“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
John 4:24 (NIV)
Worship
On September 7, 1619, a ship from Denmark captained by Jens Munk arrived in Hudson Bay, landing in the area that would later be known as Churchill, Manitoba. They had been seeking out the Northwest Passage, but faced increasing difficulties with the weather before finally landing in Hudson Bay. Among the crew was the chaplain, Rev. Rasmus Jensen, a Lutheran pastor from the Church of Denmark. Today Rev. Jensen is remembered as the first Lutheran minister to serve in North America, and also for leading the first Christian worship services in Western Canada.
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Followers of Jesus are called to declare the great worth of God. The angels in Revelation 5 teach us this in their declaration “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise!” The word worship comes from the old English word “worth-ship” – literally declaring God’s worth.” We do this when we gather together with other believers, but there is far more. Our entire lives should one of declaring God’s worth. In speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus says in John 4:24: “God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” There are those who believe that worship must be all emotion – worshipping in the Spirit. There are others who believe that our worship should be all about directing our minds to God’s truth. Jesus reminds us that declaring the worth of God must be a balance of the two. We worship the God we have come to know through His word and it flows out of a heart that has been transformed by the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit.
These have been words from the heart.
Bob Beasley