Right Way to Worship God

The Pandemic

This pandemic has greatly challenged all of us. As an act of love towards our neighbors many churches could not physically gather in their spaces and times for worship. Causing pastors, ministers, church boards, DSs, and GSs to ask the question how do we worship God together in a quarantine world. What is the right way to worship?

With the doors to the church building shut all of us had to wrestle with what it means for us to worship God? As I wrestled with it, I heard the background noise of claims that the church is closed therefore we can’t worship. With lots of claims like this it would seem that worship of God had become a destination, confined to a certain time, and a certain space. As I wrestled with this and what does it mean for me as a minister, and what does it mean for us the church, God continually brought to my attention Christ interaction with the woman at the well.

As Heather and I prepared to virtually worship from our couch, we received a phone call from my mother in law and one of her first questions asked was how are you guys worshipping this morning? My immediate response was this in Spirit and in Truth. At that moment I recalled the words of Christ to the woman at the well and I paraphrase, the time is coming and is indeed here already that it won’t matter if you worship here or there, but that you worship in Spirit and in Truth.

Through this scripture and the sudden closures of our space and time to worship together it became abundantly apparent that worship became a destination instead of a way of life. While spaces to gather to worship have been and will continue to be important, we cannot confine our worship to these times and spaces. It is time for each one of us to ask, what does it mean to worship God in spirit and in truth in this context of covid. To me God made clear that the answer lies with Christ encounter with the woman at the well.

Worship in Spirit and in Truth

-History lesson on the divide of Jews and Samaritans.

*When and where to worship

*Samaritans part of the opposition to the temple and Jerusalem being rebuilt.

John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition John 4:1–42

Jesus

Jesus reached across many different social divisions to get help from someone society completely rejected, to fulfill his need for water.

Jesus went out of his way to walk through a land, that most Jews would take the scenic route home to avoid going through Samaria. He stopped at Jacobs well to meet a woman who was so scorned and rejected by her society that she went to the well at noon to avoid the other women drawing water in the morning. Jesus tired and thirsty walked through the divide of Samaria to meet a woman he shouldn’t be talking to and dared to ask her for help.

This obviously sparked a conversation.

-The woman was surprised

-Having told her everything she had ever done she recognizes Jesus as a prophet.

Sparking the question on the right way and space to worship God.

John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition John 4:1–42

but

What is the Right worship of God?

On the surface this may seem like a deflection of the conversation. To change the subject from her wrong doing but what Jesus hears is a question truly seeking to know what God’s thoughts on worship.

John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition John 4:1–42

He

To worship in truth is the pursuit of God seeking us, and our pursuit to continually deeply know God who loves us. God's initiative of true worship is love for, and to.

God already knows all of our dark secrets. Everything we sweep under the rug. He knows exactly why this woman comes to the well in the middle of the day. Despite all that God in the person of Jesus Christ unleashes his deep well of love to seek her out and say I love you. Because of the relentless love of God we gather at this church, the well, today to get to know him and his love for us more deeply than we did before.

John: A Bible Commentary in the Wesleyan Tradition John 4:1–42

Also

To worship God in Spirit we must have the spirit of God living in us.

We must have the Holy Spirit living in and working through us to worship God in spirit. On the day of Pentecost when the spirit of God was poured out on all flesh the disciples received power to go and proclaim to the world who that Jesus is the Messiah the son of the living God. That same spirit revealed this to Peter, that same spirit revealed this to the woman at the well.

Upon realizing who Jesus was the woman could not contain herself she left her water pot behind and went into the village inviting others to come and see to come and meet Jesus. To worship God in spirit and in truth is worship that changes lives, that changes communities, and has and is changing the world.

Conclusion

When we worship God in Spirit and in Truth worship of God finds us everywhere. Whether its in the car, at work, or in virtual worship at home on the couch. Our very lives must be a continual act of worship.

As the church, the people of God, the body of Christ at work in the world. How can we do our part to not confine our worship to a certain space and a certain time? How can we the church worship God in such spirit and truth that our church buildings become the well that those rejected by society can find the loving embrace of Christ? How can our worship together encourage us to go invite others to come and see?

We must remember worship is not just a destination on Sunday mornings at 11:00, but to truly worship God it must be who we are on a daily basis.

We must worship in truth. As Jesus sought out the woman at the well worship begins by God seeking us, and us seeking God.

We must worship God in Spirit. To worship God in Spirit we must have the Holy Spirit living and working in us.

To worship God in Spirit and in truth is worship that others want to come and see. It is worship that changes lives, changes communities and the world. It is worship that allows those rejected by society to feel the loving embrace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

John 4:25–30 NLT

25 The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!” 27 Just then his disciples came back. They were shocked to find him talking to a woman, but none of them had the nerve to ask, “What do you want with her?” or “Why are you talking to her?” 28 The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, 29 “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?” 30 So the people came streaming from the village to see him.

As we worship God in spirit and in truth may the light of Christ shine through us his church that people would come streaming from Leicester to see Christ.