Continuing the Conversation

Continuing the worship/service "conversation", I am really bothered by a prevailing attitude I find among many Christians that worship equals music/singing. Note how often we refer to the congregational singing in our church services as the "praise and worship", thereby implying that the other parts of the service are not opportunities for praise and/or worship. Even the term "praise and worship" bothers me to a degree, in that it implies two different things. I suppose that praise is loud and lively, while worship is not??????

I think that all this is an indication that we don't really understand what worship is. Certainly there are many different expressions of worship. Music is one of those expressions. Not just the quiet, contemplative music, but the energetic music as well. Worship music takes many forms.....the classic hymns of the church that have stood the test of centuries, the so-called contemporary music that is being written currently, and all the music in between that was written to honor God. Which is the whole point, isn't it?? Is it not the purpose of "worship" to see God as He is, to honor Him as God, to give Him the glory, the "worth-ship" due Him simply because He is God? To limit this expression to one kind of music, even to limit that expression to music alone, I believe is to misunderstand what worship is.

Let me be clear......I love music. I love all kinds of music. And I often express my love and adoration for God through music, both as a "performer" and as a "listener". But I don't believe that worship is limited to music, whether vocal or instrumental. I often worship God as I walk down the driveway and find myself in awe of the beautiful world He has made......in complete silence as I listen to the sounds of the birds and the wind, of the world around me......as I read His Word......in prayer. I don't believe worship is so much about the structure we give to it, the music we choose for our church service, whether or not we lift our hands or clap our hands or sit or stand. I believe worship is an attitude of the heart as it is directed God-ward.

And another point. If we refer, as is often the case, to the church service as the "worship service", why do we then refer to the singing part of the service as the "worship"? If it is a worship service, then shouldn't everything we do be part of our worship? Otherwise, why are we doing it?