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Why Do We Worship?
To God be the
Glory!
Why do we worship? Perhaps no more important question can be
asked and answered for the serious disciple of Jesus and believer in God.
Over the years, many have tried to answer that question. One such
person is the contemporary American essayist and poet Annie Dillard, whose
memories overflow with images of worship in the hometown Presbyterian
congregation she knew as a child. She writes, “After all these years, I
only know enough of God to want to worship Him by any means ready to hand.”
(Annie Dillard, Holy the Firm, New York: Harper & Row, 1977)
For the people of God, striving
to know as much of God as they can possibly know in this life, worship has
always been the central focus of their relationship to God and to one
another. Centered in the notion that the purpose of worship is to glorify
God, the substance of our worship is once and always a deeply felt sense
of gratitude. We are grateful for God’s creation, of the world and of our
own selves. We are grateful for God’s providential guidance in the world, and
for calling us to be His people. We are grateful for the promise of
salvation we find in Jesus Christ. But most of all, we are grateful for a
Savior who “while we still were sinners, . . . died for us.” (Romans 5:8) Thus,
in Reformed theology, the branch of theology that informs our Presbyterian
way of thinking, worship by God’s people must always be seen as an act of great
praise in celebration of God’s remarkable goodness.
As children of the Reformation,
we Presbyterians believe that worship is not just a private activity of
devotion but fundamentally a corporate human event. We believe
that in order for there to be a proper reception of the Word of God by
the people, a so-called inner testimony of the Spirit is necessary. This
is why we believe that only by the proper melding of Word and Spirit can the
true worship of God (the fullest expression of our gratitude to God for God’s
profound goodness) become efficacious. In many ways, it is this singular
hallmark that distinguishes Reformed worship from many other types of
Christian worship. Neither too focused upon fixed forms and structures,
nor driven by the passions of the emotions, Reformed worship has always
represented a delicate balance between the extremes of hyper-intellectualism
and the frenzy of an unbridled charismatic rally. Or, as we Presbyterians
like to put it, everything we do must strive to have it done both “decently and
in order,” particularly as it relates to our worship. Thus, though we
Presbyterians traditionally have had no rigid forms of worship to follow,
neither are we free to do and say anything in our worship.
In the end, worship for us is a
time to put God first and to appreciate Him above our own cares and concerns,
the forms and means of celebrating Him, particularly when it comes to questions
of individual aesthetic preferences and tastes. Sometimes that takes a
lot of work. That’s why we call it a “service” of worship, and not a
“pastime” of worship, suggesting a casual all about me sort of mindset.
No, when we Presbyterians worship, we work at it, giving our very best to God
in gratitude for all He has given to us, most specifically His Son Jesus
Christ in whose name we gather.
My love always,
Lee
