How would you define worship?

Last updated on: October 12, 2011 at 10:03 am by Billy Kangas

How would you define worship? 2011-10-12T10:03:00-04:00 Billy Kangas

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Worship in Greek can mean to kiss toward

If I asked 15 people to give me a definition of worship I would probably get 15 responses. It’s hard to define. It’s something that people do, and angels do. It’s something that creation calls forth and the saints around the throne join in with. People have worshiped with the blood of goats, with golden bowls, with candlesticks, and with incense. People worship with pledges of their lives, with ancient liturgies, and with their dying breath as they give their lives in worship as martyrs and saints.

Worship is something that is hard to define as a theology of a practice because almost any definition seems to fall short of the majesty of it all and leave room for someone to say, “I have done it” rather then “I am doing it” worship of God is not so much an act to complete by a posture to maintain. In fact the word for worship in the scriptures, προσκυνέω, describes a bearing of deference much more then a description of action.

I like thinking of worship as a posture of the heart rather then an action to complete because it gives worship more room and more dignity. If worship is an action it seems almost trite to call a song we sing “worship” when placed next to the action of a martyr for the faith, but when it is seen as a posture any action can become a kind of worship. The goal of a worship leader is not to teach people what to do as much as how to go about doing everything. The practice of worship is just that; it’s practice. It takes time to learn how and it’s an action that is never done. True worship is not an action that we do but a response to the action that God has done, is doing, and promises to do. The response of worship is to take all our lives and all our giftings and point them in love toward God. This is what προσκυνέω is all about. In fact it can be literally translated “to kiss toward”.

This is why at the heart of Christian worship there is Word and Sacrament. It is in these places that God has promised to act. By surrounding ourselves with the action of God we are always called to respond in true worship.

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