Worship In A Nutshell

Sometime ago I came across one of those websites where people write in and ask questions and other people who are perceived as being kind of like ‘professional answer people’ respond with answers to the best of their knowledge.

I was intrigued by one of the submissions that came in from a lady who wrote:

“My brother, although raised as a Christian, is now both an ex-Scientologist and an agnostic. He asked me this question, ‘What kind of God would require worship?’”

Frederica Mathewes-Green, the author of ‘The Illumined Heart’ (Paraclete Press), offered what I think is a pretty good response to the question. Here is what she wrote:


In an episode of The Simpsons, Homer is asked a similar question. He replies, “God is very powerful, but also very insecure, like Barbra Streisand before James Brolin.” If you picture God as being like a giant human being, that makes sense. But in the Bible, the main thing people who've encountered God say is that He’s the opposite of ordinary humans. He’s holy. Those who meet him say, “You've never experienced anything like this before. It made my hair stand on end.”
Their first reaction seems to be fear, since the first thing they are told is usually “Do not fear.” Then, as they continue to stand in God’s presence, they become overwhelmed with awe and love, and they start seeing their own failings very clearly. Strong light makes long shadows. Isaiah sees God ‘high and lifted up’ and reacts, “Woe is me!” Peter sees Jesus perform a miracle and falls to his knees saying, “I am a sinful man.”
That's what people who have ‘been there’ report: God is ‘other’, He’s inexpressibly wonderful. When you experience Him, you suddenly see how much you need to change. And that’s worship in a nutshell. God doesn’t command us to do this; it’s more like He warns us that this is what will happen. Get ready, because His presence is going to knock you over! I hope your brother will continue to evolve and soon become an ex-agnostic.

This response endears me for a few reasons but one of the lines I really like is, “He’s inexpressibly wonderful. When you experience Him, you suddenly see how much you need to change. And that’s worship in a nutshell.”

The statement begs the question. Can we really say we have worshiped God if there has been no change in our life as a result? And I am inclined to think not. If worship is an encounter with the living God, how could we remain unchanged by such an experience?