John 4:19-24
Introduction
Change for churches is generally difficult but changes in worship style are some of the most controversial issues. Imagine if we announced that we were going to stop singing all traditional hymns. Whether we decided to replace them with only singing Psalms, as some churches do, or only singing songs that are less than ten years old, as other churches do, there would be a strong reaction. People might be open to change in some areas, but no major changes to worship style please.
On one hand, it is good that disciples are passionate about worship. Worship is one of the most important activities for the disciples. When we look at the book of Acts and the early disciples, we see that worship was central to their spiritual life. We are told that they worshiped both in the Jerusalem temple and they gathered in homes for prayer and study of the Apostles’ teachings. Even there, notice that there was diversity and evolution in their worship. They worshiped the traditional way, as their Jewish ancestors did. But they also worshiped in new ways, that took into account the coming of Jesus. They were willing to adapt to the changing times without abandoning all that had gone on before them.
We are a worshiping people. But how do we respond when people worship in such a different way that it is difficult for us understand? I have mentioned that I was not raised Baptist. I grew up Anglican and attended off and on until my early twenties. Anglican worship is very liturgical and it is built around the prayer book. However, during my time in university, I left the Anglican Church and started attending a Pentecostal church. I would bump into my priest every once in a while and he was horrified that I was attending a Pentecostal church. He couldn’t even recognize that as real worship. I still remember him saying to me, “You have to get back to the prayer book.”
Interestingly, I also knew of a very popular Pentecostal Bible college professor who was considered one of the brightest stars in Pentecostal scholarship. It really shook the Pentecostal world when he resigned from the Bible college and became an Anglican priest. Many of my Pentecostal friends could not recognize Anglican liturgy as real worship.
We might be tempted as Baptists to say that the Anglicans and Pentecostals are both wrong and that we have the real way to worship. But do we?
If worship is really a part of discipleship, then we need to turn to what Jesus has to say about worship.
Where Do We Worship?
There is so much that could be said about the conversation that Jesus has with the Samaritan woman at the well. There are all sorts of details that I want to get into but will choose not to. I will focus on the part of the conversation that has to do with worship. To understand that, we need to understand the difference between the Jews and the Samaritans. Back in the Old Testament, we see that the Israel that had been ruled by David and Solomon had been split into two kingdoms. There was the northern kingdom of Israel, made up of ten tribes and the southern kingdom of Judah, made up of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The term Jew, actually means Judean, and it simply refers to someone connected with that southern kingdom. The Old Testament recounts frequent unfaithfulness by both kingdoms, but Israel with its capital of Samaria, was worse. There were no kings of Israel that remained faithful, while some Judean kings were good. Israel was conquered by Assyria and many Israelites were sent into exile elsewhere in the Assyrian empire and they were replaced by other exiles of other nations. The remaining Israelites intermarried with the new settlers and became a mixed race, both ethnically and religiously. Samaritan religion was close to Jewish religion but with some differences. They had an edited Samaritan Pentateuch and they saw the one place for worship as being on Mount Gerizim, which was in their territory.
The Jews also went into exile, this time by the Babylonians, but they came back during the time of the Persians and the intermarriage was much less prevalent. They held closer to the original version of the Scriptures and they continued to worship in Jerusalem.
Tensions between the Samaritans and Jews were high. The Samaritans opposed to rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple and the Jews actually destroyed the Samaritan Temple on Mount Gerizim. So when the Samaritan woman asked Jesus where the proper place to worship was, there was a lot of historical baggage behind that question.
It should have been a simple question for Jesus, which was the proper location for worship. The answer might not be popular but there were only two options. Or were there? Jesus does admit that the Jews were following the traditions more faithfully but he does not condemn the Samaritan worship. In fact, he responds with the totally unexpected: a time was coming when worship would not be entered on either of these two mountains. People were soon to be called to worship in spirit and truth.
What is worship in spirit and truth? It emerges from the fact that God is not physical but is Spirit. This means that worship does not have to be limited to a physical form, such as a specific location. It is also about truth, in that the focus is not just how we feel but what is true. That does not mean that our emotions should be excluded but the object of our worship is determined by the truth of what God has done in Jesus Christ.
Worship for Disciples
This is why those early disciples could worship both in the Jerusalem temple and in private homes. After the temple was destroyed, people continued to worship in homes and actual church buildings did not begin to be built until the second half of the third century.
We have texts that describe gatherings of disciples outside before people began their work day, worshiping in a field. It was not about the location. What was important was that they were worshiping in spirit and in truth. That is, they were worshiping with heart devotion toward the God that they loved.
This principle was really tested recently during the pandemic. When church buildings were closed down, many of us worshiped in our homes while watching online services. There were those who condemned such practices and dismissed them as not real worship. That is why some churches refused to close, even if it meant the greater spread of the virus. What mattered to them was the physical meeting in a specific building for the worship to count.
But this could apply to other disagreements over worship as well. There are going to be styles that we like and styles we don’t like. One church might use incense and we might hate it, but what matters is that they are worshiping in spirit and in truth. Some people might hear us singing traditional hymns and they might hate it but what matters is that we worship in spirit and in truth.
When Jesus told us that worship was beyond Jerusalem or Mount Gerizim, he was also putting worship beyond our personal tastes or styles. It is fine to have personal preferences, but ultimately what matters is that it is sincere and from the heart and that it is based in truth, that is God revealed in Jesus Christ. Our criticisms of other ways of worshiping fall back into the Samaritan error of it being either this way or that way.
Worship can be in a house or a church building or on the shore of a lake. Worship can be traditional hymns or Psalms or spontaneous prayers. Worship can be with two or three or it can be with two or three thousand people. What matters is the we worship in spirit and in truth.
Conclusion
I have no doubt that all of us will continue to have strong opinions about worship. There is nothing wrong with that. We all have our personalities and experiences that have shaped us. There are ways that are best for us to connect with God and we need to honour that.
But we should be careful when condemning styles or locations that are different from what we prefer. Worship, the worship of true disciples, is done in spirit and in truth. That is the real test of worship. People can sincerely worship the true God in ways that we just can’t understand. That is okay. This is one of the reasons that I’m glad that there are different traditions within the church. I’m glad that there are both liturgical and charismatic options for worship. Our focus should not be to disagree with how others worship but to make sure that our own worship is done in spirit and in truth.
