“The hour is coming and is now here” is equivalent to our modern English  “from now on…” So the Lord Jesus was saying that from the time that He came until now, it no longer matters whether you’re worshiping God in Jerusalem, or on Mount Gerazim, or somewhere else, because the Father is actively looking for people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.

He divorced true worship from the outward trappings of religion. He calls us to make it real, not just a show. We’re not here to “play church,” but to get real with God.

True worship is a genuine surrender of my life, my decisions and my search for meaning and happiness in life, to His plan, His purpose, and His choices for my life. It means that He is my Lord and my God, and I’m not.

The Lord also out it in other ways. For example: “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and come, follow Me.”

Lord, I want to worship You in spirit and in truth; I want it to be real, but the cross is never easy and I keep wanting to escape it. But You know all about it. Thank You for Your forgiveness and the blood of Your cross that covers my sin. Receive my worship once again, and help me to follow You, today. Amen.

Pastor Dan Giles