what is worship? pt. 2

the following is a quote from tricia who posted on the last topic:

"Worship does not require other people - it can be just me and God. But maybe because fellowship is so important for Christians I think we need to worship together - to learn and grow together. However we do that whether it is picking up garbage, singing in a church or gathering together to eat, if we do it in a way that honours God, I think we can call it worship."

i think she is right on with this one. it is an interesting idea that almost anything can be worship (obviously there are certain things that are in direct contradiction to god's will that we cannot call worship, e.g. you cannot harm a child with malice and call that worship). if the radical promise of god is true-that he is with us wherever we may be-then it follows that what we are doing at any given time can be worship. cleaning the bathroom can be worship, if done as service unto god; watching a movie can be, looking at art can be, eating dinner with a friend can be if it is done to honour god. maybe even getting a tattoo can be.....

that is pretty cool.

the idea here seems to be one of daily sacrament. the notion that life is, in essence, a holy thing and a vehicle that contains god's grace. like communion or baptism (or several others for our catholic brothers and sisters) god's grace can (and does) enter in throughout our daily activities. therefore, worship is what we do when we ask the question 'is this pleasing to god?'

if we asked that question throughout the day and then were honest about the answer and then acted accordingly can we imagine where our faith journey might take us? if life is holy and we spend so much of our lives doing the so-called 'little things' is it so hard to think that god, who desires to be with us and to invite us into his presence, would not also be with us during those times? is it so hard to think that god, who elevates the mundane into the divine every day, can elevate our chores into something more cosmic in scope? i think the follower can get excited to see that this thing called life is not just a series of random and meaningless activities strung together but a host of countless opportunities to offer worship to the creator of the universe. and, in so doing, make our lives more interesting and meaningful...following this One called jehovah is never boring.

after all, as aristotle put it: the brave man is brave in battle because he has spent his life being brave when no one was looking.

for our purposes can we not say that the follower is found faithful when the chips are down because he or she was faithful when no one (other than god) was watching what they were doing?

is that not what jesus tried to tell the religious people of his day when he said: "when you pray, do it when no one is looking so that your father in heaven, who sees what is done in secret, will truly reward you"? (matt 6.6)

thanks for the thoughts.

now, if you will excuse me i am off to do some chores....for god.