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The Book of Mormon exhorts us to worship Christ with all our soul (2
Ne. 25:29). Worshipping Christ means relating to him as Lord and
God (John 20:27-28). This relationship offers
an intimacy based on grateful, awestruck love—as if we had been
invited to touch Christ's wounds (3 Ne. 11:13-17;
17:10). Whether as the focus of our worship or as the mediator
in whose name we worship, Christ is central to the Saints' devotion.
In LDS tradition, worship can take various forms: individual or communal,
public or private, scripted or spontaneous. We worship through prayer,
study, meditation, testimony, music, and ritual. Worship can take place
at home, in church, at the temple, or in nature. Silence can be worshipful,
but so can laughter (Gen. 21:5-6), dance (D&C
136:28), clapping (Mosiah 18:11), and
shouting (D&C 19:37). Whatever form it
takes, worship is an act of praise, acknowledging God's grandeur, goodness,
and generous love. In worship, we become one with angels and all creation
as they glorify God (D&C 109:79; 128:22-23).
Certain times and places are set apart for worship—the Sabbath,
the temple—but we are also exhorted to worship wherever we are by
living in a spirit of humility and thanksgiving (Alma
34:38).
Worship involves sacrifice: tithes, offerings, and service
(Moses 5:5; D&C 59:8-12). Our worship should not be self-congratulatory;
it should be accompanied by God-centered daily living and reconciliation
with others (Alma 31:12-23; 3 Ne. 12:23-24).
We are warned strongly against idolatry—setting our hearts on material
goods or venerating human beings (3
Ne. 13:19-21, 24; 1 Ne. 17:55).
| Sing Praise to Him (Hymns
70) |
| Praise to the Lord, the Almighty (Hymns
72) |
| How Great Thou Art! (Hymns
86) |
| Father in Heaven (Hymns
133) |
James E. Talmage:
Worship is not a matter of form any more than is prayer. It consists
not in posture, in gesture, in ritual or in creed. Worship most
profound may be rendered with none of the artificial accessories
of ritualistic service; for altar, the stone in the desert may serve;
the peaks of the everlasting hills are as temple spires; the vault
of heaven is of all the grandest cathedral dome.
|
| The Articles of Faith
(Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1984), 359 |
| James E. Talmage: Are
we worshiping the true and living God, or are we going idolatrously
after the gods of gold and silver, of iron and wood, and brass, diamonds
and other idols of wealth? Are we worshiping our farms, our cattle
and sheep? Who is our God? To whom are we yielding homage, allegiance
and worship? Not worship by means of words only, in ritualistic form,
but worship in action, devotion, and sacrificial service? |
| Conference Report,
October 1930, 72 |
| Stephen L Richards: True
worship is rededication of self and life to goodness. |
| Conference Report,
April 1951, 87 |
Bruce R. McConkie:
To worship the Lord is to . . . do the things that he wants done,
to do what he would do under similar circumstances, . . . to use
our talents and means for the spreading of truth and the building
up of his kingdom. . . . It is to work on a welfare project, to
administer to the sick, to go on a mission, to go home teaching,
and to hold family home evening. . . . To worship is to work, to
be actively engaged in a good cause, to be about our Father's business,
to love and serve our fellowmen. It is to feed the hungry, to clothe
the naked, to comfort those that mourn, and to hold up the hands
that hang down and to strengthen the feeble knees.
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| Sermons and Writings
of Bruce R. McConkie (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1989), 371-72 |
| Neal A. Maxwell: We .
. . ought to have as the purpose of some prayers sheer adoration. |
| "What Should We Pray
For?" Prayer (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1977), 47 |
Dallin H. Oaks: The
attitude of worship evokes the deepest feelings of allegiance, adoration,
and awe. Worship combines love and reverence in a state of devotion
that draws our spirits closer to God.
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| Pure in Heart (Salt
Lake City: Bookcraft, 1988), 125 |
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