Worship and Culture: Art's Influence and Culture Teachings on Worship

Worship and Culture:
What can other cultures teach us about worship
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Worship is defined as the adoration to an individual shows towards something or someone by holding it in high esteem. It involves giving a place or someone utmost honor in all the undertakings that one engages. The Bible gives an in-depth explanation of how believers should worship and worship in its numerous scriptures talking about worship. In the Bible, believers must worship God and only him to bring honor, obedience, and submission to him. In the early days, a man's worship involved sacrifice to God through animal slaughtering and blood-shedding to bring sin atonement. This kind of sacrifice looked ahead to Messiah's coming and became an ultimate sacrifice to obedience to God and love by offering oneself.
But Paul describes worship in another way by saying, "Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship."1 This effectively says that humans are no longer under bondage to the law by bringing animal blood as a worship form or for our sins. This is because Jesus has already sacrificed himself for our sins by paying the death price and made a blood sacrifice for our sins. Therefore, our worship form is to bring ourselves, our own lives, as a living sacrifice to God which is holy and pleasing to him. We can define worship as giving God the best he has offered to you.[Brooks, Samantha K. "FANatics (1 – 23)]
On the other hand, culture is a universal term relating to the social traits and norms or dos and don'ts in human societies today. It encompasses beliefs, arts, laws, capabilities, customs, habits, and knowledge. They are the characteristic features of day-to-day existence every day among people in a particular place or time. This essay will focus on worship and music and how they both influence worship.[Burrows, William R., and R. Daniel Shaw, eds. Traditional Ritual as Christian Worship:Dangerous Syncretism Or Necessary Hybridity?.] []
How art influences worship
Music is one way people worship God in our daily lives and its role in biblical. According to Exodus 15, the Israelites sang after escaping Egypt and crossing the Red sea as it was part of their formal worship in the temple and tabernacle. It is through singing, whether in joy or sorrow that believers raise their voice to God. Art plays a critical role in believers' live today, both in church and outside, through televisions, radios, and other means. In contemporary society, art has many reflections on how people live today9.
Art or music is God's gift and part of the created order ever since it was incepted when the morning stars sang together and the heavenly beings shouted for joy. Human music participates in the music of creation, and it pinpoints order, beauty and diversifies God's creation. The critical part of music is the humans' voice which consummates God's creation. It is through singing that Christians portray their faith in God and evokes powerful emotions. Repetitive and straightforward art like praise choruses and chants are critical to worship and can move individuals to prayer and praise.
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