Worship in spirit and in truth

When the Samaritan woman went to the well for water she didn’t anticipate a conversation with the strange Jewish rabbi traveling through. The conversation quickly became uncomfortably personal, and she changed the subject to the usual theological argument between Samaritans and Jews: “We Samaritans worship here, you Jews worship in Jerusalem.”

The issue was just where God would visit with his shekinah glory and receive the adoration and sacrifice of his people. The Jews followed the story to David, man after God’s own heart, who founded the capital at Jerusalem and fixed a place for the ark of the covenant and opened worship to the people. Fundamentalist Samaritans, in many ways like the Sadducees, were limited to their version of the Torah, and in the revered books of Moses could only find references to Gerazim as the place God would choose to assign his name and lend his glory.

Jesus told the woman the argument between Jews and Samaritans was moot. The time was fast approaching, he said, when neither Gerazim nor Jerusalem would matter. In the kingdom God would look for worshipers who approach him “in spirit and in truth.” God is spirit, he said, and true worshipers will approach him in spirit and in truth.

Rushing to lexicons and commentaries to define and interpret spirit and truth will only put us in the same boat with quibbling Samaritans and Jews, and cause us to miss the point. The woman had already identified Jesus as a prophet, and he had countered by declaring himself to be the prophet foretold by Moses. In biblical thought prophet and spirit go together. One cannot prophesy without the presence of the Holy Spirit, and the move of the Holy Spirit is always manifested by prophecy.

The place of worship, Jesus said, is the place where genuine prophecy takes place. The Holy Spirit will descend and holy mystery will be revealed through word and sign, through love and liturgy, through grace and personal sacrifice.

In fact the root of all worship is personal sacrifice. The Hebrew Scriptures abound with story after story of God’s people building altars and offering their best to God in burned sacrifice. Abraham even offered his only son in sacrifice to God.

Yet prophetic sacrifice goes much deeper than offering something we have, because money and possessions are replaceable. Prophetic sacrifice means giving to God all that we are. Dying to self and becoming totally immersed into the mystery that is the God of the universe. Paul the apostle begged the Roman Christians (and us) to not conform to the culture around them but to present themselves holy, acceptable to God as living sacrifices, reasonable worship. Jesus honored God supremely with the sacrifice of himself on the cross, after giving us a means to remember that sacrifice through the sacrament of Eucharist. We gather around that sacrifice often, in communion with one another and with God.

Prophetic worship is life-changing. Isaiah, prophet to Jewish kings, saw a glimpse of heavenly worship one day. He saw creatures flying around the throne, continually shouting the sanctus and declaring the absolute holiness of God. Immediately Isaiah, prophet of God, was convicted of his sins and the sins of his culture. The presence of holiness shines light on our glaring faults as spirit and truth reveal not only God’s mystery but also our hidden inner unrighteousness.

Prophetic worship, where spirit and truth reach into our hearts, causes us to lose sight of self and immerse ourselves into the service of God, to present ourselves living sacrifices. Isaiah heard the thunderous voice ask, “Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?” Without hesitation or consideration for his calendar, bank account, or personal needs, Isaiah immediately volunteered, “Here am I! Send me!”

It occurs to me that in the kingdom of God this kind of personal sacrifice should be the rule rather than the exception. With the early church we take ancient and time-honored vows to renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject evil powers of the world, and repent of sin. We confess Jesus Christ as Savior, put our whole trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as Lord in union with the Church. We promise to remain faithful members of Christ’s church and serve as his representatives to the world. In our connection we make a pledge to faithfully participate in the ministries of the church by our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. In other words, we die to self so that we might live unto Christ.

Jesus told the woman of Samaria worship is not sacrificing in a given place. Worship is when God shows up and with spirit and truth changes our lives. Worship is when we lose our selves into the wonder and mystery of God, and give ourselves fully to him.