If you’ve been tuning in to the current Time of Grace series, you already know that Pastor Mike is unpacking some of the popular-yet-confusing things that Christians sometimes say when talking about church or faith. If you haven’t joined in yet, I can’t recommend this series enough. It’s really refreshing to hear a new and inspiring take on some of the things we might have put on “autopilot.”

This series has also challenged me to consider other Christian habits I have and phrases I say or choices I make on a regular basis that I don’t even realize might be misunderstood. For example, let’s talk about worship. When I was a kid, worship was basically a one-word description of what we did on Sunday mornings at church. It meant loving God by dressing up really fancy, sitting respectfully and quietly, standing up to sing (even if I didn’t know the song), and—under no circumstances—was I to make faces at the babies sitting near me.

As an adult, I have a completely different standard for what worship looks, sounds, and feels like (except for the babies part—I definitely make faces at babies in church). As an adult, worship is not just a “standard” Sunday church experience. There are so many different ways to express reverence and adoration for God joyfully and sincerely in a church service. I love this quote from Christian artist Micah Bournes about the different ways that White and Black churches show respect:

A lot of White churches—not all—but a lot of White churches show respect by quietness. When someone is speaking, you’re quiet and you pay attention and you take notes and it shows that you’re honoring and that you’re listening. That’s not the case in Black culture. It’s call and response. It’s disrespectful to be quiet. The preacher is up here preaching with passion, pouring their heart out, and you just sit in there quiet?! It’s like, “Are y’all hearing me?”*

What a cool perspective on how different cultures worship. (We hear you, Micah!) And that’s just one example of how the looks and sounds of worship can vary. I also know some seasoned missionaries who will tell you that nothing can compare to the sound of a Zambian a cappella gospel choir singing praises to Jesus.

The other thing I’ve learned about worship as an adult is that it also refers to the attitude of my heart, which is something that’s meant to be present in my life 24/7, 365 days a year.

• It means I might be wearing jeans and sitting in a coffee shop reading my Bible.
• I’m probably not sitting quietly. I might be driving, doing dishes, walking while I’m praying with a friend.
• I might be singing, but it’s probably going to be a song I know and love. And it might be something that doesn’t sound quite right on an organ even though the lyrics are equally glorifying to God.

So what do we mean when we talk about worship? It’s the act of acknowledging that God and God alone is AWESOME. “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being” (Revelation 4:11).

So where and how will YOU worship today?

* Micah Bournes, “The Choice to Live a Creative Life,” The Wayfaring Stranger podcast, July 3, 2024, 42 sec., https://www.youtube.com/shorts/W7Ul8nnxpiI.