Brian’s Reflection: Tuesday, February 26, 2008


Great compassion is the root of all forms of worship.

- The Dalai Lama


Well, Dennis and I are headed off to the hospital for his back surgery.

What is worship? The root of the word is “acknowledging the worth (and I would say, wonder, loveliness, beauty) of”. When we “go to worship”, we are going to lift up a grand cheer! “Worship” in our modern usage has come to be directed only towards God – and I can understand the desire to want to acknowledge the uniqueness of God. (“You shall have no other God besides me” – worshipping only God avoids idolatry.)

But remember the Elizabethan English marriage rite? One phrase in it was, “With my body I thee worship”, the husband speaking to the wife. That rite didn’t think it was bordering on idolatry to “worship” another human being, if I haven’t misunderstood the intent.

And at the bottom of worship? The Dalai Lama is right, I believe. Great Compassion. We can – must – only worship that which has Great Compassion at it’s heart. And the God we know in Jesus Christ (at least as I understand it) is definitely such Heart of Compassion. Great Compassion is what shines forth from the Cross. It defines Christianity.

We cannot authentically worship unless it rises from the Great Compassion in our hearts.

Brian+