Remembering the “Why” of Worship
I often think about the title of this newsletter, Best Practices for Adventist Worship. I have never wished it could be changed. However, I do worry it might be misconstrued as an implicit affirmation of a problematic, persistent obsession we often deal with as Adventists: the sense that we need to be right about everything. As I teach and lead worship, I consistently encounter a troubling assumption in many of our discussions about how we ought to worship: namely, we need to get our worship precisely right or God will reject it and us. The desire to do what is right is, of course, good. But the “why” behind that desire is deeply concerning. When worship is framed as an obligation we must fulfill in order to earn God’s favor, we misrepresent God’s character and miss the true “why” of worship: God created us, redeemed us by a grace we cannot earn, and loves us as beloved children just the way we are.
We seek holistic transformation and pursue “best practices” in our lives and ministries—including worship. But we do this not so that God will love and accept us but because God already does. Our worship, like our growth in Christ, is a divinely enabled response to God’s loving and gracious initiative.
Being rooted in this understanding of why we worship has three profound and liberating implications for the way we approach worship ministry:
The true “why” of worship frees us from the temptation to prioritize appearances. An emphasis on seeking to earn God’s approval leads us to focus on how we appear. Remembering, however, who God is and what God has already done motivates a response that is not designed to impress anyone. It transforms the way we worship in public and when no one is watching. It changes the way we treat one another when we are planning and rehearsing together because we are responding to love, not seeking to obtain it. If we truly fear, for example, that we risk divine rejection by playing the wrong kind of music, it is no wonder we can be so anxious and judgmental in our interactions. Faith in God’s love for us frees us from self-concern to more fully love God and one another.
The true “why” of worship frees us to serve our neighbors. Insecurity in our relationship with God leaves little energy and attention for concern with others’ wellbeing. But when we have the assurance of faith in who God is and who we are as God’s beloved children, we can pursue greater effectiveness and “best practices” not to earn God’s love but to better share it with our fellow worshipers and broader communities.
The true “why” of worship frees us to enjoy who we were created to be. We were created to be worshipers. Worship is not merely acknowledging who God is. As we read in James 2:18, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” We can truly worship only as we, by grace and through faith, embrace what God has done for us.
So in our worship planning, rehearsing, and leading, our most important practice is to remember why we are worshiping in the first place. Every other true worship practice is contingent on and shaped by that “why,” as we attend to the God whose gracious, self-giving love invites and enables our response.