Dignified Worship

Dignified worship. Should the two words ever go together? Dignified worship is common. However, before we even go there, I think we need to ask ourselves: what are the meanings of worship and dignity? Merriam Webster gives us a few definitions for dignity: (1) formal reserve or seriousness of manner, appearance, or language; (2) the quality or state of being worthy, honored, or esteemed; and (3) a high rank, office, or position. For worship, I would argue that it is your very life. Of course there is the set-aside time of personal and corporate worship, which usually involves words, lyrics, music, etc., but you also worship God in how you live your life. Both are important and should be an outflow of the love of God in your heart.

Let's look at set-aside times of worship, especially corporate. It is easy to justify dignified worship within a corporate setting. It's easy to say, "I don't want to distract people", "This is just the way I am" or "This is my personality." Don't get emotional, right? Heaven forbid we allow others to see us crying. However, I believe we need to take a page out of the book of one of the most famous worshippers. "And David danced before the LORD with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouting and with the sound of the horn." There are quite a few nuggets of wisdom here to pull out from these 2 verses of 2 Samuel 6 (v14-15). First, David danced "with all his might". May I challenge you to ask yourself, "Each time I worship, do I do it with all my might?" We have something to worship that is even greater than David's time, JESUS and His sacrifice to restore our relationship with God. Are we expressing our gratitude with all our might? Second, David was wearing a linen ephod. What is a linen ephod? A linen ephod is a garment that the Aaronic priests wore while serving in the temple. Why is this important? Because David was a king, and in front of all his subjects, he didn't choose to wear his kingly garments but priestly garments. He did not seek dignity. He didn't care what others thought of him, even his wife, if you read the rest of the story. Once again, I am challenging you and myself included, do we care more about the opinions of others or what God deems worthy worship? Finally, I believe it is important to note that all of Israel was there. We need to remember that our worship can inspire others to worship God in a worthy manner. David's praise and excitement inspired those he was leading to worship in a worthy manner as well.

What about our life? How can we worship God in a worthy manner that puts Him in His proper place every day? Well, I find it interesting that the word "dignitary" is related to the word "dignity". A dignitary is one who possess exalted rank or holds a position of dignity or honor. Do we deserve to live as one who expects an exalted rank? If you follow Jesus, the answer is no. Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords, demonstrated true leadership and worship by washing the feet of his disciples. We would do well to remember, "Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Having this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Phil 2:4-8) Jesus did not take himself to be "too high up" for any job or assignment. He never considered himself "better than". Are we worshipping with our lives in this way. Do we believe we are too good or too high off for the lowly tasks? Jesus didn't think he was. As followers of Jesus we are called to serve, to be humble, and to consider the needs of others before ourselves. This is the true worship Jesus asks for.

Why do I even approach a topic like dignified worship? Because Jesus is the One who is worthy of our passion, pursuit, and excellence. As followers of Jesus, we should be most passionate about Jesus and the worship He deserves. I have a lot of interests and hobbies. I like to cook, bake, read, play sports, and a lot of other things. But NONE of these things should ever receive the effort and passion that I put in to worship. There are so many good things in this life. I praise God we have coffee and chocolate chip cookies. Maybe your love is music or a basketball team. Please don't let your recreational pastimes receive "all your might". Let your worship be the most passionate and important part of your life so that your world of influence will be inspired to know the One we love and serve.