Perspectives Day 3 Featuring Stephen Griswold “The Art Of Worship”

The Art of Worship

By: Stephen Griswold

What is your definition of worship?  To many it is sitting in church singing certain choruses or songs and lifting hands towards heaven.  While that is a decent definition and describes one way in which people worship there is a great deal more involved.  Worship is not merely a Sunday morning in church repetitive act but rather an everyday act that is ever changing.

 Many people relate music to worship and that is certainly a large part of the worship experience however, there are many other ways that we can worship the Lord on a daily basis.  First we need to understand that worship comes from the heart.  Our worship should be a product of our love for God and a desire to express that love for Him.  So, how can we express our love for God?

 Here are some ideas that may be considered for directing us in our daily worship.  We can express ourselves through music, art, written word, dance, and even silence.  While music is the most obvious expression it should not be limited to listening to songs that are already recorded or written.  Why not try writing your own worship song to the Lord.  Remember it does not have to be perfect it just has to come from the heart.  Perhaps you could take your favorite hymn or chorus and write new lyrics to it that express your own personal feelings and love towards God.

 Expression through art is another wonderful and often overlooked way to worship.  Through drawing, painting and sculpture we can express our feelings in a unique manner.  Through art one can tell a story without using words.  A painting of a beautiful mountain range may express ones feelings about Gods awesome power of creation.  A drawing of an empty tomb may express our love for God because of His gift of Salvation.

 Have you ever kept a journal or diary?  Why not keep a journal of prayers you have offered to God as a way of worship.  If not a journal how about try writing poems that express what is in your heart.  When was the last time you wrote a love letter to God?

 An expression that has become increasingly popular with our young people has been through dance.  Interpretive dance has become a beautiful expression of worship in the church by taking an existing song and putting movement to that song to help bring it to life in a new way.

 Another way of worship is simply silence.  When was the last time you just sat silently and listened to God?  What better way to tell God you love Him than to just sit and listen to Him?  There is so much that God wants us to know but we get too busy sometimes to stop and listen.  We need to stop at times and clear our mind and listen to what God has to say to us. 

 Why not try something new this week in your worship time?  Remember it is what comes from the heart that makes worship real.  It is not the perfection of the act of worship that God desires.  It is the real, the honest, the simply act of love that God desires from us.  Worship God today and be blessed in His presence.