What Makes Worship, Worship?

Today, I was in a conversation with someone about what constitutes a "true worship service." It's a good question because so often we assume that we know what a true worship service is or isn't.

As pastor, I've been very specific in my use of the phrase, "worship service" to refer to those specific communal worship services appointed by a local congregation in which people gather in the name of Christ, hear the scriptures read and proclaimed, and respond with joyful obedience.

If you look on p. 2 of the United Methodist hymnal, it offers a very similar basic framework of worship. 1) Entrance 2) Proclamation & Response 3) Thanksgiving 4) Sending Forth

One of the reasons why I use the phrase, "those specific communal worship services appointed by a local congregation..." is because of the Apostle Paul's admonition in I Corinthians 14:40 in referring to worship, "But all things should be done decently and in order."

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This is not to say that folks in the church can't lead worshipful type gatherings in addition to the primary worship services that are offered each week, but it is to say that to ensure the orderly conduct of weekly worship, the appointed pastor needs to provide strong leadership and planning. This can lead into a whole discussion about the role of the ordained clergy but for this topic, there is an important connection between ordination and the leading of worship.

The basic framework for worship that is listed in our hymnal and which I mentioned above helps us to differentiate between preferences and purpose as they relate to a worship service. Preferences can refer to worship styles, music genres, casual vs. formal dress, etc., while purpose refers to the intentionality of at least having the four components of worship.

For example, someone who prefers a more traditional style of worship might not view contemporary worship as a legitimate worship style even though that contemporary service intentionally incorporates the four worship components. In this case, this person is focused on preference more than purpose in defining what true worship is.

By the way, what some people who prefer traditional over contemporary worship easily forget is that their idea of traditional worship can actually be viewed as contemporary by a church that offers even more traditional worship elements than they do!

One of my New Testament professors in seminary always reminded us that the most important element in a worship service is the public reading of scripture. He referred us to Revelation 1:3 "Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near."

At the heart of true worship is the reading of scripture and all of the other elements of worship including hymn selections (and hopefully the sermon!) should flow from there.

Whether or not we use praise choruses or hymns or if we worship in a gym or a sanctuary or if we use an organ or drums really misses the point of what true worship is.

The big question is if the worship service includes the four elements of worship (especially the reading of scripture) and if it has been appointed as one of the primary worship services of the congregation.

This is what makes worship, worship.

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