The significance of worship from an Anglican perspective

Worship is to ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name and therefore to worship is to give ourselves to God and not to receive from him. Worshipping God is the core of the life of the Church. While the Church can help the faithful in worshipping God in various means, it can never replace God. Worship can be generally categorized into public worship and private prayers. Since worshipping God is the responsibility of every Christian, they have to worship daily. From Monday to Saturday, they can engage in daily spiritual devotions, bible reading, and worshipping God through following Jesus’ commandments. On Sunday, the faithful return to the Church to participate in public services with their fellow Christians. During the services, they are not observers but participants. They are actively participating in the liturgy instead of observing the going-ons passively. When the faithful go to churches on Sunday, they are not there to watch a play or listen to a speech but to immerse themselves into all parts of the liturgy, not only because this is the responsibility of the faithful, but by participating in the liturgies, they could understand and appreciate the true joy and beauty of worshiping God.

Not only does the faithful need to worship God but they must also love and obey him because obeying God is the responsibility of the faithful. If Christians do not follow God’s commandments, then regardless of how wonderful the liturgies are, they will not bring joy to God. No matter how pious Christians appear to be, without a heart that obeys his will, they will not be a joy to him. Therefore Christians must worship God with sincere hearts. In their daily lives, they must follow his commandments and manifest them in their lives so that others can witness their good behavior. This is how we ascribe glory to our Lord Father in heaven.