A Lifestyle of Worship

If you are involved in music at the Cathedral, you have heard me promote “a lifestyle of worship” several times. I want to be clear about what I mean when I use such a phrase. So, I thought I would write some brief thoughts about the phrase in order to avoid any confusion.

Anglican Bishop Tom Wright describes worship as “acknowledging the worth of something or someone,” (Simply Christian, pg. 144). I think most Christians would agree that Christian worship is the acknowledgment of the ultimate worth of God in and through Jesus Christ. God is of ultimate, highest, undivided value.

So, when we gather in weekend worship services as a church, we sing songs to express the end-all-be-all value of God. The scriptures that we read and recite point to the end-all-be-all value of God. The words that are preached proclaim the end-all-be-all value of God. The Christian community gives its highest honor to God through various activities of worship. So, how do we make this a lifestyle when we are only in the church building a few hours a week? Should we sing a song of praise at the DMV? Should recite scripture while we mow the lawn? Maybe. The DMV offices that I have been in could certainly use it! But these are only a couple of options.

When we recognize God’s worth above all else, God’s worth can be found in many forms of our daily lives. You might call this “derivative worth.” We can worship God by delighting in, and caring for, creation. When we do so, we recognize where Creation’s worth comes from. Creation is not of ultimate worth, but creation has value because it reflects the end-all-be-all value of a marvelous Creator. Also, we can worship God by caring for the downtrodden. As Christians, we recognize that all peoples have worth regardless of what society makes of them. They are created in the image of God, right? So, we worship Christ when we care for the downtrodden because we serve the image of God in them (Read Matthew 25).

When you stop to pick up litter that is scarring a beautiful landscape, you are worshiping the Creator of the heavens and the earth. Our environment is valuable because it reflects the worth of our God. Caring for it is a way to worship. When you serve a person in need, know that you are worshiping. You are recognizing that, in spite of their circumstance, they have worth because they bear the image of God. As a result, loving that person is a way to worship God.

So today, worship like you have never worshiped before. Proclaim the worth of Christ and His character in everything you do. It is my prayer that the people in your life today (insurance agents, grocery baggers, mechanics, et cetera) will take notice and join in. Glory to God in the highest!