By Soumya Rachel Thomas
Worship is simply a manifestation of our faith. Only through faith can we whole heartedly participate and engage in meaningful worship. The book of Hebrews not only tells us that we must have faith in order to be pleasing to God, but it also shows us what faith is. Through examples of faithful individuals of the past, the Lord has clothed the concept of faith so that we might see and understand what “FAITH” involves. The story of Cain and Abel serves as a perfect example in this situation. “It was faith that made Abel offer to God a better sacrifice than Cain’s. Through his faith he won God’s approval as a righteous man, because God himself approved of his gifts. By means of his faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead” (HEB 11:4) It is surprising to see that at the very beginning of man’s history, the first thing that man sought to do by faith, was to worship the Almighty God.
In today’s times, people all over the world are looking for a religion that they like. Many go from church to church trying to find the one that appeals to them. When they find the things they want to do and hear the things they want to hear they will worship there. Yet, when we adapt religion to please ourselves, whether it is concerning how we live our lives or what we do in our worship assemblies, God is not pleased. Whatever we teach or practice must be based on the authority of God’s word. Only then can our worship be offered by faith. To worship God acceptably, one must have faith in God and follow his direction. Faith always seeks to worship as God directs. That is when worship becomes a celebration of our faith.
Another problem that acts as a hindrance for ‘Celebrating’ one’s faith, is this new trend where in people identify themselves as “spiritual but not religious”. In other words they have some feeling, some intuition of something greater, but feel allergic to the Church.
All of us can understand the moments when we too get disillusioned by the Church. The Church can be slow, plodding, and dictatorial. Sometimes they may frustrate our desires by asking us to submit to the will of others. But at the same time, Church is the only mechanism human beings know to perpetuate ideologies and actions. If books were enough, why have universities? If guns enough, why have an Army? If self-governance is enough, then let’s get rid of the Parliament. I have found too often that when people say, “I stay away from the Church — too much politics,” what they mean is that they did not get their way. But what beats me is why anyone would miss out on the opportunity to Worship God, just because of something as futile as “Church Politics”? But it is important to notice that things like church politics affect the youth of today. They understand what is happening around them. And it affects them to such a large extent, that they are willing to give up on a chance to worship our God and Savior. This is something that the elders of our Church should think about and address immediately, as it is the need of the hour.
Worship “teaches” us in a powerful way whose we are even as we offer our prayers. We discover a presence before whom the circumstances of life can be laid and through whom we can imagine a sojourn of faithful and hope-filled response to God with the guidance of Jesus. It serves as an essential pathway through which we were nourished and fashioned as a people of God.
Preaching, Prayer, Music and Dance as a pathway in Meaningful Worship
Worship invites us into preaching, prayer, music and dance. These pathways are central means of entering into praise of God, the story of God proclaimed in Scriptures, and our own stories. These same pathways engage us and teach us about celebrations of the high seasons of Christmas and Easter, and special celebrations. Through these pathways, we hear and participate in the announcement of the good news. But we also enter into these pathways with questions like: “So what? What does this mean for my life? Is this something new in the telling of this story? What will these experiences of worship tell me that I don’t already know? What preexistent or new truths borne out by personal experience will be corroborated by the experience of worship?” Through these pathways, worship invites us to address our search for belief. They become avenues not simply of religious expression, but of answers to a quest for religious answers. The best part about these paths is that you don’t need to be the best in whatever you do. As in, you don’t need to be the most melodious singer and the most gracious dancer to be able to praise God. Because the Great God loves you the way you are. Hence, celebrate your faith through a form of worship that you like and that is well pleasing to God. I prefer singing and dancing and I truly believe what Chris Tomlin has to say, “I feel alive; I come alive; I am alive on GOD’S GREAT DANCE FLOOR”!