Worship

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The performance of acts of worship rests upon the assumption that there is a realm of being that transcends the ordinary (i.e., secular or profane) “world” of the worshipper. Acts of worship serve to unite, temporarily at least, the ordinary and the transcendent realms through one or more of a variety of possible means. According to the imagery of this assumption, the heavenly world is above and apart from the earthly, and the reality and powers of the heavenly realm are made to be effectively present on earth through acts of worship. The worshipper may thus find himself transported from the earthly to the heavenly world or may perceive the heavenly to descend to the earthly through the movement of worship.

The act of uniting the sacred and profane realms, in effect, transforms the situation of the worshipper into one that means health, fresh understanding, renewal of life, or salvation. The situation that prompts worship thus calls for change or for the acknowledgment of change. Frequently, life is recognized to be in need of renewal, and worship is viewed as offering the path to such renewal. Some acts of worship arise from the need of the worshipper to exult in praise of the holy and to express his joy or gratitude that his situation, in fact, has changed for the better.

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