I was recently talking to someone about what 'things' had to happen on a Sunday morning to make church church - as opposed to it being a club. We were talking about 'worship' and to clarify that what we were actually talking about was the bit on a Sunday morning when we sing songs I was talking about 'sung worship'. Unfortunately what this person heard me saying was 'sun worship'. Anyway - it was a misunderstanding that was quickly cleared up without me losing my job.
Last time we started thinking about the story in John 4 where Jesus meets a Samaritan woman by a well and asks her for a drink - to see that post click here. We've also seen from chapter 2 that Jesus has already started talking about himself as replacing the temple - the place where we encounter God on earth - find that post here.
And now in his conversation with this Samaritan woman he tells her that the time has come when people will no longer have to go to this special holy place to worship God or to that special holy place - but instead true worshippers will worship God in Spirit and in truth (4:23-24).
What does that mean? Does it mean that spontaneous singing with eyes closed and hands in the air is what God wants as opposed to singing 300 year old hymns from a dusty old book with a wheezy organ as accompaniment? No - I don't think it does.
First we need to get away from this idea that worship is about singing. Worship is much wider than that. Worship is everything we do in response to what God has already done for us - and if we are looking to obey God all the time, then it follows that everything we do is worship. Coming to church and singing songs is a part of our worship - but it is only a part. We should be worshipping God in everything we do - because everything we do is done in obedience to God.
So true worship is about a Monday morning and Friday evening life that is consistent with what we sing and say in church on a Sunday.
But true worship is only possible with the Holy Spirit - Jesus will identify the picture of living water with the Holy Spirit in a few chapters' time. Jesus started talking with Nicodemus about the Spirit in chapter 3, about being born again - through believing that Jesus is who he claims to be. When we believe this, God gives us His Spirit to help us live out this genuine and authentic life as a disciple of Jesus.
