why is the Master of a lodge called Worshipful

The title of Worshipful applied to the Master of a lodge is an archaic term of respect rather than a form of religious adoration 1. Originally, the word meant to accord honour or reverence to someone worthy of respect 2. This older sense appears in early English texts, such as Wycliffe's translation of the Bible and the traditional marriage service of the Book of Common Prayer, as well as in civil titles for English municipal and judicial officers such as mayors and justices of the peace 2.

In the seventeenth century, the trade guilds of London began designating themselves with the title, as in the Worshipful Company of Grocers 2. Craft lodges adopted the practice around the time of the 1717 Revival, retaining it as a formal mode of address 2. The title first appeared in print in Masonic usage when James Anderson applied it to the Grand Master in the 1723 Constitutions 2.

Carl Claudy emphasizes that the term carries no ecclesiastical meaning within the lodge, distinguishing the worship offered to God from the traditional tribute of respect paid to the Master of the lodge 1.

The title carries no religious or ecclesiastical connotation of adoration, which is directed solely toward God 1. It is an archaic expression of honor and respect given to a person of standing or merit 12.

The word derives from an older usage meaning to hold in high regard or accord reverence to someone worthy, a sense preserved in historical translations of Scripture, traditional marriage rites, and English civic titles for mayors and magistrates 2.