A story is told of the Medieval Italian poet Dante Alighieri. One day during a church service, Dante was deeply immersed in meditation and failed to kneel at the proper time. His enemies hurried to the bishop and demanded that Dante be punished for his sacrilege. Dante defended himself by saying, “If those who accuse me had had their eyes and minds on God, as I had, they too would have failed to notice events around them, and they most certainly would not have noticed what I was doing.” Dante is right. True worship of God is not simply a matter of performing certain actions at certain times. It is first and foremost, a matter of the heart.

Today’s 2^nd reading is the first two verses of Romans 12. Though we now read it as the beginning of a new chapter, we must not lose sight of the fact that Paul wrote it as the conclusion of the long theological discourse in chapters 9-11. Paul has this habit of ending his theological arguments by pointing out their practical implications in daily life. That is why he begins this section with “I appeal to you, therefore …” (Romans 12:1a). It is an appeal based on the theological argument that he has just made. In these verses Paul spells out the practical implications of his theological arguments.

We need to rewind the tape a bit to refresh our minds on Paul’s theological argument in the preceding chapters. Paul has just examined the place of Israel as the chosen people of God versus the claims of Gentile Christians in Rome that God has now rejected the Jews and chosen them, the Christians. Paul’s argument is that the playing field is level for all, Jews and Gentiles alike. But having said that, Paul sees a problem. The Jewish Christians in Jerusalem still have their Temple where they can offer sacrifices to God but the Gentiles have none. Is this not a privilege? Paul answers that it is not. Paul tells the Gentile Christians that their lack of temple sacrifice is not a big deal since what really counts before God is not the offering of dead animals but the offering of oneself as a living sacrifice. What matters is not Temple worship but spiritual worship.

“I appeal to you therefore, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1). Paul is saying that the worship that is holy and acceptable to God is spiritual worship, the offering of one’s body as a living sacrifice. Whether this sacrifice is performed in a brick and mortar temple or not makes no difference. Since this is a new concept of worship, Paul goes on to explain what it is and how it is done.

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – what is good and acceptable and perfect” (verse 2). Here he tells us four things about spiritual worship. (1) It is performed in contact with the world, not in isolation from it. (2) It means saying no to the worldly and societal pressure that seeks to conform us to its values and standards. (3) It means saying yes to the transforming and renewing on our minds by submitting mind and will to God. (4) It enables us to discern what is truly the will of God, as opposed to the various ways people use God’s name to justify selfish and partisan group interests. Thus we come to know what is good and acceptable and perfect in the eyes of God.

When we understand and live our lives as one long act of spiritual worship, then we begin to understand that church worship should flow from life and lead back to life. Just as we worship God in church on Sunday, so too we should worship God “spiritually” from Monday to Saturday in the workshop and the office, in the school and the classroom, in the gym and the playground, at home in the TV room and in the kitchen. This is spiritual worship and it is as holy and acceptable to God as the best of Temple sacrifice.