Worship in spirit and truth!

John 4:19-24
 "Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."  Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
NIV

Last week I had to teach Sunday School.  Our lesson was about the Woman at the well.  I am very familiar with this story, but there was a few verses that really stood out in my mind as I studied.  The passages was John 4:19:24.  The woman questions Jesus as to where the right place is to worship God, on the mountain where the Samaritans have worshiped for years, or in Jerusalem where the Jews worship God.  Jesus tells her that it didn't matter where you worship what matters is that the true worshipers will worship in spirit and Truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in Truth. 
I began to wonder what it looked like to worship in spirit and truth.  Am I a true worshiper or am I just doing what I am suppose to do?  How far off am I from being a true worshiper? As I asked myself these questions, I prayed and asked God to show me what does this look like and what do I need to do to change. < Always be prepared when you ask questions like this....> 

Sunday morning came quickly and I was to get a full dose of "worshipping in spirit and truth."  That Sunday at church, I did something that I never dreamed of doing, stopping and praying over someone who was in need of prayer.  I prayed with 3 ladies that day.  I sang with confidence that Sunday (I am in the choir/praise team).  To my surprise the sermon was from Mark chapter 7.  Our worship needs to come from our hearts and not our lips.  We need to let go of our traditions.  The things we do all the time. The things we do without hardly thinking about it.  We cannot  worship God from our hearts if we are holding on to traditions.  Traditions never change. They are constant.  When we worship from our hearts, we are free to worship in the way that the Holy Spirit leads us.  A way that will be honoring to God and only God!  A way that will not draw attention to ourselves but that will draw other's attention towards God.

So, back to my questions: Do I worship in spirit and truth. The sad thing is, not really. I am holding on to my fears. I am hold on to some traditions. I am reminded that if I want to be a true worshipper, I will need to set aside all my fears.  I will need to not concentrate on what others will think of me.  I need to let go! I need to allow the Spirit to move.  I need to allow the Spirit to flow freely though me and to put my focus on God. 

Just a note, Sunday is not the only day we can worship God.  It should be a daily thing.  It may not always come in the form of a song either, but though our prayers; through our service and though our quite time.

 Synonyms for worship: honor, adoration, revere, adore, glorify, adulate (excessive devotion).