Worship and Social Justice (part 1)

Too many of us think that worship is all about our time with God. It's about the songs we sing, the sermon we hear, the Lord's Supper... These are (some) of our acts of worship. We believe that worship is what we do on Sunday mornings when we assemble together. Or, if you were to ask another (more well-informed) Christian, he/she would tell you that worship is more about a lifestyle. Romans 12:1 tells us: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship." Thus, worship is about a lifestyle, the way that we act in the various aspects of our lives. It's about bringing God glory and honor in whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. It's about the way we treat our co-workers, our friends, our family, the guy we see standing on the street corner... It's about our reaction to homeless people and the poor... And about our reactions to those where God is the furthest thing from their mind.

Let me see if I can illustrate it a little better... If you were to ask an Israelite during the period of the Divided Monarchy, he would tell you that worship involved (1) following the Law of Moses, and (2) offering the proper sacrifices to Yahweh. However, when God was talking to his people he told them that the sacrifices and the Law were a good starting point, but without a life of mercy it was all worthless:

Isaiah 1: ""The multitude of your sacrifices— what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me... wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow."

Micah 6:6-8: "With what shall I come before the LORD and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

A host of other verses make the same requests. God does not need the sacrifices; they are for men, not for God. What God wants is for us to make a difference in the lives of other people... But, let me make a confession: this is REALLY difficult for me to live by.

More to come tomorrow!