Worship and Writing -- 6 September Email

Very well. I shall begin the said elaboration, and you may embellish/rebut/qualify/affirm it at your pleasure.

Writing is certainly a valid form of worship to God. Prayer and song are established forms of worship, and they're not so different from writing. In prayer and song, we use words to communicate with each other and express ourselves to God, and writing can be the same thing.

On a broader level, writing is something God gave us the ability and drive to do, and as such, it's a fit offering to him. But I think that so are visual arts, scientific inquiry, athletic endeavors, manual labor, romantic passion, and pretty much anything human. So even if writing isn't explicitly religious, I think that offering it to God can be an act of worship, because it's something he's made us to do, and he wants us do whatever we do for him.

The thing is, we can't get cocky and think that offering an intellectual treatise or a beautiful poem to God is better than offering what other people offer. If the cleaning lady in the student center mops the floor for God, I think He values that as much as my poem. In fact, those of us who worship through writing should be humbled by those who give more direct service to others in their daily labor of worship.

Another qualifier: Writing can definitely be an act of worship, but it's not always the appropriate act of worship. I think it would be wrong to stop attending church in order to write, because worshiping in community is important, and faith isn't meant to be isolated. (I don't think I'd have a problem with skipping church on occasion to write, but writing doesn't substitute for participation in a community of believers.) Also, along the same lines, it would be wrong to neglect the people around us in order to write. If I have a poem idea brewing, but someone nearby needs a talk, I think it's usually better to go with the more direct service to God through serving others. Maybe sometimes we have to sacrifice our writing to God by not writing it.

But yes, since we're people who write, I think writing should be a major part of our worship to God.

(Tangent: Do you pray about and/or during your writing process?)

Hehe, that was probably more elaboration than you wanted, but you asked for it so I shan't feel too sorry for you.