Worship as a "Thin Place"

Worship can become a thin place. Indeed, this is one of its primary purposes. Of course, worship is about praising God. but worship is not about God needing praise. I recall hearing a radio preacher talking about how "God just loves to be praised." He made God sound like a narcissist. Rather, worship has the power to draw us out of ourselves. Worship is directed to God, but is in an important sense, for us.

-Marcus Borg, The Heart of Christianity, pg. 157

We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out.  That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character...What we are worshipping we are becoming.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

quoted in Terryl & Fiona Givens, The God Who Weeps, pg. 87

Any God whose only response to pain and suffering is to inflict more pain and suffering, is not aGod Ivan [of the Brothers Karamazov] can worship....if gods such as Moloch, or the God of some Christians, exist, they do not deserve our reverence or our love.

Terryl & Fiona Givens, The God Who Weeps, pg. 18

But sovereigns, like fathers, can have rightful authority to govern or direct us, with no claim whatwoever on our love--let alone adoration.  We cannot prove God exists, and certainly cannot prove that any god who exists is kind and merciful rather than cruel or indifferent.  But we can say that only the first type of god is one we would want to worship. We reject out of hand any suggestion that mere cosmic authorship or raw power whould itself call forth our loyalty or devotion.

...We do not concede that a god who creates us, or the entire universe for that matter, is beyond reproach or question by virtue of his power alone.  We certainly do not accord earthly parents unchallenged perrogatives over their own children, even if they sire, rear, and nourish them.

Terryl & Fiona Givens, The God Who Weeps, pg. 15