“You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete.  He must increase, but I must decrease.  He who comes from above is above all. He who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way.  He who comes from heaven is above all. [John 3.28-31]”

The word, “worship” is derived from the Western Saxon word weorðscipe, which is best translated “worthy of honor and renown.”  To worship God is to say that God is worthy of honor and renown. The words of John the Baptist: “He must increase, but I must decrease,” are arguably the archetypal words of worship. 

John was exercising good discernment when he uttered those words.  He was losing followers to this newcomer named Jesus.  It didn’t bother him, because he saw Jesus for who He is. 

John the Baptist said that he “rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s [Jesus’] voice [v.28].”  He said that because he recognized the Godhood of Jesus.  John was the herald of One greater than him. 

In our lives, true worship demands a sense of scale and perspective.  John recognized his job as a warm-up act for Jesus.  When Jesus came, John’s response was, “This joy of mine is now complete.”  He could have just as easily said, “Mission accomplished!”  He lost his followers to Christ—for John, that was o.k. 

John looked at Jesus and correctly recognized, “He who comes from above is above all.”  When we sing the words, “How great is our God,” it begs the question: “How much greater than us is our God?”  The more I think about the greatness of an infinite God, the more insignificant by comparison I become.  The more God reveals HimSelf to me, the more miniscule I seem.  “He must increase, but I must decrease.”