Micah 6:8 is familiar: "Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God." But do you know the context? This was the sacred answer from the prophet to a challenge made by God's people. It isn't some disconnected piece of wisdom; it speaks to us today. The context is ... worship.
"Huh?" you say. That doesn't sound like worship; that sounds like stuff you do outside the sanctuary, something you do in daily life, not on Sunday (or the Sabbath). The prophet of God would likely respond, "That's the point exactly!"
We're going to run into this again in the passage this coming Sunday. It seems that worship and ritual done in a sanctuary aren't such a priority for God, not the way we have made it. As that applied to God's people in Micah's time, we might be disturbed to find how directly applicable it is for us today. And confusing.
You might call it "flipping the script." As God's people always have, we ask: 'How can I praise, glorify, and honor God?' That took the form in Judaism of sanctuary worship, offerings and sacrifices, keeping sacred feast days, fasting and prayer, and a whole lot more. Yet according to Micah (and other prophets), that really isn't the best way to praise, glorify, and honor God. Hmm.
With that worship theme (or question) in mind, take a look at the Beatitudes beginning Matthew 5. We all know the formula, "Blessed are ..., for they shall be blessed in ...." Like "Blessed are the peacemakers," like the Orthodox priest pictured above ministering for peace between opposition and government forces facing off in Kiev during the Ukrainian Revolution in 2014. Since worship is so central to everything we do in the church, we ought to ask where worship fits in here. Isn't there a Beatitude for "Blessed are the people who go to church every Sunday"? Er, no.
Of course, all of the Beatitudes show Jesus 'flipping the script' every time. Could it be that the Beatitudes themselves are 'flipping the script' on a worship-obsessed religious practice, like Micah, that really has nothing to do with what God wants?
Juicy, challenging questions here! You better check out the sermon video below (and the downloads below the video panel) and get ready for next week's sermon when we once again pick up this thread about worship and what God really wants.
"Huh?" you say. That doesn't sound like worship; that sounds like stuff you do outside the sanctuary, something you do in daily life, not on Sunday (or the Sabbath). The prophet of God would likely respond, "That's the point exactly!"
We're going to run into this again in the passage this coming Sunday. It seems that worship and ritual done in a sanctuary aren't such a priority for God, not the way we have made it. As that applied to God's people in Micah's time, we might be disturbed to find how directly applicable it is for us today. And confusing.
You might call it "flipping the script." As God's people always have, we ask: 'How can I praise, glorify, and honor God?' That took the form in Judaism of sanctuary worship, offerings and sacrifices, keeping sacred feast days, fasting and prayer, and a whole lot more. Yet according to Micah (and other prophets), that really isn't the best way to praise, glorify, and honor God. Hmm.
With that worship theme (or question) in mind, take a look at the Beatitudes beginning Matthew 5. We all know the formula, "Blessed are ..., for they shall be blessed in ...." Like "Blessed are the peacemakers," like the Orthodox priest pictured above ministering for peace between opposition and government forces facing off in Kiev during the Ukrainian Revolution in 2014. Since worship is so central to everything we do in the church, we ought to ask where worship fits in here. Isn't there a Beatitude for "Blessed are the people who go to church every Sunday"? Er, no.
Of course, all of the Beatitudes show Jesus 'flipping the script' every time. Could it be that the Beatitudes themselves are 'flipping the script' on a worship-obsessed religious practice, like Micah, that really has nothing to do with what God wants?
Juicy, challenging questions here! You better check out the sermon video below (and the downloads below the video panel) and get ready for next week's sermon when we once again pick up this thread about worship and what God really wants.
| 01-29-17-ff-answers.pdf |
| 01-29-17-what_good_does_the_lord_expect.pdf |