God deserves more than my tradition can give alone.
What Feels Right
Christians don’t all worship the same way. Some churches gather in beautiful cathedrals. Others meet in borrowed storefronts or somebody’s living room. Some have thousands in attendance, others a handful. Some sing songs written hundreds of years ago, and others sing songs written last year. In one church the room is quiet and everyone is still, taking in every word of the sermon. In another, the preacher can hardly finish a sentence before someone answers back, “Amen!” “Preach!” People raise their hands and maybe even stand up. Whatever we grow up with, or get used to, feels like the “right” way.
Worth-ship
Our English word “worship” comes from an old word that meant “worth-ship.” To worship God is to declare what He is worth. So how much is He worth? Scripture says, “Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3, ESV). Unsearchable. You can’t get to the bottom of it. When Solomon dedicated the temple, he admitted, “Heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27, ESV). If heaven can’t contain Him, your church can’t either. Neither can mine.
Not Which Mountain
A Samaritan woman once tried to pull Jesus into an argument about worship. Her people worshiped on one mountain, and the Jews worshiped in Jerusalem. Which one was right? Jesus’ answer moved the conversation off the mountain entirely: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24, ESV).
Spirit is the heart of it. Worship has to come from the inside, sincere and real. Truth matters just as much. In the same conversation, Jesus told her, “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know” (John 4:22, ESV). That’s substance, not style. Jesus cared about the heart and the truth. He didn’t say a word about style.
None of It Is Enough
Some believers honor God with reverent silence. Others honor Him with joyful celebration. Some sit perfectly still during the sermon so they won’t miss a word. Others can’t help but answer back. There are hymns and choruses, organs and guitars, quiet prayer and shouts of praise, and a whole spectrum in between.
When it’s offered in spirit and truth, all of it is worship. And none of it, by itself, is enough. God is worthy of the quiet and the loud, the ancient and the new, the kneeling and the dancing. No single style can give Him everything He deserves.
Bigger Than Your Church
That means when you worship this Sunday, you’re part of something far bigger than your congregation. John got a glimpse of it: “a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb … crying out with a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!’” (Revelation 7:9–10, ESV). Every nation. Every language. One Lord. Not all doing it the same way.
Your Tradition and Theirs
None of this means your church’s way of worship is wrong. Value it. Thank God for it. It’s part of how He has shaped you. But don’t make the mistake of thinking it’s the only way. One of the guiding principles of my church says, “Worship is about what we do for God, not what the church does for us.” Our preferences aren’t the measure. God’s glory is.
So the next time you’re tempted to say, “They’re doing it wrong,” ask a better question, “Are they worshiping in spirit and truth?” If so, they’re on your team.
This Week
Spend some time this week thinking about how great God really is. Let your idea of Him get bigger. Then remember that no one church, no one tradition, and no one style can give Him all He’s worth. It takes the whole Kingdom of God, worshiping together in a thousand different ways, to even come close. And He’s worth every bit of it.
John W. Crowder is the Senior Pastor of First Baptist Church in West, Texas, and the author of Anchor Point: How to Lead with Faith, Find Strength, and Rebuild with Hope After Crisis (available on Amazon).
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