What is Worship?

I was asked on Sunday a very interesting question. It arose in the midst of Shiloh's April Church Council meeting ( for those not steeped in UCC-speak, a Council is a congregation's governing board, usually meeting monthly to conduct the business of the church). A few members of the congregation posted the question through representatives to Shiloh's Council.

The question is this: "What is worship?"

While I was asked only second-handedly, I want to take this week's post to The Shiloh Insider to attempt an answer. What is worship? It occurs to me that worship, like ministry, evangelism and stewardship, is an intentional act of the praise of God.

Worship is the intentional praise of God. It is a verb. It is an act. It is work. More concretely, worship is the intentional praise of God that requires the gathered community to work, act and do. We can draw this type of worship, using an image from the theater:

In passive forms of worship, the characters of the theater of worship look like this:
                               The Pastor is the actor. She or he does worship.
                               God is the director, who sets what is to be done and how.
                               The congregation is the audience to and recipient of worship.

In an active form of worship, the characters of the theater of worship look like this:
                               The Pastor is the director, ensuring opportunities for praise in the how and what.
                               The congregation is the cast of actors, doing the work of worship.
                               God is audience to and recipient of worship.

Worship is intentional, active praise of God.

That definition leaves us wanting, however. How do we praise God? Are there not as many approaches to corporate acts of praise as there are persons in the community? Is praise objective or subjective? Is it an established set of rituals, behaviors and practices, or is the process of praise more intuitive, inductive, creative?

Shiloh attempts to address three distinct styles of the intentional praise of God in its worship life. One of our services meets the needs of those persons and times when persons might prefer a more quiet, uncomplicated opportunity for reflection around and application of God's Word. Another of Shiloh's worship opportunities offers a more traditional weekly experience of the Crucifixion and Resurrection from liturgical structure, seeing that some persons engage in acts of praise within the context of tried and true formulas of relative orthodoxy. Another of Shiloh's services offers an opportunity to praise God in overt, often loud and messy, celebration of God's love and grace.

Shiloh offers three varying weekly opportunities for intentional acts of praise in worship. The 8:30 service offers acts of praise that are introspective, quiet and uncomplicated (which is not to say "easy"). The 10:25 service offers a liturgical experience of Crucifixion and Resurrection, though less formally so than in decades past, for those who prefer a sense of order and orthodoxy. The 7:00 p.m. service is celebratory and is for those who desire praise to be boisterous, fun, uplifting and energizing.

Each worship type offers the opportunity for persons to engage in the work of praise, though the form of that work and praise differs. Each is worship. Each is praise. Each is faithful. Therefore, worship does not always take the same form or meet the same needs, it is not always a set formula of beliefs, statements, behaviors or responses. While expectations of persons may sometimes fall into such solid formulations, worship includes all of these, and more.

Worship is an intentional act of praise, in which Shiloh engages faithfully. I hope that you will join us regularly, or perhaps for the first time this Easter Sunday!