The Act of Worship

 

For that is what worship is: an act. It is not primarily an “experience,” although we often hear people talking about having had “a beautiful worship experience.” This is a fine sentiment, but partly misses the point. God commands us to worship him, and you cannot command an experience. Like love (which is also commanded), worship may be attended by exalted feelings; but the thing itself is the act of bringing laud and honor to the Most High…. Worship is the act in which we approach the highest mystery of all, namely, God.

Thomas Howard. The Liturgy Explained. (Harrisburg: Morehouse Publishing, 2006), 9-10.

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2 Responses to “The Act of Worship”

  • M. Jay Bennett Says:
    December 9th, 2007 at 8:17 pm

    Hi Will,

    This quote raised a question in my mind. How is Howard defining the term experience?

  • Will Nielsen Says:
    December 9th, 2007 at 8:34 pm

    Jay,

    Good to hear from you! Howard does not define experience explicitly. From what I can tell, Howard is more concerned with us understanding the relationship of our experience in worship (whatever we might understand that to be) with the act of worship itself. Experience for Howard is something that is attached to the act of worship, perhaps we might say a consequence of the act. The act of worship then is the subject, while the experience is indeed the predicate.

    He does explicitly define the following (if this helps your inquiry), pages 10ff:

    Ritual: the words of the liturgy.

    Ceremony: the actions of the liturgy.

    Liturgy: an enactment, in which the Church proclaims the whole Gospel drama.

    Sacrament: physical liturgical items in which the eternal touches time. Of course Howard is clear to indicate that we get to the Sacraments via the Word of God and that is why the beginning of the liturgy consists of the gathering (synaxis) of God’s people to hear the Word read and preached (the Word spoken) as a lead in to the word received in the Sacraments (the Word broken).

    I think Howard would say that the act of worship may produce myriad experiences. One might be deeply encouraged while another is convicted of their sin and still another is ambivalent. He seems to want to say that experience is not the basis for worship but is the result of it.

    Hope that helps.

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