Justice Is Worship
Isaiah 59:6-8, NIV
Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:
to loose the chains of injustice
and untie the cords of the yoke,
to set the oppressed free
and break every yoke?
Is it not to share your food with the hungry
and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter –
when you see the naked, to clothe them,
and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
Then your light will break forth like the dawn,
and your healing will quickly appear;
then your righteousness will go before you,
and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
What if we saw practical acts of service to those experiencing injustice as equally ‘spiritual’ as our times of sung worship on a Sunday?
Interestingly, in today’s passage, God says the religious devotion he often longs for is just this - for his people to take up the cause of the oppressed. Now, this doesn’t downplay the value of fasting or gathering for worship. But it reminds us that if we want to worship God with our whole lives, then we can’t ignore addressing the needs of those around us.
But it’s not just about pleasing God. I was reminded recently at Church that sung worship isn’t a one-way street of praise to God, but also a space to encounter, hear from, and receive from God. It made me wonder - what if we saw worshipping God through practising justice in the same way?
The Bible seems to suggest that this is the case. Jesus tells his disciples that when they help people who need support, they are actually encountering him: ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was ill and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ (Matthew 25:35-36).
We miss out on fresh revelations that God wants to share with us, if we don’t draw close to people experiencing injustice. Here's a final question - what if we had the same expectation to encounter God through volunteering at Love Your Neighbour or elsewhere as a worship gathering on a Sunday? How would our priorities shift?
Prayer - Father God, I want to worship you with my whole life. Please show me where, as worship to you, I can support others who need it. When I take that step, please may I encounter you.