Worship is at the heart of Christian faith and spiritual community. Though worship is an ancient term referring to the reverence and adoration of Kings, in church worship is meant to point to the object of our spiritual adoration and worship: God. As Jesus says in Luke 4: 8: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”
Perhaps a better word that points to the essence of worship is love. Jesus’ great commandment was to love God with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is the spirit of worship. All church rituals and traditions- music and singing, prayer and meditation, reading scripture, sermons, reflections, children’s moments, offering our gifts back to God and the church, Communion, blessings, invocations, and benedictions- all these and more are meant to spark in us devotion to the One we often call God, but who is known by infinite images and countless names, and who is Love itself.
To the extent that our traditions and rituals in worship feel dry, stale, or rote, we are invited to re-envision or re-imagine them! Jesus always emphasized essence over form. If you find that the form of your worship services does not serve the essence (receiving God’s love, and offering that love back in return), then it’s time for a change, and for an infusion of new life!
For worship resources:
UCC Worship Ways