What does it mean to worship?

[Tofferer]

Surely Lutherans don't save worship til Sunday mornings only?

KJmom

For me, personal daily worship revolves around quiet prayer. I don't know how to really explain it though. For me, it is when I start to feel really small and insignifigant during my prayers that I feel as if I am truly worshiping my creator, master and King. Perhaps that may not make a lot of sense, but that is what it is for me

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[GratiaCorpusChristi]

No, nothing of the sort.

I'm merely saying that the biblical pattern of worship is centered on communal gatherings where the testament to God's covenant is read and the participants eat a ritual meal together- ie, word and sacrament.

 

[mrshoperose]

I don't feel as if what I experience on a Sunday morning is "ritual".

 

[GratiaCorpusChristi]

I don't feel as if what I experience on a Sunday morning is "ritual".

It is, unless you think 'ritual' automatically means 'vain ritual.'

Repeated actions of a set form and purpose are always ritual. Anthropologists would consider a morning and nightly brushing of teeth a ritual.

 

[Tofferer]

Repeated actions of a set form and purpose are always ritual. Anthropologists would consider a morning and nightly brushing of teeth a ritual.

I wonder how they view loading household good crates into trailers bound for Alaska? It is a repeated action in a set form with a purpose. Unfortunately the crates aren't usually very sturdy.


Rituals are nice when they serve a certain function/purpose. However, if they no longer serve a purpose and are done just because they've always been done, its time to get rid of it. Perhaps that is part of the current problem with the RC church.......

 

[mrshoperose]

It is, unless you think 'ritual' automatically means 'vain ritual.'

Repeated actions of a set form and purpose are always ritual. Anthropologists would consider a morning and nightly brushing of teeth a ritual.

Going to church every Sunday, to me anyways, feels nothing like "ritual". There are some times when it feels the same, but more often than not, going to church is always a different experience that leaves me feeling a little different.

 

[GratiaCorpusChristi]

Going to church every Sunday, to me anyways, feels nothing like "ritual". There are some times when it feels the same, but more often than not, going to church is always a different experience that leaves me feeling a little different.

Well that's good. But it's still a ritual, by definition. Nothing wrong with that. Again, brushing your teeth is a ritual. So is the marriage ceremony. Nothing wrong with either of those.

Tofferer: As for crates bound for Alaska, I'm not so sure. Usually anthropologists would definite a ritual as a repeated action that is performed for largely cultural reasons (and yes, religion is considered a subset of culture). The loading of supplies, on the other hand, is more economic.

 

[Tofferer]

Tofferer: As for crates bound for Alaska, I'm not so sure. Usually anthropologists would definite a ritual as a repeated action that is performed for largely cultural reasons (and yes, religion is considered a subset of culture). The loading of supplies, on the other hand, is more economic.

If you knew my supervisors, you might wonder if it wasn't a religion.

 

[DaSeminarian]

I don't feel as if what I experience on a Sunday morning is "ritual".

Maybe not ritualistic in and of itself, but there are elements of ritual in every service.

 

[synger]

In our household, we speak often of our "morning ritual" and our "evening ritual". That's the mental list of stuff we do to get ready for the day, or to get ready for bed. From setting the phone on the charger to hanging the keys on their hook to brushing teeth to saying prayers, it's part of the ritual.

In that case, it's the wider sense of the word, not the religious one.

 

[Jim47]

I am pretty new to Christianity, and I am reading my Bible daily. I see often the word worship and wonder what that really means?

Is worship about gathering in a church for a sermon and prayer? Is it about singing songs to God? Is it about reading the Bible? Is it something I can do on my own or is it just once a week on Sunday mornings?

I think you described it pretty well, but its more then just words, true worship comes from the heart, and that is what God wants from us is our hearts, devoted to Him.

 

[Tofferer]

I think you described it pretty well, but its more then just words, true worship comes from the heart, and that is what God wants from us is our hearts, devoted to Him.

Amen. Jesus himself says that God is spirit and he wants us to worship him in spirit and truth.