We Are Always Worshiping: A Short-Form Series on Christian Worship

Worship has been a hot topic within American Christian circles for decades. From the worship wars to the proliferation of new songs from around the globe, much ink has been spilled. This subject has been debated and analyzed from many angles. Yet worship is a far more robust subject than mere music. It is a theme that cuts to the very heart of what it means to be human.

The most profound statement on worship I’ve ever read came from author Harold Best in his book, Unceasing Worship: Biblical Perspectives on Worship and the Arts. Best writes, “Worship is the continuous outpouring of all that I am, all that I do and all that I can ever become in light of a chosen or choosing god.” Notice what is not mentioned here. In this definition there is no mention of music, singing, or instruments. There is no reference to songs, musical styles, or worship wars. This is because worship is paradoxically something much simpler and yet far more profound than most Christians realize.

There are two key implications of this understanding of worship:

The first is that everyone worships. Every person is pouring out their lives for some “chosen” god.1 In the Abrahamic religions this is obvious: Christians worship Jesus, Jews worship Yahweh, and Muslims worship Allah. But this definition opens worship up even to those who consider themselves atheists, or “nones,” in today’s popular terminology. Within this conception, all people are worshiping something, whether it be themselves, their family, money and possessions, etc. We are all pouring out our lives to some person, cause, or idol.

The second key implication is that worship is “continuous.” We are always worshiping. My favorite analogy is the fire hydrant continually gushing forth water. Our conscious choice about worship is not about turning the hydrant off and on, but rather about where we will direct this powerful force. Will we direct our worship back into its proper receptacle, the loving God who created and designed us as worshiping creatures, or will we pour out our worship into the various idols we have created of health, wealth, power, pleasure, and influence?

The choice left for us to make every moment is, “Who (or what) will we worship?”