WORHSIP AS A MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

I. INTRODUCTION
Worship is an act of utter devotion to demonstrate in and through one’s life and action.
Any religion can be known by the mode of worship it projects. Since God is one, all
religion worships this God in one form or the other. We cannot be based on any form of
worship, but we can surely evaluate it in the light of the Biblical pattern of worship.
When we narrow down the subject and think about the pattern of worship in Christianity,
we can see a rift within its different sects. Since worship originated with God, its basic
principles can be drawn from the word of God. When we perceive the Christina mode of
worship, there seem to be an apparent gap/gulf between the worship patterns of the old
and the NT. It leads to a wrong notion that the OT mode of worship is no longer valid.
But it is an interesting fact that the NT pattern was absolutely based on the OT worship.
Jesus did not come to abolish it but to fulfill it. And He did the same with worship too.

II. ETYMOLOGY
One of the foundational components of any religion is ‘worship’. Worship is considered
as the highest expression of faith and devotion. The encyclopedia American describes it
as “the recognition or acknowledgement of worth or worthiness 1. The term worship is
derived from the Anglo-Saxon “weorth-scipe”, which became ‘worship’ and them
worship. It means ‘to ascribe worth’ i.e. ‘supreme worth’2. According to Psalmist, it is “to
give unto the Lord, the glory due unto his name 3. The encyclopedia Britannica defines
worship as “honor dignity, reverence, and respect. The word is used in a special sense of
the service, reverence and honor paid, by means of devotional words of acts to God”4.

III. SOME GOOD DEFINITION

To give a simple definition of worship, man is a worshiper. Whether they acknowledge it
or not, ever body worships. Some people worship their job, some worship money, some
worship possessions. Some people worship a movie or TV star, or a recording star; they
even call them their “idol”. Some people worship a goal or desire, some worship
pleasure, and some of us worship God. Regardless of what is worshiped, everyone
worships something. Many people don’t even recognize what worship means. “Worship”
comes from the old English word “worthslipe” and means, “to ascribe worth unto”5.

IV. THE GOD WE WORSHIP

The one we worship is the “eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God (1 Tim. 1: 17).
Elohim, as the supreme creator. Elshaddai: Almighty God, Jehovah-Jireh: Lord our
provider, Jehovah-Nissi: the Lord our banner, Jehovah-Rophe: the Lord our healer,
Jehovah-shalom: the Lord our peace, Jehovah-shammah: the Lord is present, Jehovah-
Rohe: our good shepherd, Jehovah-Elyon: the Lord most high, Jehovah-Hoseenu: the
Lord our maker6.
1
Frederick C Grants, Worship. The Encyclopedia American (Danbury: Connecticut, 1927), 536.
2
I bid. 537.
3
Psalms 29:2.
4
The Encyclopedia Britannica vol 23. (London: William Benton, 1967), 809.
5
Jack W. Hayford. The Foundations of Worship (Virginia: Living way Ministries, 1988) 13.
6
James P. Gills. A Heart Aflame The Dynamics of Worship (USA: Lens Institute, 1983) 39-47.
V. WHY PEOPLE WORSHIP
Worship is one of those English words that is variously and loosely used. We speak if
worshiping power, money, prestige, and people. Sometimes worship is used as being
equivalent with piety. Worship is an awareness of a power outside of us or beyond us
upon which we can depend and to which we owe our very existence. In the Christian
sense, worship is a recognition of God and an expression of a desire to have fellowship
with him, to honor and praise him, and to seek strength and spiritual resource fullness for
living. It is an attitude of respect and reverence, recognizing the worth of the object or
person which is respected to revered. From this we can see that worship is both an
attitude and an act. It is the desire to have personal communion with God and the act of
honoring him or praising him in the beauty of holiness. For the Christian “the climax of
worship is never reached without the radiance of the cross”. In worship all men have a
feeling of being brothers. They have a sense of fellowship with other people who
celebrate in ceremonies that which they look upon as having some worth. Worship is the
act of paying homage to the highest we know; something greater than we are, something
that is worthy of our supreme devotion. We speak of this worthy object of our devotions
as God. “To have God, ‘said martin Luther, ‘is to worship Him’, here we find the reason
why man worships. He is haunted by God’s existence because God created him “in his
own image, in the image of God he created him”. In this primary premise of our faith, it
becomes obvious at once why worship is a universal attitude and act.

VI. WORHSIP IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

A. Worship in the Pentateuch
We fond the beginning of worship in the heaven where the angels worshipped God and
that kind of worship is not limited to time and space. When we analyze the initiation of
worship on the earth, it originates with the creation of man the women i. e. Adam and
Eve. The original plan of God to create man and women was to worship Him. Later, we
can see a shift-taking place in man’s attitude when he sought his own glory. God, then,
puts Adam and Eve out of the garden, but the inceptive intent of worship is not changed
with the fall of humankind. Following that event, God chose a people of His own-Israel,
to worship Him.
The analysis of the patriarchal era gives only sparse information about the worship of the
patriarchs. They prayed,7 often prostrating themselves in the common Near Eastern
manner8. They built altars and made sacrifices9. However, there was no special location
for such rites other than the cultic places, and no official priesthood. Worship was
conceived primarily in terms not of ceremony but of a relationship between God and
human beings. The distinctiveness of the patriarch’s faith resided in their conception of
God and their close personal relationship with Him 10. Worship in the later part of
Pentateuch mainly revolves around the tabernacle and the festivals. Worship to Yahweh
became very formal with many rules and regulations. The priests made sacrifice of
offerings. According the Mosaic Law11, there were eight kinds of offerings.
7
Gen. 25: 22.
8
Gen. 17: 3; 24: 52.
9
Gen. 12: 7; 22: 9; 35:1.
10
William Lasor, David Hubbard, and Fedric Bush, OT Survey (Michigan: William Eerd. Pub, 1982) 46.
11
Lev. 1: 1-7: 38.
 1. Holocaust or whole burnt offering.
2. Purification or sin offering.
3. Guilt, trespass or reparation offering.
4. Grain or cereal offering.
5. Peace offering or offering of well-being.
6. Praise offering.
7. Vow offering.
8. Freewill offering.

B. Worship in the “Writings”

The worship of Yahweh in the writings centers on the temple of God. The laws
prescribed daily services. In addition to the rituals and offerings of sacrifices, those with
ready access may have used the temple to commemorate special family occasions. Public
events were also observed in the temple like the coronation of the king, a victory in
battle, relief from drought or plague, and experiences of national disaster “in their feasts
and fasts, their daily worship, and their special celebrations such as Passover, festivals of
grains etc., the people of Israel remembered and relived God’s past victories. They
committed themselves to present obedience of the covenant laws, which called foe full
loyalty to Yahweh, and anticipated future triumphs, especially the ultimate defeat of
Yahweh’s foes”12. In other words, ‘thanksgiving of the past, where the Israelites
remembered the works of God, rededication for the present, and expectation for the
future that God will redeem them, were the all-embracing components of Israel’s worship
as voiced in the Psalms-a worship rooted in the healing, compelling, and hopeful
revelation of God in their history13.

C. Worship in the Prophetical Book

In the prophetical books, we can observe that there is a chain of activity by the people of
Israel: sin-punishment-repentance-blessings. A religious prostitution or spiritual apostasy
is seen in the life of Israelites as they went after many gods, forgetting the Slavic activity
of Yahweh-one thing that was intolerable to God. Through the prophets, who wore His
mouthpiece, God warns the people of Israel to come back and worship Him. When they
obeyed, God blessed them and when they disobeyed, God punished them. The classical
prophet’s addressed all people, informed them of God’s wrath against their sin, warned
their approaching judgment, called people for repentance, and proclaimed God’s
salvation to all who would turn to Him. Biblical prophecy differed from other prophetic
types of activity in the neat East because it looked at for reaching implications of
people’s actions. Common prophetic themes included covenant obligation, the day of the
Lord, and the Messiah14. Thus, the main message of the prophetical book is “back to the
worship of Yahweh”.

D. Worship in the New Testament

In the same way that OT worship celebrated the Exodus event, NT worship celebrated the
second Exodus-Christ’s leading his people out of their bondage 15. But the difference
12
William Losar, Op. cit., 443.
13
Matthew 21: 12, 13.
14
Luke 4: 16.
15
Mark 14: 12; 2: 26.
being that “Jesus became the object of worship because of His very person.”16 The advent
of Jesus was filled with worship-the Angels, shepherds, Anna and Simeon, Wise men
from East. In fact it was the Christmas event that restored our relationship with God,
thereby making worship possible.

E. Worship Reinterpreted by Christ

The person of Christ replaced the rituals of the temple worship, for it became apparent
that God no longer wanted ritualistic sacrifices but instead desired personal communion,
and Jesus, as God’s tent of meeting, became both the place where we meet God and the
very God we meet. But the important point to be noted is that He did not reject the OT
worship17, instead His attitude towards worship was that of acceptance and approval. He
supported the Israelite worship. It was seen explicitly in His relationship to the temple 18,
the synagogue and the feasts. Jesus taught in the temple, cleansed the temple 19. He went
to the synagogue regularly, and He attended the feasts of Israel.20

F. Jesus Greater than Temple

“Jesus believed that He superseded the OT institutions of worship 21. He was greater than
the temple and viewed Himself as the ‘final sacrifice and the Lamb of God 22. Also, Jesus
assumed the right to interpret the customs of Jewish worship. By doing so He proclaimed
Himself-his Lordship, his place in the kingdom, his place in the revelation of God in
history-as superior to everything before Him. In this manner, Jesus prepared the way for
the significant changes that occurred in worship as the new people of God gradually
developed worship depicting the fulfillment of the OT rituals in Jesus Christ.

G. Early Church Worship

The first Christian community that is the church at Jerusalem continued to relate to the
temple. They continued to meet together at the temple courts, and ‘they used these courts
as a place to proclaim the gospel 23. At the same time they were aware of the fact that the
temple and its rites are fulfilled in Christ. “As Christianity expanded into the Jewish
Diaspora, they reinterpreted the Jewish ceremonies as having been fulfilled in Christ and
his Church24. “Christ was seen as the Passover lamb 25, the temple was replaced by the
body of Christ26 all the members of the body of Christ wore exalted to the status of ‘royal
priesthood, and the old covenant was replace by the new.

16
Robert E Webber, Op.cit., 42.
17
Mtt. 12: 6, Jn. 2: 19.
18
Mtt. 26: 26, 28.
19
Robert E Webber, Op.cit.,
20
Acts. 2: 46.
2021
Acts 3: 11-26.
21
22
Robert E Webber, Op.cit., 45.
23
1 Cor. 5: 7.
2324
Ephe. 2: 19-22.
2425
1 Pet. 2: 9.
Heb. 7:10.
2526

Psalms 73-150, Abingdon Bible Commentary, ed. F. C. Eistern, E. Lewis, and D. G. Downey
2627

(Nashville: Abingdon press, 1929), 595.

VII. WORSHIP IN THE EPISCOPALCHURCH
“Episcopal church services are congregational. In the pews you will find the Book of
Common Prayer, the use of which enables the congregation to share fully in every
service. The large print is the actual service. The smaller print gives directions to
ministers and people for conduct of the service. The general rule is to stand to sing-
hymns (found in the hymnal in the pews) and other songs (many of them from the Holy
Bible) called canticles or chants and printed as part of service. We stand, too, to say our
affirmation of faith, the creed, and for the reading of the gospel in the Holy Eucharist.
Psalms are sung or said sitting or standing. We sit during readings from the OT or NT
letters, the sermon, and the choir anthems. We stand or kneel for prayer to show our act
of humility before God.”27

A. The Regular Services

The principal service is the Holy Eucharist (Holy communion). In some Episcopal
churches it is celebrated quite simple, without music, early on Sunday morning. Weekday
celebrations also are frequently without music, and without sermon. When celebrated at a
later hour on Sundays, or on other great Christian days such as Christmas, music and a
sermon are customary. Another service is morning prayer. The parallel evening service is
evening prayer. These services consist of Psalms, Bible readings, and prayers, and may
include a sermon. They may be with or without music.

B. Before and after Service

It is the custom upon entering church to kneel in one’s pew for a prayer of personal
preparation for worship. In many churches it is also the custom to bow to the altar on
entering and leaning the churches as an act of reverence for Christ. Episcopalians do not
talk in church before a service but use this time for personal meditation and devotions. At
the end of the service some persons kneel for a private prayer before leaving. Others
sometimes sit to listen to the organ postlude.

C. Worship in the Protestant Churches

The doctrine of priesthood of all believers have led protestant to give the laity a more
active role in worship than was customary in the medieval Catholic church. All the
reformers put worship services into vernaculars singing of hymns, a mark of
Protestantism, is one form of response. All Protestants emphasise the sermon. Lutheran
sees a sacramental elemental in the preaching of the word. Calvinist churches emphasise
the sermon by putting the pulpit in the center of the chancel with the communion table in
front of it to symbolize the close relation of word and sacraments. Anglicans and
Lutherans have a divided chancel with the alter in the middle and the tectern on one side
and pulpit on the other. In most radical churches, the sermon often takes up most of the
service.

D. Worship in the Congregational Churches

Congregational churches are popularly known as independent churches. It emphasise on
the autonomy of the local church and the voluntary fellowships. It regards church
authority as inherent in each local body of believers as a miniature realization of the

27
whole church, which can itself have only an ideal corporate being on earth. It holds this
concept of polity to be based on the NT and conceives its own contribution to the church
universal as consisting in witnessing to this concept. But it also affirms the necessity to
voluntary fellowship with other churches. Hence, congregationalism stands for that kind
of polity, which regards only the local congregation, each of which possesses
independence, but is united with others by a voluntary tie of fellowship.
The method of church government is derived from the fundamental principle of
congregationalism: the immediacy of the relationship between the believer and God, the
gathered church as a covenanted fellowship under the Lordship of Christ and the
priesthood of all believers.
The congregational federation and patterns for worship arose out of the federation’s
integrated training course. Its aim is to enrich those with spiritual gifts in their leadership
of worship. A good pattern for worship is more important than precise, the word, and
prayer; it might be a pattern built around the dialogue at the heart of worship between
God and his people, it might be a pattern which reflects the Biblical drama of salvation
from creation through fall to the declaration of salvation and lasting praise and glory.

CONCLUSION
In conclusion, the sole reason for God creating mankind was for worship. Both the OT
and NT assert this fact. Worship involves confession of sins, since God is holy and they
that must worship Him in spirit and in truth. It contains the element of thanksgiving and
praise. One cannot but think of all the goodness of God and thank Him. Worship is
attributing to God, the glory due unto His name. It is the offering of oneself to the altar of
the Lord, in other words, the ultimate worship of the Lord is with one’s whole being.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Abingdon Bible Commentary, ed. F. C. Eistern, E. Lewis, and D. G. Downey. Nashville:
Abingdon press, 1929.
Grants.C Frederick. Worship, The Encyclopedia American. Danbury: Connecticut, 1927.
Hayford W Jack. The Foundations of Worship. Virginia: Living way Ministries, 1988.
James P. Gills. A Heart Aflame The Dynamics of Worship. USA: Lens Institute, 1983.
The Encyclopedia Britannica vol 23. London: William Benton, 1967.
William Lasor, David Hubbard, and Fedric Bush, OT Survey.