“The Giver And Renewer Of Life”
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. John 4:24
In John chapter 4, Jesus is having a conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well that the Patriarch Jacob dug in Samaria between 1750-1745 BC. In verse 24, Jesus gives one of the four descriptions of God in the New Testament. The others are: “God is light” (1 John 1:5), “God is love” (1 John 4: 8, 16), and “God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29).
Jesus is helping this woman to understand that God is not confined to a particular place. Neither can God be thought of as a material being made of stone or wood. God is Spirit and so God can be worshiped at the temple in Jerusalem, the temple in Samaria, and even at Graham Memorial Presbyterian Church in Coronado.
Whenever we begin one of our worship services, we pray that the Holy Spirit will enable us to worship God in Spirit and in truth. We are praying that the Holy Spirit will guide us and empower us and inspire us as we worship God. The PCUSA Book of Order describes the worship of God in Spirit and in truth this way:
The Holy Spirit is “the giver and renewer of life”, who instills our faith and enables us to follow Jesus Christ. The Scriptures describe how the Spirit moved at the dawn of creation, anointed Christ in baptism, raised Jesus from the dead, and was poured out on the Church at Pentecost. The same Spirit is still at work in the life of the Church and the life of the world. The Holy Spirit manifests God’s gracious action and empowers our grateful response. The Spirit gathers us for worship, enlightens and equips us through the Word, claims and nourishes us through the Sacraments, and sends us out for service. To each member of Christ’s body, the Spirit gives gifts for ministry in the Church and mission in the world. W-1.0105.
Wherever and whenever you worship God, I encourage you to ask the Holy Spirit to enable you to worship in Spirit and in truth. Jesus has helped us to understand that this is what God expects of His worshipers. This is not just for God’s sake; it is for our sake as well.
In Christ,
Pastor David
