What is worship?

I hear people all the time making comments about the “worship” of one church compared with another. Usually these comments involve a bias critique of the style or practice of what is commonly called “worship” today in one church compared with another church. These critiques whether positive or negative really reveal more about the individual’s personal preferences related to music than the genuineness of worship. For them, worship equals music. If that were true, then I’ve got a real problem—I’m not musically inclined.

So if the key component to worship is music then what hope do I have of experiencing genuine worship? Now, all you none musical types like me—don’t panic—worship is more than music. In fact, most of those who rely heavily on their music and how it makes them feel aren’t experiencing genuine worship of the living God. In fact, their music has become the “god” they worship. Most of what takes place on Sunday morning in many churches around the world is far from worship.

During his dialog with the woman at the well in John 4, Jesus reveals to her something important about worship. In verses 23 and 24, Jesus said, “The hour is coming, and now is here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

My original question still remains unanswered—“What is Worship?”

The answer to this question is very important because Jesus reveals that our heavenly Father seeks genuine worshippers.

I want to be one of those genuine worshippers. I don’t want to become like those Jesus mentions in Matthew 15:8, when he quotes a passage from the prophet Isaiah saying, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.”

What does worship mean to you?