These past couple of days I've been trying to wrap my mind around the idea of worship. More specifically, what it means to live a life of worship. My folks have asked me recently about how and why my theology has developed the way it has, for while there are similarities to their own, there are also stark differences. I have a problem fully answering that question though, because my theology is full of holes. Underdeveloped. Undeveloped. There are areas I've not come to peace about (i.e. "free will" vs. predestination). And there are areas, like worship, where I can't yet articulate what I believe.

So perhaps I'll just empty onto this blogtable my tin full of ideas, quotes, and passages about worship that I've collected and try to sort it out.

Pardon the mess.

The first scrap we see here is a quote from a pastor/theologian I'm getting to know--A.W. Tozer. Tozer was a brilliant preacher and writer from last century who wrote with much depth, despite never having any formal theological training. Here he states the utmost importance for worship, "Unless we are worshippers, we are simply religious dancing mice, moving around in a circle getting nowhere." Anyone of faith can certainly agree with this. I hope.

So assuming we can move on from here, Tozer adds, "Looking at what John wrote, I wonder how so many present-day Christians can consider an hour of worship Sunday morning as adequate adoration of the holy God who created them and then redeemed them back to Himself." Hmmm. So worship is a big deal. And now Tozer is adding that our Sunday morning hour devoted to it is not "adequate adoration". I'm gonna' make another assumption here and say that Tozer wasn't simply suggesting that worship services last longer or that they get added to Wednesday night dinner in the fellowship hall. To me, it looks like he's stating that worship needs to take place over the course of an entire week, between Sunday's, over the course of an entire life.

Well, this is starting to make a little sense I think. When I moved to Texas in 2000, I switched from a Baptist church to an Episcopal church because I was primarily looking for worship that tended to be more reverent and liturgical. Since then, I've realized that reverence isn't simply being quiet during church, its the state of the heart. I now go to a church that meets outdoors every Sunday under an interstate bridge and I've discovered that there can more reverence out there than in a beautifully ornate, carpeted, stainglass-windowed chapel. Further, I've learned what "liturgy" really means. It's not the order of worship. The root words for liturgy literally mean "the people's work". So the "order" of worship is actually fueled by the work of the people?

When on Sunday morning does the "people's work" even take place? Well, for most parishes, I'd say it doesn't at all. That said, it seems the people's work is to take place over the course of an entire week, in between Sunday's, over the course of an entire life.

So how do I apply this to my own life? Any thoughts or suggestions? It seems that I'd have to look at my comings and goings and discern whether Aaron's work is worship. Not just my happenings on Sunday's, or even the weekends...but day-by-day, moment-by-moment.

When I'm at home in the mornings preparing for the day, is that work worshipping God?
When I'm at work preparing my lesson plan, is that work worshipping God?
When my co-workers are out of the office and I'm by myself, does my work worship God?
When I'm at home on free time, is my work work worshipping God?

The German theologian Frederich Buechner supports worship as being service to God:

To worship God means to serve him. Basically there are two ways to do it. One way is to do things for him that he needs to have done--run erands for him, carry messages for him, fight on his side, feed his lambs, and so on.

Buechner adds to this:

The other way is to do things for him that you need to do--sing songs for him, tell him what's on your mind and in your heart, in general rejoice in him and make a fool of yourself for him the way lovers have always made fools of themselves for the one they love.

A Quaker meeting, High Mass, the Family Service at First Presbyterian, a Holy Roller Happening--unless there is an element of joy and foolishness in the proceedings, the time would be better spent doing something useful.

Wow. Ok, so in Buechner's first passage, he reiterates our thinking--that worship is our work. BUT, he notes that there's another way at this whole worship thing, and that's more in line with our traditional thinking--that worship is composed of singing, praying, and rejoicing as a fool in love.

Well dang, does that bring us full circle to where we started? I don't think so. I would argue that our worship is something that should be done at all moments of our lives. Therefore, on Sunday mornings, Wednesday nights, Friday afternoons, or whenever we gather for worship, we must approach it in song, praise, prayer, etc. with the "element of joy and foolishness". However, at each and every other moment of our week (or, as Buechner would argue, when we aren't approaching church with that joy and foolishness), we need to be about "doing something useful" for God.