Worshiping the Triune God

At a recent Worship Team meeting we discussed the practice of Christian worship. Every Sunday countless followers of Jesus gather in a sanctuary to worship the triune God. So, why do we worship God and what does that worship look like? 

The Worship Team thought it would be helpful to reflect on worship together as a community of faith. So, once a month this year I will try to write a “Pastor’s Note” / blog post on worship. First I want to address the question: Whom do we worship? The answer: we worship a Triune God. That is, the God we worship is one God in whom there are three persons. 

The doctrine of the Trinity is a challenging one; it’s hard for us to fully grasp. But I found the following comment by Rev. Scott Hoezee helpful:

“The Trinity is an ever-moving circle of dance in which Father, Son, and Holy Spirit constantly and forever move in and through one another in perfect bliss, harmony and self-forgetful joy. The three persons of God are so invested in one another, so interested in one another, so caring of one another that although three persons they form just one God.” (Sermon Starter on John 3:1-17, The Center for Excellence in Preaching)

According to theologian James B. Torrance, the worship of the triune God is a proper view of Christian worship. He calls it a gift—“the gift of participating through the Spirit in the incarnate Son’s communion with the Father.” (Worship, Community and the Triune God of Grace, IVP Academic, 1996, 20) 

Worship is a gift we receive and a gift we give to our Triune God...