When I was young, the church services my family and I attended were very formal. It was expected for men and boys to wear suits and neckties, and for women and girls to wear dresses. We sang from hymnal books and our Pastor wore a traditional robe to give his weekly sermon from the pulpit. As a congregation, we stood, sat, knelt, and repeated recessionals upon the Pastor’s cue. This style of worship was rhythmic and familiar, and practiced similarly in Protestant churches across the country for many generations.
However, as the years progressed and various social movements took root in our world, I noticed how churches began to also progress in their views about how we should worship. Congregations began asking, “What does the Bible say about how we should present ourselves for worship? What would Jesus want?”.
The word “worship” means to show reverence and adoration for God. By worshipping God, as Christians we are proclaiming His “worth” and prominent place in our lives, as our Savior. The Bible gives many examples of worship, but this scripture from John really answers the question for me about HOW we should worship Him:
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23-24
The Bible does not say that we are ready to worship only if we are wearing suits and dresses. It does not say we should only sing traditional hymns or contemporary praise music. It says that we should worship Him in “Spirit and in truth”. This means that if you worship in a traditional or an evangelical style, it does not matter to God. King David, for example, danced before the Lord. While Psalm 95:6 says “Come, let us worship and bow down”.
It is the authenticity of our worship – the readying of our hearts to adore and revere Jesus – that matters. Jesus desires to be worshipped by those who love Him; those whose hearts are forever changed because of His sacrifice, mercy, and grace.
This personal realization about the act of worship inspired me to write the song “Ready to Worship”. Jesus saved me and gave me eternal life, and He desires that I worship Him as I am, wherever I am.
I chose an upbeat melody for this song to capture the joy of worship, while the lyrics reflect the idea of worshipping God as John calls us to do. There’s a line in the song that says, “I’m out of the box that said it was wrong to let my emotions show. Now I praise you everywhere I go!”. This line captures the essence of how I believe we are called to worship God — without inhibitions and in complete reverence of His glory.
It is my hope that “Ready to Worship” inspires congregations and listeners to come as they are in “Spirit and in truth” to revere and adore our King.
