Disciplined Worship

Jesus’s famous statement in John 4:23 that the Father seeks worshippers is unparalleled, for nowhere in the entire corpus of Holy Scripture do we read of God’s seeking anything from a child of God.

Disciplines of a Godly Man, by R. Kent Hughes

A theological aside, not addressed by Hughes: the context of this verse is worth mentioning. It was when Jesus was speaking with the Samaritan woman at the well, the woman who has had multiple husbands and currently is with one who is not her husband.

John 4: 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Why tell her, and why not a similar statement recorded anywhere else? Perhaps it is just for the reason identified in this short passage: true worship does not require the mountain used by Samaritans or Jerusalem for the Jews to be true. We are to worship in spirit and truth: this is not dependent on a location nor is it dependent on an ethnicity.

Returning to Hughes: He offers an example from almost fifty years ago of worship in an Episcopal cathedral in California that ordained a couple of senators as godfathers of various animals. The bishop wholeheartedly participated, over the objections of many of the priests.

Another example of worship beginning with the music and video of The Sting, featuring Paul Newman and Robert Redford; the song was The Entertainer, as if that was the point of worship – to entertain the crowd.

The unspoken but increasingly common assumption of today’s Christendom is that worship is primarily for us – to meet our needs.

I think it is fair to say that this reality is more true or less true in some denominations or traditions as opposed to others. But it is often quite true.

Anything and everything that is suspected of making the marginal attender uncomfortable is removed from the service, whether it be a registration card or a “mere” creed.

What did you think of the service today? It is a question often asked, and one that perhaps reveals the intent: were you entertained? More importantly, we must consider: what did I give to God? God is to be glorified. This is the proper focus.

See again the statement of Jesus: the one thing God seeks from us is true worship – something we are to give to God. There is significant focus on true worship in the Old Testament. The book of Exodus devotes twenty-five chapters to the construction of the tabernacle; Leviticus is basically a twenty-seven chapter liturgical manual. And the Psalms are almost entirely a worship hymnal.

In proper worship, God is present:

Matthew 18: 20 “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Consider the awe and reverence with which we should approach our worship. Christ is present with us, sitting next to us; let that sink in and consider what that means for our approach to worship.

Such worship requires proper preparation. Hughes offers many steps and guidelines: prepare everything Saturday evening such that there is not a scramble on Sunday morning; expect to meet God in corporate worship; worship in truth – a true knowledge of God; worship in spirit, flowing from the inside out.

Once at church, be prepared to work and serve – and this means whether as an usher or coffee server or whether as one in the congregation: we are to work in our worship of God: arrive early; pray for the choir and all participants in the service; read the Scriptures for the day.

If a creed is part of the liturgy (I believe a creed should be recited), it should be confessed, not recited; involve yourself in the singing of hymns; if the Lord’s Prayer is said (again, I believe it should be), again, not merely recited.

Scripture is read, then a sermon follows (again, keep in mind, the outline offered is one that might be typical in a protestant service).

Admittedly, the hardest work in a worship service may be listening to the sermon.

Throughout the sermon, consider personal application: how can I take what is being taught and apply it in my life today?

Conclusion

Finally, we must also understand that the discipline of worship is the way to bounding gladness in worship. As Eugene Peterson has so well said, “Worship is an act which develops feelings for God, not a feeling for God which is expressed in the act of worship”

I take from this: proper training and discipline in preparation leads us to developing proper feelings for God in worship. In other words, the proper emotion follows, not leads.

I have always been bothered with the many “worship” services which lead with emotion (lots of lights flashing, constant music and drumming in the background, etc.).

I think I now better understand why this bothers me. If the emotion of being in God’s presence and worshipping him properly is insufficient, it seems a clear sign that worship is being done incorrectly and ineffectually.

And aiming at the wrong object with our worship.