch with the Spirit. There is an element of emotion to this, since it feels really good, but the emotion is a consequence of this state of being, not the source. The source is the Spirit. I don't believe that God really needs us to tell Him how great he is. I think he knows that. I think that we worship Him best when we are living in a way that communicates His love in all that we do. That is how I see it.
Thanks, Streak, for asking the question and for doing this blog. I really enjoy reading your stuff. GG
For me, worship is grateful recognition of the mystery of God and His creation, a wordless knowledge of His greatness and our unfathomable connection to Him, a feeling of unimportance and centrality. It bypasses the reasoning part of the mind and stops where wonder is born.
Just some thoughts on worship--
Worship always has an object--if the object of worship is not God Himself as revealed in the Bible, then it will always be a lesser god and often man himself. Worship will involve our mind, our will and our emotions. If it only involves our emotions it will be shallow and easily manipulated. True worship will draw us to focus on God and away from focusing on ourselves and our experience.
Just some thoughts on worship--
Worship always has an object--if the object of worship is not God as revealed in the Bible, then it will always be a lessor god and often man himself. Worship will involve our mind, our will and our emotions, if it only involves our emotions it will be shallow and easily manipulated. Worship will draw us to focus on God and away from focusing on ourselves and our experience.
The Augsburg Confession describes the Church as "[The] assembly of all believers among whom the Gospel is preached in its purity [i.e., justification by grace alone through faith alone] and the sacraments are administered according to the Gospel." (Art.VII)
It's a meat and potatoes sort of answer to your question, but I think its a good one.
Kevin
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