There’s been a lot of talk about the Governor’s decision to ban singing and chanting in church gatherings in his efforts to stem the spread of Covid-19. Many understandably view this as an attack on our First Amendment right to worship. That said, if we view a ban on singing in a sanctuary as a ban on worship, then we have a pretty anemic view of worship.

Worship is so much more than songs. It’s the way we live, the way we speak, the way we interact with people who don’t share the same worldview as us. The Apostle Paul got this. In his letter to believers living in Rome, he defined worship in this way: “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1).

Similarly, when James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem, wrote to believers living among an unbelieving world, this is how he defined the purest form of religious expression: “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).

While we think of worship as singing songs of praise, the giants of faith in the early church recognized that true worship was lived out throughout the week. It was choosing to let our lives become a reflection of our Creator’s heart. Since God showed grace to imperfect people like us, worship is extending grace to other imperfect people. Since He loves us despite our rebellious nature, worship is choosing to love others even when they tick us off. Since He constantly provides for us, worship is taking from the abundance of blessing He’s given us and using it to care for the needs of others. And that sort of worship is best done beyond the walls of the church.

So while I miss singing songs of praise alongside my brothers and sisters in Christ and look forward to the day when we can gather together again, I rejoice in the myriad ways I’m seeing the Church (God’s people) worshiping God through the ways they love their neighbors. Because true worship is so much more than the songs we sing on Sunday morning. True worship is the life we live the rest of the week. And that’s something that cannot be banned. Nor is it something that can be contained in a weekend service - it has to spill over into every other part of our lives.

So let’s let our lives sing.