Baalism vs Biblical Worship

Recall the words of Eugene Peterson, “But neither Bible nor church uses the word ‘worship’ as a description of experience. Pastors hear this adjectival usage in sentences like, ‘I can have a worship experience with God on the golf course’… The only thing wrong with the statement is its ignorance, thinking that such experiences make up what the church calls ‘worship.’ The biblical usage is very different. It talks of worship as a response to God’s word in the context of the community of God’s people. Worship is neither subjective only nor private only. It is not what I feel when I am by myself; it is how I act toward God in responsible relation with God’s people. Worship, in biblical sources and in liturgical history, is not something a person experiences, it is something we do, regardless of how we feel about it, or whether we feel anything about it at all.” (Five Smooth Stones of Pastoral Work, p. 183)