Onto our first order of business... defining worship.
This may seem unnecessary, but “worship” is a word that has become overused in Christian circles, almost to the point of cliche. Sadly, the cultural misappropriation of the word has caused the true, Biblical meaning of worship to be lost in the white noise. Many believers are so busy talking about worship, they forget what (or who) their worship should be focused on. Of course, these believers would contend that God is the focus of their worship, but their own tastes and desires have reduced God to a shadow of what He truly is.
German theologian Rudolf Otto described the power of deity (namely, for our purposes here, God) as “numinous.” The numinous is that experience or feeling which defies rationality and the physical senses of the body, with its primary and immediate source being independent of the self. It is a mysterium tremendum et fascinans, a terrifying and fascinating mystery, that is sui generis and cannot be reduced to something else. Modern-day author Donald Miller also commented on this aspect of God, explaining that God may not (more like, should not) make sense to us today; this, however, should not preempt our worship of Him. If God was not outside of our comprehension, then He would not be God, and He would not deserve our worship.
So, we are to worship a terrifying and fascinating mystery that, by the way, is also irreducible and ultimately incomprehensible?
That is a interesting place to start our conversation, for sure. And, I’m constantly struck by how today’s worship lacks this grander view of God. If God is numinous, something that is outside of the self and cannot be engaged with physical senses, then it should be no surprise that human ego slips in and reduces the irreducible. Restoring this sense of true awe into our worship will certainly return some humility to the conversation, but real worship doesn’t end there.
At its core, worship is a response to God. Both Otto and Miller seem to agree on this, but the catalyst of this response has not yet been addressed here. Louie Giglio believes that every human has an innate disposition to worship, hard-wired into our very being. To use Otto’s terminology, every human has the desire (even need) to engage the numinous, but Giglio believes that many fall short of finding the true source of the numinous (the Triune God). This moves the discussion closer, but the catalyst of worship is something far more intentional than an instinctive reflex. Our desire should drive us to seek out the numinous, but what we find at the end of that journey is what leads to true worship of God.
In his book. Desiring God: Meditations of a Christian Hedonist, John Piper notes:
“Worship is a way of gladly reflecting back to God the radiance of His worth. This cannot be done by mere acts of duty. It can be done only when spontaneous affections arise in the heart. And these affections for God are an end in themselves. They are the essence of eternal worship.”
In other words, genuine worship is a matter of the heart. One does not engage in worship to simply fulfill a requirement, or to attain a higher goal. It is also interesting that Piper uses the word “affections” to describe the catalyst of worship. He believes that fear, awe, and brokenness are among the feelings that drive humans to worship, but so are joy, longing, and of course, love.
This is where the searching heart moves from ritual to relationship. Worship is not mindless, repetitive actions performed out of obligation. It is also not merely the performance of rituals to appease a deity we fear and dread. Both Otto and Piper use language that evokes images of fear, but their intended meaning is awe. Once we engage the numinous, the God we were created to worship, we are left dumbfounded by His awesome otherness. The more we pursue Him, the more we are satisfied in Him. A longing grows in our hearts, as we leap at the chance to proclaim God’s greatness.
This is what Paul really means in Romans 12:1-2. In view of everything that God is and has done, we should respond -- not just out of obligation, but because our hearts simply cannot respond in any other way. And, what do we offer as a response? Everything we are. Not only our very best, but all we have; this is the concept of a “living sacrifice.” Our response to God should cost us something, in order for it to be meaningful to both God and us. Our response should also be alive, both in offering our response every day, as well as ensuring that our response is full of life. Our worship (and thus, our lives) should not conform to the world’s response to God, because of the change we receive through Christ. Instead, we are to worship and live as transformed beings, and it is only at this point where we will be able to fully realize our potential in God’s ultimate plan.
I am a fan of many things; if anyone knows me well enough, they know that chief among my likes are sports and Apple products. The Oakland Raiders have always fascinated me, not because I’m a particular fan of the team, but because of their team motto. Their organization is based around a “commitment to excellence,” implying that they are to be a model organization that exemplifies excellence to the rest of the NFL. Similarly, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs instilled a culture of making “insanely great” products for the masses, and the stories of Jobs’ demands for perfection are infamous. If these are the foundations of man-made, secular organizations, then why don’t Christians hold a similar “commitment to excellence” that is 100 times stronger? Clearly, the Bible calls for this kind of worshipper, but it never comes to fruition; I know I fall short all of the time.
So, the question is... why? And, how can we fix it?