In my undergrad degree I took a course on Worship (Christian). We were required to read a book by Robert Weber entitled “Worship Old and New”. A thought from that book has stayed with me. “The early Church gathered to retell the saving events of God… predominately the Exodus deliverance and Cross/Resurrection Events…” Weber continued to explain the different mediums that were involved regarding how God’s saving stories were retold. They would meet in homes, fields, over meals, with singing, with musical instruments, with drama, with Psalm sharing, scripture reading, prayer, and most of all through action in their world through radical relationships filled with Mercy and Grace. Jesus was their TORAH. Resurrected Jesus was their proclamation. Dynamic selfless Love was their ethic. My experience growing up was that Worship was mainly synonymous with music forms. This sadly truncates the more full reality of worship or worth-ship.
Everyone will attribute worth to something with their life. One picture of the word/concept worship in the ancient world regarded their posture in which they approached the king. They did not come in with their head held high or with their own agenda. I have the mental picture of opportunity, awe, or fear with someone crawling into a earthly king’s presence. Whether the king was good or bad was probably always on the minds and hearts of the people (esp. the person coming into the king’s presence).
The people had the same relationships with their gods. This is where the God of the Christian scriptures stands in stark contrast to the kings and gods that were not of good character. Not different… The biblical concept of Israel’s God is that this God was/is Holy (meaning different or set apart). This God was worthy of attributing life worth to because this God was/is good (in the truest sense of the word). N.T. Wright says that we become like what we worship. I believe that is true. The biggest warning of dehumanizing an individual in the Bible is the worship and keeping of idols. Idols are items that captivate us to the point of addiction and are not life giving. As opposed to icons, idols fixate on themselves and become a hopeless god. Not a living or life providing God.
Jesus is the full expression in human form of Israel’s God.
Since the Church is not really a building or institution… but the community of those that profess that Jesus is God and has risen from the dead, those who want to be His disciples on earth, those who want to take action for the betterment of the world… consider this a form/extension/type of church space… Maybe it will evolve into more…
We all have a story. We all find worth in something or someone. We are on mission for sharing the good news and life giving hope we have found in Jesus the Christ!
-Pastor Josh Kilsch