But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4:23-24

Jesus says something interesting when he is talking to the woman at the well. He says that God IS spirit, and then he says that true worshippers will worship IN spirit.

What do you think he means by that? To me, it sounds like that to truly worship God, you have to enter God. You have to go into God, or join with God, in order to express your devotion to God.

How do you enter something that is ineffable? Early in John, Jesus explains to Nicodemus that the spirit is like the wind, both knowable and also mysterious, intangible. Perhaps that’s why worship is so hard for so many people.

Maybe we’re doing it wrong. You know, charismatic Christians are not so shy about worshipping in the spirit. They’ll be dancing around, hands flailing in the air, strange sounds emerging from their lips—this is what an experience of entering into God’s spirit looks like for them.

In my tradition the evidence is slightly less…evident. We stand and sing a few songs. We pray. We listen to someone else talking about the Bible, Jesus, and our lives today.

Maybe that’s not enough for some people. Down through the years worshippers have added incense, burnt offerings, LED signs, rock concert lighting and more to sort of stimulate this feeling of what it’s like to be in the spirit. It has worked to some degree or another. Many people are so used to such spectacle in their daily lives that worship, even with all the special effects, amounts to an hour of boredom.

I’m absolutely convinced that this regular time of gathering together is crucial, but like worship leaders down through the ages I’ve found it’s something impossible to just simulate. For it to work—for us to all be caught up in that spirit—requires three things that are fundamentally important.

1. God has to be present. Well yes, that’s obvious. For us to enter into God, God has to be present. Thankfully, it is our belief that God is always with us.

2. We have to be present. By present I don’t just mean in that physical space—although that, too, is necessary. I mean that to enter into the spirit requires a commitment of attention and intention. A desire to join with God and each other. What would worship be like to come with such an expectation?

3. Truth. Jesus didn’t just talk about worshipping with spirit, but also with truth. We cannot partition off parts of our lives from God and expect to be immersed in spirit. We must lay it all out there. Desperate needs, thankfulness, determination to live a better life, intense longing for forgiveness or connection with others. We have to come bringing all of our spirit to enter into God’s. It is in that encounter that we experience the fullness of God’s grace and truth.

All the ways we choose to get to that sweet spot are techniques. Methods to facilitate a complete union of these three pieces: God’s spirit, your spirit, and truth. The result of such an encounter is what makes worship powerful. The techniques are simply there to help guide us to that holy space.

Pastors will continue to find new ways to help focus a congregation. Christians will continue to struggle to bring their best to communal worship. But God’s spirit—God’s truth—will never stop blowing gently like a wind. God will never stop promising to fill us like living water.

May your worship be renewing, and invigorating. Challenging and life-affirming. May what you bring with you be intentional, and truthful…

and spirited.

Have a great week,

Mitch