“True worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” (John 4:23)
Expanded Passage: John 4:20-26
I grew up in a high church tradition. Our worship was marked by formal liturgy, rituals, and sacraments. I memorized prayers and creeds in catechism class and learned our duty to attend weekly worship. As a young adult, I moved far from home and far from my faith, but the need to connect to the body of believers was a habit that I never broke. Eventually, I found a contemporary Wesleyan church whose style was extremely different from the church of my youth.
In conversation, Jesus learned that the Samaritan woman understood worship and was interested in theological ideas. She understood that worship was important, but she also associated worship with a place. The Samaritans were Jews who had intermarried with the Assyrians, so they were not allowed to worship in Jerusalem. They developed their own style of worship on Mt. Gerizim, which they believed to be the location of Abraham and Jacob’s altars.
We will encounter people who are different from us in our cultural backgrounds, languages, and worship styles: singing hymns or choruses, reading the creeds or experiencing concerts of prayer, practicing contemplative solitude or attending youth group lock-ins. Worship is not a place or a style. Moving Christians from one church or worship style to another isn’t our goal. Our evangelistic assignment is to reach those who are not following the one true God in the Spirit and in truth.
Discuss faith with someone from a different background.
Priscilla Hammond is an ordained pastor and associate professor in the Benson School of Business at Southern Wesleyan University (SC).
© 2025 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission. Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®.
