Worship is obviously a key through out the Scripture. Worship is a primary human response to experiencing God.
Worship also a concept which has made it’s way into every facet of our life. We worship athletes, teams, jobs, cars, buildings & trees. So far, nothing I’ve suggested is going to rub anyone the wrong way, because we all know it’s true.
We don’t argue about whether or not worship exists.
Instead, we argue over it’s manifestations. We argue about whether something is or isn’t worship. We debate and position ourselves so that we can tell others that a particular thing is or isn’t worship.
- “Music isn’t worship.”
- “Yes it is.”
- “No it’s not.”
- “Yes, it is, look at that gentlemen with hands outstretched during the music, how is that not worship.
- “That’s just emotion, you’ll find the same thing at a coldplay or eminem concert”
- “Isn’t emotion worship.”
- “Yes, but it’s incomplete.”
- “Well, we have a worship leader at church and that worship leaders job is to lead a band.”
On and on, and unending search for a complete definition of worship. (Even more rare is the elusive “agreed upon” definition of worship)
Ok, the argument over whether something is or is not worship annoys me to no end. Who are we to say someone is or is not worshiping at any given moment. Maybe singing in church with a worship band or traditional choir is how they worship, maybe eating an orange popsicle is how they worship. Who cares as long as they are worshiping.
Worship is most definitely an emotion. If we felt nothing for God, we would not worship him. Very few people worship something because their brain and knowledge tell them to. We worship athletes because they get us jacked up when they score the last second 3 pointer or touchdown. We worship musicians and singers because of the feeling we get when we hear their music, whether excitement, sadness, happiness whatever.
I’ve always believed just about anything can be worship and should be worship. I understand why people don’t want to call music worship. They think it then excludes the rest of the services as being worship. My thought, “Get over it”. Music is worship, sermon is worship, offertory is worship, communion is worship, fellowship is worship (and on and on). God gave us emotions and about a bazillion ways to worship him…could he have made is any easier for us!?! Everything is worship that causes us to give something of ourselves back to God, from music, to that popsicle. If it causes us to draw near to God and reflect His Glory back to him…it’s worship.
That was long…my bad. haha.