What Do We Mean by Worship?

A sermon by the Rev. James R. Bridges 

A person will worship something – have no doubt about that. . . . That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and character. Therefore it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshiping we are becoming.  ~  Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

The word “worship” is one of those words in Unitarian Universalism that some of us have to tread lightly around.  I must add, I find it amazing how fundamentalistic, how so deeply rooted in the text and the semantics of words, we can become at times.  And I admit, I often am the first one to go running to the dictionary.  It is as if the word is supreme, and not the ideas the speaker is trying to convey. We will discuss and debate nuances of words, what they really mean, connotations and denotations, losing sight of the overall experience about which we are trying to speak. 

In part, I believe this stems from past experiences that a number of us have had, myself included.  Those of us who come from other religious traditions often have scars from previous religious encounters and wars.  Indeed, a number of us have more or less open wounds.  We have not been so lucky to have scar tissue form over the cuts and abrasions we have experienced.  These wounds have been and still are painful.  Worship is one of those words that are likely to make us feel like salt is being rubbed on the wound.  In can burn, it can stultify our development, and it can upset us.

Others of us, who may not have such scars, nevertheless are sensitive to those who do have them.  These friends may say something like “I don’t like that word.  Can’t we use another one, one that is less upsetting to members and less divisive?”

I believe that both groups deserve a respectful reply to their concerns, especially since some would inquire “why not use other words, much as we have been doing already?  We can speak of a Sunday program or a meeting, for example, and offend no one.”

Before answering these questions, however, I think it would be helpful for us to reflect upon why we come here on a Sunday morning.  What exactly are we expecting, looking for, or hoping to find here?  Why do it, in other words?

For many people, what draws them to us is a sense of community.  That is partially why I began coming to a UU congregation.  I wanted and needed a sense of community in which I could fit. And I found it rather quickly.  The fit was good. 

But there was and is something more that I look for, something deeper than community.  Indeed, I suspect that if we only had a sense of community here in our congregation or any other congregation, over time, that congregation would dwindle in size and might eventually disband.  We are about far more than community.

Speaking for myself, I look for a Sunday experience in which there may be a shift in my perspective, in which my personal interests are expanded.  My worldview and concerns may become less self-centered, fixated on the personal trivia of my week or year, and broader focused – looking at the events on a local, national, or international scale.   Further, morals, ethics and spirituality will enter into the experience – a sense of values will serve as a lens through which we can look at the mix of issues involved. 

At the same time, I can also see myself becoming more centered – deeply so – not necessarily in terms of trivial self needs, but centered in terms of that which is truly important to me – in a spiritual, religious sense.  Sunday morning is a time to think and feel deeply, to attend to the root of whatever it is we believe regarding life, the universe, being-ness, morality and ethics, and …yes, some might even speak of God in this context…whatever we mean by that term.

Still others of us might become more deeply aware of our connectivity, to each other, to our community, to the planet earth, and to the universe.  Again, our viewpoint has expanded, and boundaries have blurred and become a bit more relaxed, and we feel part of all that is, no longer separated and isolated.

This transformation of perspective doesn’t always occur on a Sunday morning, and it is not limited to occurring here.  It can happen elsewhere as well.  But here, on Sunday mornings, we try to help each other reach this goal through the use of readings, poetry, music, sharing of personal joys and sorrows, singing of hymns, silent meditation, a sermon, follow-up discussion, and some rituals such as our closing fellowship circle and chalice lighting.  Even the offering is a part of the process – of thinking beyond our immediate self and looking towards the greater community of our fellowship.  There is a “special focused atmosphere together, [which] … if our attempt succeeds, uplifts and transforms us,” as my ministerial colleague Mark Gallagher Bell has described it.

Now, I would like to begin my reply to those questions, starting with the suggestion of using substitute words like “meeting” and “program.”  Use of the word “meeting” to describe what we do on Sunday mornings is either a non-religious description of what we do, or at best, is a religious description borrowed from the Quakers. 

I do not believe that either definition describes adequately the behavior we engage in on Sunday mornings.  Yes, we do meet one another here, but I think we do far more.  Meeting does not imply that “special focused atmosphere together, [which] … uplifts and transforms us.”  It just doesn’t imply that at all.  As for as the Quaker use of the term “meeting,” we do not come close to holding a Quaker meeting.  We are not Quakers – we are Unitarian Universalists.  I have nothing against Quakers – I have attended some of their meetings.  But we are not Quaker.  If you want to attend a Quaker meeting, I respectfully suggest you go to them, not us.

Program is another non-religious term, albeit one which can be used more descriptively.  We do have a program on a Sunday morning, but is that all that we have?  Are we coming to see a list of items?  Or do we come for those other reasons – for some transformation and centering of our lives – some inspiration – and something to help us get through the coming week.  Or perhaps we come looking for some guidance in how to deal with a specific issue.  Do we come looking for a specially focused form of attention in a group setting on Sunday mornings – a community of fellow UUs?  If so, that is more than a program.

To me, both program and meeting are inadequate as descriptors.  We need a religious term to describe what we are about on a Sunday morning, for we are a religious organization.  Indeed, our tax exempt status is not as a non-profit, but as a church.  We are not a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.  Realistically, many of our behaviors are similar to what Christians do on a Sunday morning – and they use the word “worship” to describe it.  Where we differ is in our understanding of what those behaviors mean.

I believe one of the reasons we do not like the term worship is it raises the question – what is it that we worship?  Do we worship God or the Goddess, as nearly all other religions worship a divinity of sorts.  Must worship imply a divine being?  I do not believe it does, not at all.  For the time, I will leave the question of what exactly does the word God mean – and can it be more broadly interpreted than what we often mean by it.  That is a separate sermon, or maybe even sermon series.  I will also just make a quick observation that some of us also often attend wanting a sermon, not a lecture, on Sunday mornings.  Why is that, if we are only presenting a program or a meeting on a Sunday?

Granted, there are certain religious words that I would never advocate using.  For example, the word Lord is one that I try to avoid using, because it has at all sorts of dominance/submission connotations associated with it, as well as an early Medieval political orientation to it.  Even in my most theistic stance, I cannot use Lord in good conscience.

But let’s go back to worship, and take a look at the roots of the word.  I learned a long time ago, I believe while leading a course on Building Your Own Theology or On the Path to Spirituality that the term worship comes from the Old English “weorscipe.”  That is a combination of two words, which mean worth and -ship or shape.  Hence, the English term worship as a title of respect.  As a verb, the word meant to ascribe worth to – or to give shape to that which we find worthy.

I would hope that that is exactly what we are doing on a Sunday morning here.  Giving shape to our concerns and issues, shape to those things we find truly of worth in our lives.  We create meaning in a sense of religious community.  We actively celebrate and hold up for consideration of all our highest thoughts and endeavors. 

Now some may say that I am playing with the definition of the word – that most people do not think of that meaning when they hear the word.  I have two responses.  First of all, all religions play with word meanings, use them in new ways for their members and followers.  That indeed is how worship came to mean what it does today – instead of staying with the root word.  Why should we be any different?  We too can redefine word meanings.

Secondly, while most people may not think of worship as ascribing meaning and worth to something, I do believe that most people outside of our congregation would not hesitate to describe our Sunday services as worship, with or without the presence of theism.

My thoughts are to reclaim the word – to use it proudly and affirmatively.  We do gather together for worship on Sunday morning, not to bow down to some paternalistic or regal God, but rather to center ourselves, to create worth and meaning in our lives, to give shape to our worth, and to ennoble our search for deeper values and actions in our lives.  It is a community task, done under special circumstances, with a heightened attention at its best.  It is corporate.  It is whole.  It is inclusive.  And I find it both worthy and good.

Another minister, the Rev. Mary Katherine Morn in Nashville, has written, “Worship is a communal exercise in shaping that which we value.”  Hopefully this morning, we have done that in broadening our understanding of what it is we hope to do on a Sunday morning by coming here.  This is worship – plain and simple.

I would like to invite each of you to be open to worship and to raise the bar somewhat for our collective expectations for a Sunday worship service.  Come hoping for and expecting more than a program or a meeting.  Look for more than a gathering of friends, some new and some old.  Yes, look for that, for community is important, but look for more.  Arrive expecting sustained, focused and corporate attention to an idea or thought.  Look for a centering, a time of reflection, a spiritual uplift, an inspiration, or a transformation, perhaps even all of the foregoing.  They may not all happen every Sunday, but may you arrive expectant.    But whatever you do, please don’t stay stuck to old definitions, old reactions, old wounds.  I invite you to grow, to move on, to let go of the past.  The present and future await you.  Thank you.

I welcome hearing your thoughts.

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