Kissing, Bowing and Telling It Like It Is

Then the disciples in the boat worshiped Jesus. "Truly you are the Son of God!" they exclaimed. (Matthew 14:33, Good News Bible)

Worship. The principal Old Testament word for it (Shah ah) means to bow down or be prostrate. The principal New Testament word for it (proskune´o) literally means to "kiss toward"?a tender and intimate notion that goes deeper than just the contemporary "experience" of worship all wrapped up in music and tied with a bow of calm and/or peaceful feelings derived from that music, or perhaps even the combination of music and lyrics.

Both words tell us that worship is something more than just feelings we get from songs and sermons. They tell us that worship is more of an attitude combined with the natural actions that play out from that attitude. Whether we bow down and acknowledge our submission to a holy God or if we kiss toward our loving Savior with affection and adoration, our worship is best seen to be true in the light of our responsive action.

Still, even in with all that being true, I think the disciples did a wonderful job of summing up the very basic nature of worship when in Matthew 14:33 they said, "Truly you are the Son of God!"

To me, this is where all worship begins and ends, with us simply acknowledging Christ as the Son of God, as God himself. I think that should be one of our driving forces, if not THE driving force, behind our approach to worship here as the Lakeland Community Church praise band, simply declaring to our congregation and our community that Christ is the Son of God. Then we set the stage for the responsiveness to follow, each following the dictates of his or her own heart and own relationship with that Christ. Some will bow. Some will kiss toward. Some will worship in quietness. And some will sing and dance. That's not our concern, though. We just have to make it known, like the disciples, that "Truly you are the Son of God!"