WORSHIP & ETHICS

Worship is absolutely essential to a proper understanding of Christian Ethics.

Worship is what Christians do - faith is worked out in worship; worship is the work of our faith. 

Without worship, one’s conduct will not please God.

Christian ethics describes conduct pleasing to God.

Thus, the conduct of Christianity, Christian ethics, is worship. 

 

The Catholic understanding of worship is described by the word “liturgy.”

Liturgy refers to more than mere ritual.  [This is often how the word is misunderstood, as it was in my own upbringing.]

The word comes from the Greek word λειτουργία (leitourgia) meaning "public work".

It is derived from two Greek words,          leitos ,    the word from which we get “laity”, i.e., people or public,

        and                                               ergo,       the word from which we get “urge”, working power to do.

The word had a different sense in the Greek city-states:

some public good which a citizen arranged (at his own expense, if wealthy), either voluntarily or by law.

Through Christian theological development, liturgy became associated with worship.

Liturgy – the work of the Church, the people of God – is our worship before God.

cf. .Romans 12  “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.” ^latreian

Let us define worship as that which one finds worth doing.  What then, is worth doing?  Doing that which is pleasing to God is always worth doing.  Those who do not worship cannot please God in that what they find worthy falls short of what is worthy in the sight of God [see discussion of THE LAST JUDGMENT].

Being free to choose what to do, we need to decide which of many options can be considered worthy of our time and energy.  Others judge us by what we do; if we are observed doing something, others will assume that we consider that which we do as worth doing.  

Perhaps this why we are exhorted as follows in Colossians 3:17: "And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him."

Read the whole chapter from Colossians here: http://usccb.org/nab/bible/colossians/colossians3.htm 

All we do is proper worship as it brings glory to God in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit.  This is the primary claim of Christian Ethics!