What is worship?

Worship is more than just the singing part of a church service. From an Anglo-Saxon word meaning “the quality of worth,” it is formally defined as “feelings and show of reverence for a deity; to honor with religious rites.” Many spiritual sorts today balk at the traditional word “religious,” preferring the cozier “relationship.” But since all it means is “a particular system of belief and worship,” it is clear that everyone practices a religion and that relationship is what it's all about. It's simply what people do with what they believe. It takes a relationship to practice a religion just as it takes a relationship to make a marriage.

In the Old Testament, worship was linked with sacrifice, music, and mercy. God promised his presence and relationship (Leviticus 26:12). The Israelites worshiped the great I Am with song and sacrifice, which was proof of their faith and devotion to God, as well as their acknowledgment and sorrow for sin. It was a sign of the covenantal grace and a shadowy picture of what was to come with Christ. Even under the strict Mosaic law, the Lord told them numerous times that he desired mercy not sacrifice. The ritual wasn't enough. It wasn't unnecessary, but it had to begin with faith, a gift freely given by God.

When Jesus walked the earth, he practiced his Judaism. He sang, listened and taught Hebrew Scriptures, recited prayers and proclamations, and partook in temple ceremonies. He said that he did not come to abolish the Law and prophets but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17-20) so he constantly called people to engage their hearts and minds. This is what he meant when he said that their righteousness had to exceed the Pharisees. The Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5-7 is a long summon to enliven their God-given rituals with faith, hope, and love. Our worship must be directed by our faith in his truth, our hope in his salvation, and our love for the Lord. Then our sacred rituals will be beautiful, rich, and full of grace.

The Hebrew word translated as worship is “shachah,” meaning “to prostrate in homage.” The Greek words most often used are “proskuneo,” meaning “to kiss; to crouch down” and “latreuo,” meaning “to render religious service to.” Worship of God involves active, religious postures. One of my favorite songs comes from Psalm 95:6-7 – “Enter; let us bow down in worship; let us kneel before the Lord who made us. For this is our God, whose people we are, God's well-tended flock.” When we enter our church, we take a moment to drop the knee; right before we receive Christ's body in communion, we bow; after reciting the Lord's prayer, we shake hands with our neighbors, all of us part of God's well-tended flock.

The Mosaic law standardized the form of worship: colors, songs, prayers, verbal and bodily responses, vows, readings, penitential rites, tithes, sacrifices, and festivals. All this anticipated Christian worship. The first Christians knew their gatherings were the purest sacrifice foretold in Malachi 1:10-11 because Jesus is the perfect lamb. The only sacrifice for sin now is to point to his sacrifice, which is just as efficacious today as it was two thousand years ago, for Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever. A fascinating catechism from AD 70 called the Didache teaches thus:

“Assemble on the Lord's Day [Sunday, the day of the Resurrection] and bread bread and offer the Eucharist; anyone who has a difference with his fellow is not to take part with you until he has been reconciled so as to avoid any profanations of your sacrifice. For this is the offering of which the Lord has said, 'Everywhere and always bring me a sacrifice that is undefiled, for I am a great king,' says the Lord, 'and my name is the wonders of nations (Malachi 1:11,14)'.”

It is amazing to see Matthew 5:23-24 and I Corinthians 11:28-29 taught so clearly, centuries before the New Testament was codified into a final whole.

Every Catholic Mass incorporates those colors, songs, prayers, verbal and bodily responses, vows, Bible readings, penitence, tithes, and sacrifices – all ordered toward Christ. We are called by our Church to “Actuosa Participatio,” or “actual participation.” in this service. We are taught to practice our faith with its rituals intentionally focusing our hearts and minds toward God and his plan of loving salvation so that our worship will be in spirit and truth. Then, as the writer of Hebrews says, “We who are receiving the unshakable kingdom should have gratitude with which we should offer worship pleasing to God in reverence and awe (12:28).”

Worship is religious songs and rituals invigorated by faith, hope, and love and grateful for God's mercy. May we “Shout joyfully to the Lord all you lands; worship the Lord with cries of gladness and come before him with joyful song (Psalm 100:1-2)!”

Allison Howell and her family are longtime residents of the Valley. They are Catholic converts and keep a hobby farm full of animals and children.