John 12:1-11 Understanding True Christian Worship

What is worship?

When someone mentions the word worship, what springs to mind? I suspect that most of us would tend to think of worship as something that we do when we go to church, or even more specifically worship is something we do as part of our service together. For example we tend to think worship is that part of the service when we sing songs or chorus’. We talk about having a time of worship, before we have our scripture readings, as though they are not part of the worship.

When we think about worship songs, we tend to distinguish those from more traditional hymns. For example an old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city church.

He came home and his wife asked him how it was."Well," said the farmer, "it was good. They did something different, however. They sang worship songs instead of hymns.""Worship songs?" said his wife, "What are those?""Oh they’re okay. They’re sort of like hymns, only different," said the farmer."Well, what’s the difference?" asked the wife.The farmer said, "Well it’s like this - If I were to say to you: ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a hymn. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you: ‘Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha, Martha, MARTHA MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the white cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, the CORN, CORN, CORN’!!! ‘Oh, Oh, Ooooooooh, yes, it’s true, the whole herd is in the awesome corn, yes, it’s true, the whole herd is in the awesome corn, --- weeell, it’s true, the whole herd is in the awesome corn!!! Alleluia! - That would be a worship song."

But just to give you the other side, a young Christian decided to attend a small town church, a different one to normal. He came home and his wife asked him how it was."Well," said the young man, "It was good. They did something different however. They sang hymns instead of regular worship songs.""Hymns," said his wife, "what are those?""Oh, they’re okay. They’re sort of like worship songs, only different," said the young man."Well, what’s the difference? Asked his wife.The young man said, "Well it’s like this: If I were to say to you, ‘Martha, the cows are in the corn,’ well that would be a regular song. If, on the other hand, I were to say to you: ‘Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear thou my cry. Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth. Turn thou thy whole wondrous ear by and by, To the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth. For the way of the animals who can explain? There in their heads is no shadow of sense, Harkenest they in God’s sun or his rain Unless from the mild, tempting corn they are fenced. Yea those cows in glad bovine, rebelious delight, Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed. Then goaded by minions of darkness and night They all my mild sweet corn have chewed. So look to that bright shining day by and by, Where all foul corruptions of earth are reborn. Where no vicious animal makes my soul cry, and I no longer see those foul cows in the corn. AMEN!"Then, if I were to do only verses one, two, and four and do a key change on the last verse, well that would be a hymn."...

So what is worship. Well it is true that worship is one of the things we do when we come to church, but worship is so much more than this.

To worship something, is to that thing worth, it literally means worth-ship. So when we worship God, we give him the recognition that he deserves. If we look in Scripture we see that the central understanding of worship is to homage and submission to God, it is about service to God, it is therefore all encompassing, it is about our whole life, and it is about reverence for God. This is why Paul in Romans 12:1 writes, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.” Our worship to God must be expressed in the way we live. It should be our number one priority in life.
One of the descriptions I like most of worship is contained in Matt Redman’s song ‘The Heart of Worship’, in it he writes, “I’m coming back to the heart of worship and it’s all about you, all about you Jesus.” This is what worship is about.

Why do we worship?

This leads me onto the question, why do we worship, and it is at this point that I would like to turn to our reading from John’s Gospel.

Our reading takes place at the home of Lazarus, in the village of Bethany, just two miles from Jerusalem. It was six days before the Passover, and the day before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. As Jesus was reclining at the table with his disciples, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, comes into the room, and breaks the seal on an expensive jar of perfume, and anoints Jesus’ feet. And we are told that the fragrance of this perfume filled the whole house.

Mary’s act was act of loving extravagance and spontaneous generosity. Hers is a love that is full-to-overflowing with spontaneous, unmeasured giving towards Jesus in response to all that he had done for her and her family. And this is the essence of worship. Our worship is a grateful response for all that God has done for us.

C S Lewis, wrote. “ We delight to praise what we enjoy because the praise not merely expresses but completes the enjoyment… To praise God fully we must suppose ourselves to be in perfect love with God, drowned in, dissolved by that delight which, far from remaining pent up within ourselves as incommunicable bliss, flows out from us incessantly again in effortless and perfect expression.”

To give an illustration, when you love someone, you don’t just keep your feelings locked up inside yourself, you need to express it through words and actions, because that expresses and makes real the love. And so it is with God.

Our worship, flows from an understanding of who God is, and what he has done for us. When we consider:
our God is a soverign God,
no means of measure can define his limitless love
he’s enduringly strong
he’s entirely sincere
he’s enternally steadfast
he’s immortally graceful
he’s impartial merciful
That is our God!
he supplies strength for the week
he’s available for the tempted and tried
he sympathises and saves
he strengthens and sustains
he guards and he guides
he heals the sick
he cleansed the lepers
he forgives sinners
he discharges debtors
he delivers the captive
he defends the weak
he blesses the young
he serves the unfortunate
he regards the aged
he rewards the diligent
and he beautifies the meager
That is our God!
He is the key to knowledge
He’s the wellspring of wisdom
He’s the doorway of deliverance
He’s the pathway of peace
He’s the roadway of righteousness
He’s the highway of holiness
He’s the gateway of glory.
That is our God!
His life is matchless
His goodness is limitless
His mercy is everlasting
His love never changes
His grace is sufficient
His yoke is easy
And his burden is light
That is our God!

When we know and understand this in our hearts as well as our minds, the only response we can give, is to worship God.

This is beautifully described in the hymn ‘How great thou art’. O Lord my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the works thy hand has made, I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, thy power thoughout the universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art. Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art. And when I think that God, his Son not sparing, sent him to die, I scarce can take it in, that on the cross, my burden gladly bearing, he bled and died, to take away my sin. Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art. Then sings my soul, my Saviour God to thee, how great thou art, how great thou art.

Who or what is the object of our worship?

Who or what is the object of our devotion, of our worship. For Mary it was clearly Jesus, but it was not true of everyone gathered there that evening.

Mary was rebuked by Judas, for what he considered to be an extravagant waste. He objected to the use of expensive oil saying, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?” I have to confess that for a long time, I sympathised with what Judas was saying. Doesn’t he have a valid point? A years wages is a lot of money, and it could have helped many people. However, this was not Judas’ real motive, John tells us that Judas, used to steal the money, and so his concern was not with the poor or needy, but his own greed. It is clear that Judas’ real object of worship was money or greed, after all, a few days later he betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins.
Ralph Emerson, an American poet and philosopher in the 19th century wrote, A person will worship something. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behoves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.

It is possible to worship many things in our lives. For example, we can worship our children, our jobs, money, hobbies, possessions, even ourselves. Sometimes it is easier to worship created things, than it is to worship the Creator of all things. Jesus said, “Where your heart is, that is also where your treasure is.” So the question we all need to consider is God the main object of my worship, or is it something, or somebody else? And if it is not God, are you going to allow him to be at the centre of your life where he truly belongs.

In The Wounded Healer, Henri Nouwen retells a tale from ancient India: Four royal brothers decided each to master a special ability. Time went by, and the brothers met to reveal what they had learned.“I have mastered a science,” said the first, “by which I can take but a bone of some creature and create the flesh that goes with it.” “I,” said the second, “know how to grow that creature’s skin and hair if there is flesh on its bones.” The third said, “I am able to create its limbs if I have flesh, the skin, and the hair.” “And I,” concluded the fourth, “know how to give life to that creature if its form is complete.” Thereupon the brothers went into the jungle to find a bone so they could demonstrate their specialties. As fate would have it, the bone they found was a lion’s. One added flesh to the bone, the second grew hide and hair, the third completed it with matching limbs, and the fourth gave the lion life. Shaking its mane, the ferocious beast arose and jumped on his creators. He killed them all and vanished contentedly into the jungle.

If we worship something other than God, it has the power to turn against us. We have the capacity to create what can devour us. Goals and dreams can consume us. Possessions and property can turn and destroy us.

How do we worship?

So what lessons do we learn from Mary’s anointing of Jesus. First of all, in worship we are meant to give our best.

When Mary anointed Jesus, she didn’t use any old perfume, she used the best she could find. She used Nard, Nard is an oil like perfume extracted from the root and spike of the nard plant, which is grown in India. And we are told that it cost the equivalent of a years wages, around 300 denari.
Worship is an offering, it is something we give to God. And when we worship God for all he has done for us, it is to give him our all, to give him our best. I am not only thinking here about what we do when we church on a Sunday, but I am thinking about giving God the best in every area of our lives.

Our whole lives can be an act of worship to God. For example, when we are at work, we can offer what we are doing to God as an act of worship. Thanking him for all his blessings, and by giving him the glory by doing our best, honouring God by the way we handle ourselves, and by the way we treat others. It doesn’t matter where you work, you do it to the glory of God. I came across a quote which said, An authentic life is the most personal form of worship. Everyday life has become my prayer. But if we only give God a drop of praise, it is an unsuitable acknowledgement for an ocean of mercy.

What is the impact of a life lived in worship?

When Mary anointed Jesus, we are told that the house was filled with the fragrance of perfume. If we live lives of worship, if we are seeking to put God at the centre of everything we say and do, then it will have a profound effect on those around us. If we are living lives of worship, then we will touch and bless countless other lives. If we are living lives of worship, not only will we be transformed, but so will our families, our relationships, our places of work, our society, and our world.

Conclusion:

Worship is not simply about what we do when we come to church. Worship is about the way we live our whole lives, it is about the place of God in our lives. Mary shows gives us an example of what it is like to worship God. The love, care and devotion that she showed to Jesus, and not being concerned by what others thought of said, and we see what an effect that this has. As we journey through this season of Lent, and prepare to celebrate Easter, now is a good time for us to take a fresh look at our lives, and see how we can live lives of worship. Because, as the German theologian Karl Barth wrote, “Christian worship is the most urgent, and the most glorious action that takes place in human life.”