THE WORTH OF WORSHIP
PHILLIPPIANS 4:6-9
11 1 09
ANTHONY E. ACHESON, M. DIV.
When we come into this sanctuary on Sunday mornings the word we most frequently use to describe what we do here is ‘worship.’ This word worship is based on the word ‘worth.’ ‘Worship’, in the Old English, was ‘worth-ship.’ Over the centuries the ‘th’ in the middle got collapsed out and became the word we are familiar with. The historic origin of this word worship has something important to teach us: at root, worship has to do with worth. It is an act in which we first, affirm, and then proactively seek out, that which is of the most worth to us.
But that begs the question: what is of most worth to us? We might answer by saying, God, of course. We might say that God is the center and focal point of our faith; that God is what is most important in our lives, and therefore what is worth most to us. But how does that manifest? How does the ‘worth-ship’ of God show up, or display itself in the way we actually live, or in the choices we make? How do we gain clarity about not just what should be of greatest worth to us, but what actually is of greatest worth to us.
One way to gain that clarity is to become aware of what activities we actually spend the most time on; what kinds of thoughts we actually give the most attention to; what we truly love and enjoy the most. One way to define love is the act of giving attention. If we want to know what we truly love-which is another way of referring to what is of greatest worth to us–it can be a valuable exercise to monitor carefully what we pay most attention to. And this in turn can be traced in noticing how we spend our time, as well as what we spend our time thinking about.
Consider one specific example. We might ask ourselves: when we read, what books or magazine do we focus on in our reading? If we read novels, do we read stories that either inspire us, or lead us to new understanding? Or do we read books that simply pass time; or, more negatively, stimulate mental patterns within us that we might do better to lessen rather than encourage. And when we read, do we remember what we read? A week after we’ve read a book, how well could we describe it? How specifically could we describe what we learned from it, or how it helped us to move forward in our lives? Reading, of course, is just one slice of life. And I don’t mean to suggest that 100% of our reading needs to be heavy or serious. But that’s one example of how we might go about assessing what we are giving the greatest worth in our lives. Worth isn’t something that we just identify, or describe, or assert verbally. It’s easy to say we come to worship God, and that God is the highest worth. But what we actually do ascribe the highest worth to is found not in what we say is most important to us, but in how we actually spend our time.
As a minister, I have spoken with many people over the years who approach the end of their lives, or who find themselves in a crisis and suddenly realize that so much of what they have emphasized and focused on, so much of what they have ascribed great worth to really was not all that important to them. I have counseled many people who have spent decades of major effort and energy into amassing much money, or achieving a prominent career, but at some point find themselves saying, ‘O my God, look at how much time I didn’t spend with my kids; look at what I didn’t do to keep my marriage strong and healthy.’ It is not my intention to cast aspersion on prosperity or success. They both have their legitimate plate in a balanced life. But if work and money become what run us, they can often pull us toward imbalance if they cause us to neglect our human relationships.
One of the greatest minds of the twentieth century was that of Aldous Huxley. He was a prolific author, best known for his novel, Brave New World. In the 1950’s when he was at the height of his powers the New York Times once asked him to write a review of the entire Encyclopedia Britannica. Few people qualify that assignment. The great composer Igor Stravinsky said, ‘Talking to Aldous Huxley on the phone was like having the entire British Museum on the line.’ Huston Smith, the great scholar of comparative religion has commented, ‘He was one of the most amazing, lovable, generous and knowledgeable people you could ever know. He graced me with thirty five years of wonderful friendship. I loved every minute with him. He was majestic and he was modest. In our final conversation one of the last things he said to me was, ‘Huston, it’s a little embarrassing to have spent one’s entire life pondering the human situation and find oneself with nothing much more profound than to say, ‘We should all try to be a little nicer.’
What is of greatest worth to you today? Clearly being a little nicer, being a lot more loving, focusing more on the Divine, cultivating more richly the presence of the Spirit, expanding our capacity for faith, and being both witnesses and servants to the creative power and presence of the Spirit, these are the things that are of greatest worth.
And my prayer and hope is that as a result of our having come here today, and reflecting on this topic, and soon receiving this sacrament, we would indeed become clearer about what is of most worth to us, and more enabled to serve those values. We ask it in the name of the living Christ. Amen.
