Acceptable Worship

Much of this is in response to Patrick Mead's post about worship (But Is It a Tree? http://www.tentpegs.blogspot.com). He make some interesting points. But his comments, much like the comments I hear men make during "table talks" at the Lord's Supper, make me wonder if any of us have really read the Scriptures and understood worship (least of all me).

In Patrick's first post he tells about going to a "traditional" (or formulaic as he calls it) worship where the five acts of worship indemic to the Churches of Christ were performed. He didn't feel the "spirit" there but felt maybe it helped some who were there. That night they went to a worship service where apparently the five acts were not followed but where the "spirit" was in obvious attendance. Patrick wonders why we can't accept these folks. I want to know where in Scripture (in particular the New Testament) we see a worship service where people played instruments, danced, drank the Lord's Supper from a cup, ate big loaves of bread, and had tears flow down their cheeks? Maybe we should also follow a certain denomination and have the Lord's Supper and worship every day. Maybe we should offer worship on Saturday night so people can sleep in on Sunday morning. Actually we see Paul preaching so long (Acts 20:7ff) that someone falls asleep (maybe he's bored). How can we say that "spirited" worship is more acceptable than "formulaic" worship?

How can we judge anything acceptable or unacceptable if we don't actually see people in worship services in the New Testament? I think that worship that must be in "spirit" and in "truth" (John 4:24) has not been understood properly in our fellowship (or maybe any fellowship). I'm not trying to set myself up as the "authority" but it seems to me that most commentators miss what Jesus is saying in this context. Jesus reminds us that God is "spirit" and those who worship Him must do so in "spirit." Patrick's post seems to be hinting that "spirit" here has something to do with the Holy Spirit. Our fellowship (Churches of Christ) typically believes that "spirit" has something to do with our inner spirit. I think they are both wrong.

In the context the Samaritan woman asks Jesus about where real worship will take place. Jesus tells her that one day worship will not take place either on her mountain (Gerazim) or in Jerusalem. The reason for this is that God is "spirit." I think in the context that Jesus is saying that God is omnipresent as opposed to we humans. Worship that honors God honors His omnipresence. That is worship in "spirit." New Testament worship no longer is located in one place. Maybe the real way to honor this is to not have a located place. We build buildings in which to worship and those buildings suggest permanence (This World is not My Home). Of course if what I have said were true than we must worship someplace different every Sunday. I don't think that God has that in mind in this context.

Still I think that Jesus is telling the woman that worship, in contrast to her Samaritan worship, will not be located in one place and will be done according to "truth" which is God's will. Worship is always on God's terms not ours. If God wanted "spirited" worship He would have shown us people dancing in the streets. Instead we really aren't given much of an insight into the worship practices around the Mediterrean World. I think both sides of this issue should be careful in judging the other side. Perhaps I'll have more in the next post.