Smith Video Reflection James A.K. Smith is presenting contents of his book with several topics to the audience—worship, worldview, and cultural formation. He presents the point of if the assumption of religion was based on how it is practiced and preceded by its worship. Misinterpretations of religion can cause it to be ignored sometimes because practices can cause it to blend and allow it to happen in the least expected places. Worship is another concept that can go unseen. Smith illustrates an example about anthropologists from Mars coming to Earth to understand people’s religious behavior, and how in order to grasp how to worship you observe people around you. He continues to describe this explain this trip and then confesses it all describes a shopping mall. It is presented that this liturgical atmosphere shapes our identity and desires. The mall captures what we love and understand; love can be shaped through practice. Smith adds how worship changes our hearts, and how things such as love, forgiveness and baptism can expand worldviews. I enjoyed the message that James Smith gave. His examples were very relatable and easy to picture. His example about the mall caused me to realize that people of all ages visit malls annually or even daily and they unconsciously mistake desire and worship. People are confusing the images of display windows with real life situations. When Smith spoke about the mall in secular liturgies, I disagreed with him at first because I did not see it being a problem going to the mall. However, the second time I listened to his discussion I paid more attention to his description of the mall example and realized that people are turning around the concept of worship and allowing earthly things to become liturgical. He sums up at the end of the question and answer section when he says, “It is not about where you worship but it is about how you worship.” From the very beginning of his discussion I realized that his contents were very self-identifying. Smith transitions his discussion from how we can change our worship techniques to shaping our love and desires of our hearts. He offers to us that religion can not only be seen as beliefs but how we practice it and how we worship. I want people to see me and be aware that I have no desire to worship materialistic things, but to glorify the name and image of Christ. Smith showed me that I need to pause and search the desires of my heart. He also helped me to see that I can shape and mold my love to satify the Lord.
When Smith is talking about how a non-Christian man talks about how there are no atheists. He quotes, “Everyone has to worship something,” and that proves that we have that inner need to idolize something or someone. I have always had a strong passion for this subject. I do believe that we are born into this world looking for something greater to rely on. The fact that Smith quotes a man that is not a follower of Christ and proves that even people that do not believe in Jesus Christ still have a need to worship makes me happy. To me, it proves that God has instilled us with the feeling and it makes His presence more known.
As a result of this video, I feel I have grasped knowledge how to be more aware of how to worship and my settings. Love is also another concept to be aware of and that it can be shaped in order to make it more pleasing to God. After all, “We are what we love.”