One of the great longings of the human heart is to worship, to pursue the spiritual and the sacred. People worship many things - money, sex, self, careers, deities, etc. Jesus Christ affirmed our need to worship but warned that our worship should not only be in spirit but also in truth (John 4:23). Without the constraints of truth, worship can expose the human mind to the dangers of superstition and deception (even in the name of religion). In other words, worship itself cannot justify itself. It must be anchored in truth which, Jesus explained, is found in the Person and character of God.

Like many Biblical terms, our notion of worship has become influenced by our cultural heritage. Some people view worship as a mystical and emotional experience characterised by the presence of hysteria and the absence of intellect. Others see worship as religious ceremony imbued with ritual but devoid of any lasting spiritual significance. Both views are distinct from the real thing. Archbishop William Temple has said:

"Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness, nourishment of mind by His truth, purifying of imagination by His beauty, opening of the heart to His love, and submission of will to His purpose. All this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of all expressions of which we are capable."

Worship is not just some religious activity that occurs in a church. Worship is what we do with our life after we have submitted our wills to God's will. It follows, then, that a great many things may be considered "worship"!

The film Chariots of Fire provides a classic illustration of the way in which true worship can bring a unifying perspective to the conflicting demands in a person's life. The film records the feats of two British athletes at the 1924 Paris Olympics. Harold Abrahams, the 100m gold medallist, ran for his own personal glory and triumph. But in choosing to devote his entire existence to the pursuit of success he found emptiness rather than fulfillment: "You know, I used to be afraid to lose. But now I am afraid to win. I have ten seconds in which to prove the reason for my existence, and even then, I am not sure I will." In contrast, Eric Liddell, the 400m gold medallist, devoted his life to the worship of God. As he explained to his sister: "God has made me for a purpose - for China. But He has also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure."

After their races Abrahams began the downward slide into despondency that comes from climbing to the top and finding nothing there, whereas Liddell packed his bags and got on with his life in China. The peace Liddell had came from the unifying focus of a life grounded in worship.

To sum up, Christ recognised the desire in all of us to pursue the spiritual and the sacred but He also recognised the need to anchor our worship in truth. The act of worshipping in spirit and truth brings order to our otherwise busy lives. In short, worship brings peace, and peace and unity within enables us to deal with diversity in our community. As Thomas Merton put it: "Man is not at peace with his fellow man because he is not at peace with himself. He is not at peace with himself because he is not at peace with God."