RE-SPONSE Worship 101Sample

DAY 3: SPIRIT AND TRUTH

I remember the very first time I tried Sushi. A friend had taken me out for lunch and urged me to try it, and despite my many protests, they wouldn’t let up until I did. I wish I could say there was an explosion of flavour in my mouth and I was transported to another world, but sadly, all I can say is that I almost heaved right there at the table. But like many people the world over, I gave it another try and have come to love it. Bring on the Maki and California Rolls.

My friend could tell me all about it. He could share his experience, show me the menu, and even put the sushi right there in front of me. But no amount of secondary knowledge or experience could make me a sushi lover. I had to taste it for myself.

Worship is the same. I can hear about it. I can watch others do it. I can listen to it. But until I engage with it, with Him, I can never fully understand it, and I cannot call myself a worshipper. As we worship, we are formed by the Object of our worship. What seemed foreign and strange becomes something transformational and life-giving, not only to us but also to the world around us and how we engage with that world.

In His encounter with the Samaritan woman, Jesus reveals a new understanding of worship. At the time, worship was seen as a ritual or religious exercise tied to specific times and places. But Jesus reveals that it is so much more than that. It is an experiential, personal connection with God. And I don’t need to go to a Church on a certain day at a certain time to have that with Him. We worship a God who has chosen to dwell within us (John 14:17b, 23; Ephesians 2:22). That means we are always in His presence and can worship Him anywhere. Our cars, our homes, our workplaces, the gym- these all become holy spaces in which we can connect with our God intimately and personally.

Worship need not be forced, but flows naturally from a Spirit-filled life (Acts 2:1-4,11; Ephesians 5:19-20; Colossians 3:16-17). At times, it will be a sacrifice, but it should always remain authentic, non-religious, and humble. It is men and women, driven by a revelation of who our God is, responding in a myriad of ways to what God has done in them and for them. And as that revelation grows, so too does our worship.

Would you spend time with God today, asking Him to give you a greater revelation of who He is? As He does, let it lead you into a time of worship. Amen.