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Why Spend So Much on Worship?
“Let them praise his name with dancing,
making melody to him with timbrel and lyre!”
Psalm 149:3, RSV
A question I get asked sometimes — and it is a fair one — is, "Why does St. Martin’s (or any other church for that matter) spend ‘so much’ on worship?" What I find interesting is the “so much” really covers a lot of ground. We spend our time in worship; we spend our money on vestments, music, worship guides and our buildings. My response is usually twofold: part practical and theological.
First, as my grandfather told me over and over again in my childhood, “anything worth doing is worth doing well.” As Christians, we understand the central and very important role worship plays in our lifelong formation. We should strive for excellence in every aspect of worship. We should ask our musicians to give their best in singing, performing and selecting wonderful music to lead us in our praise of God.
Our vessels should not be common; the chalice should be a visible symbol that we are doing something uncommon, something holy rather than secular. Our bodies and minds should know that we are doing something very different than all the other sundry activities that we participate in.
Theologically, we understand that God is worthy of all our praise. When we read in the Hebrew Scriptures about the exacting designs of the tabernacle and temple, we also read about the great expense of constructing these places of worship. Worship is a very holy task not to be done lightly; it is our spiritual work. No small part of cathedral design is intended to convey the grandeur of God and His creation. Think of soaring ceilings that make us crane our necks to see them.
You might still be skeptical, but remember that at St. Martin’s, we also believe that God is calling us into mission to help those less fortunate. It is not an all-or-nothing proposition. We do well to remember that St. Martin of Tour cut his cloak in two to clothe a naked man. In the same way, while we invest our resources in beautiful worship, we also invest in our community around us, in the city, state, and world.
Questions for Reflection:
What in worship makes you pause? What elements of worship draw you closer to God? Have you ever considered serving in a worship service?
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