Worship and Justice

WORSHIP AND JUSTICE

BY TRENT BARNETT

The word “justice” sadly gets a bad wrap in some circles. Many Christians push back against the term “social justice.” Yet the Old Testament speaks of God’s justice almost 200 times, while the prophets speak often of the justice God’s people are called to show. Hosea 12:6 says, “as for you, return to your God, hold fast to love and justice, and wait continually for the Lord.” Micah 6:8 says, “what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Jesus rebukes the Pharisees as hypocrites for tithing expensive spices while “neglecting the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others” (Matt. 23:23). Christians are called to love and serve the least of those around us (Matt. 25:40), and the Old Testament prophets speak often of justice being a trait God’s people are called to employ as they worship the Lord. It’s been said “the prophets vehemently disagree with the idea that worship and justice can be separated” (Brian Zahnd).

So how are worship and justice linked? Aaron Ivey, a leading worship pastor, has written, “Our worship shouldn’t be restricted to songs, but must be expressed through serving, giving, and being merciful AS WE REFLECT THE ONE WE WOR- SHIP.” Our lives are to be a reflection of who God is - not only who He’s revealed Himself to be, but also who He is in our lives. If we’re going to love people and do justice, we’re only going to be able to do that to the extent our lives reflect the character of Christ. The closer we draw to Christ, the more we look like Him.

In today’s culture, we all know of agencies and programs that tackle social justice issues. “Sadly, sometimes the world appears to be more responsive to the world’s brokenness than the churches are. Our culture has embraced a crucial aspect of the gospel more than we have - restoring brokenness” (Aaron Ivey). Yet the social justice offered by the world is merely a Band-Aid to deeper spiritual issues. Christians are called to push past this surface-level compassion. We want people to experience the depth and richness of Christ’s love, and to walk in relationship with Him. This is what biblical love and justice looks like - bringing lost, broken, and hurting people to the wellspring of life - to a relationship with the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ.

So what’s the next step? How do we engage our neighbors and our community the way Christ has called us to? WE ARE THE BODY OF CHRIST, SO WE POINT TO JESUS FOR HOPE, BUT WE GET INVOLVED FOR HELP. It starts with awakening our eyes to injustice around us. Our hearts are so often tuned to our own needs and desires, we often ignore others, not by an active decision, but by passive daily routine. So we need to make a daily choice to put the needs of others as a priority in our lives, not just a sidebar or a footnote.

Biblical justice can’t be done from the sidelines. “Proximity changes perspective. If we got close enough, it would bother us enough to make a difference” (Reggie Joiner). Mother Theresa said, “Everywhere, wherever you go, you find people who are unwanted, unloved, uncared for, just rejected by society - completely forgotten, completely left alone.” We have to get in the trenches with people to experience their reality. Only then can we know what steps to take to bring the light of Christ to their brokenness.

As we bring God’s justice to the lost and hurting, our spiritual lives and our worship are enriched because we are actively engaged in helping bring God’s kingdom “here on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). Make the decision today to take up Jesus’ challenge to actively live out what He called one of the most important commandments: to love our neighbors as ourselves (Matt. 22:39).