Greetings beloved,
Continuing to extrapolate on Chapter 4 of St. John's Gospel, we pick up at verses 17-19 and we see that because Jesus told the Samaritan woman about her past sinful condition, she believed He was a prophet.
This woman had been taught to go and worship at the Samaritan temple on Mt. Gerazim, but the Jews claimed that the only true temple was in Jerusalem, and so she proceeded to ask Him which was the right place to worship (John 4:19).
Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:21-24). In other words, it doesn't make a difference where you worship God, but how you worship Him. Because God is a Spirit, we must worship Him spiritually--with our hearts, not just with an outward show. Worship must be from the heart; honest and true.
God is not limited to one church building or location. We are able to worship God in prayer, praise, and the proclamation of His word whenever and wherever we are. Worship should be a way of life for the Christian individual. Robert Barclay says it like this; "All true and acceptable worship to God is offered in the inward and immediate moving and drawing of His own Spirit, which is neither limited to places, times, or persons."
The Bible says, "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God..." (I Corinthians 6:19). Today, society spends countless hours and millions of dollars on physical fitness and body sculpting. If only there was as much time and effort spent building ourselves up spiritually. There needs to be a balance between the physical and spiritual. As the Bible tells us; "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers" (III John 1:2). Are you keeping in shape spiritually?
Pray with me... Heavenly Father, we do not have enough words to praise You, Lord You are beyond our ability to completely understand or express, we can only worship You in our hearts, lifting up our lives to You. Help us to build ourselves up on our most holy faith. In Jesus' name. AMEN!
God's blessings to you all,
Fr. Ernest+
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