Article January 24, 1953 Issue

WORSHIPING IN SPIRIT

MARTHA J. BUCKNER

Worship of God is as natural for mankind as a plant's turning to the light. References to worship may be found in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. The greater our apprehension of the absolute worth of God—His power, infinity, goodness, and majesty—the more our worship approaches the spiritual. David describes the adoration of God in these words (I Chron. 16:29): "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness."

The nature of our offering discloses our understanding of God. To men who think of God as anthropomorphic, this offering has ranged from the first fruits of the soil to human sacrifice. This concept of a manlike God led to complicated rites and ceremonies in order to win God's favor or prevent His disfavor.

Christ Jesus revolutionized the concept of worship, not by national decree, but by precept and a quiet conversation with a woman at a well in Samaria. This account in the fourth chapter of John deserves careful study, for it draws the pattern of Christian worship. During their conversation this unidentified Samaritan woman inquired of the Master concerning the right place to worship. She remarked that the Samaritans worshiped in a mountain of their country, but that the Jews said that "in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." Repudiating ritualism and taking issue with traditionalism, Christ Jesus said, "The hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." And then he pointed out the necessity of understanding the creator. His potent declaration, "We know what we worship," was climaxed by his further statement, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."

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