John 4:24 "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship..."

"But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him.  God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:24)

Question:

This verse comes to mind often. I so want to worship God, but at times I’m not sure I know exactly how to go about it.

Comment:

Jesus is speaking here to the Samaritan woman he has met at the well in a small town in Samaria. The Samaritans were considered second-class people by the Jews at the time, because their ancestors had intermarried with other tribes and peoples during the time of the Exile. Because of this, they weren’t allowed to go into the temple compound in Jerusalem, and their lives were made uncomfortable in other ways as well.  The woman has asked Jesus how she is supposed to pray, since Jewish belief says that God can only be approached or experienced in the temple, and as a Samaritan, she is not allowed in the temple.

Jesus recognizes in this woman a Christ energy eager to express, and he treats her as a spiritual equal. The important thing, he says, is not where to worship God, but how. God is an energy of Spirit, and we are beings of that same Spirit. So our relationship with God must be in the realm of Spirit. God is the One Power present in the universe and in our own lives. So our relationship with God must be centered and grounded in that great spiritual Truth. When we worship in spirit and truth we are surrendering to God as the only Power, and embracing our Oneness with God as the defining truth of our lives.

Blessings! Rev. Ed