Worship...More than an Hour on Sunday

I've really been thinking about the whole concept of worship lately. Mainly, it's been related to what so many of us Christians call worship...That hour or so on Sunday mornings that we gather for fellowship, singing, prayer, a message, and so on. And, I've been thinking a lot about how we do our worship on Sunday mornings...Are we traditional, contemporary, blended, or something entirely separate from those labels.

Well, yesterday in my reading, I was going over the story in John 4 where Jesus takes the time to talk with a Samaritan woman. Now, I could probably write about 15 different devotions on this encounter. It's an incredible story...Just the cultural boundaries that Jesus shatters...The way He shows love, grace, and mercy to a sinful woman just the way she is, not demanding that she go and make everything in her life right first...It's an awesome story.

The part of the story I want to look at comes after the woman asked Jesus where the right place is to worship...On the mountain or in Jerusalem. Jesus' response to the woman has a lot to say about our views on worship. "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:21-24, NIV)

Jesus basically tells the woman it's not about a particular place or time. He says it's about spirit and truth. Well, in order to not run on and on with this post, I'll give you my one-minute or less take on this...

What Jesus is calling us to is a life of worship. He is calling us to a 24/7, 365 days a year, no matter the time or place to worship. Worship in spirit and truth...We don't have to be in a church building...We don't have to be surrounded by other Christians...We can worship Him at all times. Worship is a whole lot less about singing praise choruses and a whole lot more about giving all the glory to God, no matter what we're doing. It's about praising Him, celebrating who He is, doing everything we do in order to bring Him glory.

Worship is not something we go to...It is what we are. True worshipers worship in spirit and in truth...That means if we are to truly worship Him, it is to happen at all time, at all places, and in all things! How are you worshipping God today?