You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know. (John 4:22)
WHAT IS REVEALED in this story is sort of puzzling. The “time,” we are told, is here, but the Samaritan woman didn’t quite understand what Jesus meant. How could the time be present, being seen and heard, and yet not comprehended? As Jesus revealed to the Samaritan woman, God, being spirit, seeks genuine worshipers who worship in spirit and truth. Our worship may have a good sound, it might be of the “right” tradition, it may be attractive to our culture, or it might make us feel good. Jesus clearly stated, however, that our worship must correspond with the nature and attributes of God. Does your worship pass that test?
As G. C. Morgan stated, “God seeks and values the gifts we bring Him—gifts of praise, thanksgiving, service, and material offerings. In all such giving at the altar, we enter into the highest experiences of fellowship. But the gift is acceptable to God in the measure to which the one who offers it is in fellowship with Him in character and conduct; and the test of this is in our relationships with our fellow men. We are thus charged to postpone giving to God until right relationships are established with others. Could the neglect of this be the explanation of the barrenness of our worship?”
Prayerfully seek to change your worship to fully represent God.
Jeremy Summers is director of adult spiritual formation for the Church and Multiplication Division of The Wesleyan Church.
