My Theology of Worship

I wrote this as part of a written interview and thought i'd share :)

My theology of worship is, in a nutshell, more about a lifestyle and attitude than 30 minutes set aside on a Sunday (or any other day for that matter). First, I believe that worship can be done in any action throughout the day as long as the will and intention is directed toward glorifying God. I read the book “practicing the presence of God” by Brother Lawrence and, while it was somewhat exhaustive, the one line that stuck in my head more than any other was when Brother Lawrence says that for him, he feels as much in the presence of God while picking up a straw from the ground as administering the Holy Eucharist in service. I think that worship is this: having an attitude of reverence and relationship with God in every moment of one’s day. Paul writes to the Church in Corinth and says “So eat your meals heartily, not worrying about what others say about you --you’re eating to God’s glory, after all, not to please them. As a matter of fact, do everything that way, heartily and freely to God’s glory” (1 Corinthians 10:31, MSG). The way that I understand this passage is that this is Paul saying not only CAN everything be done to God’s glory, but that we SHOULD do everything, even eating, to God’s glory; this is worship.  This attitude relates to corporate worship in this way: one cannot be a leader of a congregation in worship in any capacity if he/she does not first have a regular habit of worshiping in their personal life and maintain it as a lifestyle. I also believe that this will be evident in the effectiveness of a leader. Worship is not something that can be marginalized to any time frame without sacrificing some of its purpose; that is, a relationship. After all, one would hardly call meeting with their spouse for half an hour a week, a relationship. I do believe, however, that the time spent in corporate worship is a beautiful and beneficial time for all who engage their hearts in an effort to draw especially near to God.

Peace,

The Dread