worship, that is, weorthscipe
it is time
“Whatever task you must do, work as if your soul depends on it, as for the Lord and not for humans.”
When I was at Southeastern College (now University) — an Assemblies of God school in Lakeland, Florida — one of my Old Testament professors noted that study could be considered a form of worship. Additionally, Colossians 3:23 quite strongly makes the point about working for the Lord. As if your soul depends on it!
“Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31).
If something is worth doing, it is worth doing well. That word “worth” fits in well with worship. We get “worship” from the Old English weorthscipe. It ascribes worth to God above all other, or to God alone.
It would seem that both work and study, as done unto the Lord, qualifies as worship.
How well does worship fit within our day-to-day living, if in fact we seek it? Can we imagine each second, each moment? Can we feel, can we breathe, the atmosphere of worship? The wind blows where it will…
On that bit of each moment, considering time and space, NYU professor Charles Seife says there is evidence that at every point in space, there are particles constantly winking in and out of existence. The very warp and woof of spacetime is charged with wonder, charged with worship. (Talk about creation ex nihilo!) [Charles Seife, Zero (New York: Penguin Books, 2000), 172.]
Worship happens within the four walls of the church building. One hopes it does, anyway. Singing of hymns, praying corporately, public reading of scripture, proclaiming the word, celebrating the sacraments, reciting the creeds, giving in the offering, greeting each other: all of these and more come together as worship.
As already indicated, as already dreamed, it goes beyond — that is, referring to the four walls and what happens within. Psalm 108 begins, “My heart is steadfast, O God, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make melody.” The Geneva Bible joyfully declares, “O God, mine heart is prepared, so is my tongue: I will sing and give praise.” My heart is prepared — and so is my tongue.
Inner and outer work together in harmony.
The apostle Paul speaks of an inner quality with outer demonstration. Appropriately in Colossians 3, we read, “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful” (v. 15).
The New Testament word for grateful, or thankful, is ευχαριστος (eucharistos). It’s where we get our word eucharist. We celebrate a sacrament that is named “thank you”!
Be thankful. Be filled with gratitude. It might not seem like it at times, but gratefulness is a choice.
A good starting point is watching the words that come out of our mouth. There is a sense in which we create the world with our language. Still, I don’t want to push it too far. For example, when Jesus claims that with faith the size of a mustard seed, we can command a mountain to move from one place to another, I don’t believe he means it literally. That would indeed be a handy power!
Rather, we can frame our lives in certain ways. And we can frame our worship in certain ways.
What if we miss the boat? Is it possible to miss our chance? Have we laid aside opportunities? Paul speaks in Ephesians 5 of “redeeming the time” (v. 16). The word is εξαγορζω (exagorazō), which also means “to make good use.” The Lord can help us redeem the time.
Perhaps we can envision a point in time which can be traced, which can be picked up. The time referred to in this scripture is not linear. It is not chronological; it is not measured in minutes or months. It is not chronos (χρόνος), but rather kairos (καιρος).
Kairos is the perfect moment… When the time is ripe… It is not counted, but experienced…
The same is true with worship. It is not counted, but experienced. (Apologies to the one during church who visibly raises an arm, pointing to their watch. Or who later grumbles the service ran too long. It’s the wrong time!) Fortunately, God is not subject to timetables. Only an idol submits — and we have a knack at fashioning idols. The worship of an idol ignores the perfect “time,” O we who exist intertwined within the cosmic array of praise.
There is one worthy, upon which our soul depends.
