A Theology of Worship, Preaching, and Justice

Here is paper number 2 for my doctoral seminar. This moves to the more practical applications of merging justice into worship and preaching

A Theology of Worship, Preaching, and Justice

Introduction

As preachers of God’s word, ours is a quest to shine a light on what is true in this world and what is false. The task for preaching is to help formulate mental models within the congregation’s hearts and minds to understand God’s purpose for justice in the world.  Mental models are the perspective or “worldview” that every person carries with them, which help them understand the issues that are in the world. They serve as a compass to help people make decisions and set values regarding the importance or significance of any event. The simple, yet powerful statement that “Jesus is Lord” defines our ethos and pathos as preachers and formulates the type of mental model we hope to establish in our congregations. As preachers, we affirm that there is nothing more true than how Paul describes the authority and power found in Jesus when he wrote in Colossians 1:15-17:

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. He himself is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

It is in Christ and through Christ that the world is ordered. Therefore, it is from this perspective of the world that we order our own understanding of what constitutes worship and preaching. In preaching and worship we are making a communal expression of what is true and what is secondary. When we join together in chorus, we are unified as the body of Christ—proclaiming the overriding authority that is embedded in God. We are corporately stating that it is his worldview that we are seeking to be expressed in the earth and that we are willing agents to embody his truth. When we proclaim the truths of scripture, we are affirming that this is the way the world is ordered!

In this essay, I will attempt to offer a succinct theology of preaching and worship as it relates to justice. My goal is to demonstrate ways that preaching and worship are foundational to our ability to ascertain and to participate in God’s justice in the world. I aim to accomplish this by analyzing the purpose and power of the act of preaching as a reordering of power. We will then look at a case study of Joshua 5 and 6 as a template for the purpose of worship as it aligns ourselves towards the purposes of God, and I will conclude with an engagement with grace as a means for allowing justice to flourish in our midst. It is my hope that this discussion would serve to form a healthy mental model for the church to understand justice through preaching and worship.

Preaching: A Reordering of Power

The act of preaching is the most straightforward way to reshape a community’s mental models regarding justice. Through preaching we are given a forum from which we are allowed to investigate ideas and draw conclusions regarding what is truth in light of God’s authority. Our chief affirmation as preachers of God’s word is that “Jesus is Lord.” Such a statement has far reaching implications, implying that any competing powers are relegated to his supremacy, and therefore all of life must be reframed in light of the advent of his coming. Furthermore, in the ministry of Jesus, we see a proleptic representation of justice, which will culminate in the final reordering of power when he returns triumphant in the Eschaton. If we are faithful to our calling as preachers, we should be actively working to interpret the world through the vision of justice that God has placed in the scriptures and within our hearts. It is our responsibility to communicate this worldview to the church so that the church may respond in kind.

A theology of preaching and justice must come from an understanding that there are competing powers in regard to what is thought to be true in the world. While truth is thought to be found as a result of an empirical search, the reality is that truth is a very subjective matter that is framed by what type of mental model a person carries with them. Facts are understood based on the type of lenses through which we view them. That is why the truth that we propose has its foundation in God’s word. It is not my ideas, but the truths of scriptures that have been carefully passed down through the diligent care of God’s people. We are merely conduits of his word to his people.

Moreover, we must be aware that this quest for truth is not just limited by a persons perspective, but there are powers in the world that are actively working to push forward an agenda that flies in the face of God’s sense of justice. These competing powers have built up corrupt systems based on idolatry, greed, and hate. These systems are enticing because they beckon us like a siren to choose what is selfish, what will provide a false-sense of security, and ultimately will take us further away from God’s justice. Though every power ultimately has its origin in God, these are fallen powers that are functioning as a perversion of their creative intent.  Charles Campbell describes these competing powers well:

The fallen principalities and powers, then, use a legion of strategies to further their idolatrous purposes for survival, domination, and death. Against the onslaught of these powers, human resistance seems almost fruitless, if not impossible. For Christians, however, the story does not end with the rebellious activity of the powers and the helplessness of human beings before them. In his life, death, and resurrection Jesus has engaged and overcome the powers, setting people free for lives of faithful resistance. And a primary means of this resistance is preaching, the “sword of the Spirit, which the Word of God.[1]

A theology of preaching and justice must push forward an understanding that in the person of Jesus all powers are being realigned under his authority; though they are perverse, they will be ultimately realigned to serve Christ’s purposes. As mentioned in the introduction, Col 1:15-17 demonstrates that all power ultimately emanates from him and he is therefore working to reorder these powers through the power of the resurrection and the advent of his coming. Our preaching must reflect this reordering of power and call for our communities to display their allegiance to this new world order. So we are to preach a gospel that is founded in the principles laid out by Jesus in Luke 4:18-19 “to bring good news to the poor; proclaim the release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Jesus proclaimed the dignity and value of all human persons, stating that all are valuable because they are part of the beauty of his creation. He spoke against corrupt systems that oppressed those on the margins of society, which will ultimately be subjected to his judgment. Jesus’ worldview ultimately shapes our worldview and subsequently shapes the ethos and pathos of our preaching.

Our preaching therefore should transform our communities so that by showing solidarity to Jesus’ message we consequently show solidarity towards the poor and the broken of the world. We then create mental models of hope for our listeners to envision a time in the future where wrongs in the world are finally made right. Again Campbell is helpful in describing the tension that we preach to our communities:

Christians, however, line in this tension and engage in this practice clinging to a promise: the powers will finally be redeemed. As beings created in, through, and for Christ, the powers will ultimately be transformed and brought back to their true vocation of sustaining human life in community. While there is no sense that human beings will ourselves transform or “Christianize” the powers, we do live with the promise and in the hope that God is at work to transform the powers and that God will fulfill that work through Jesus Christ. Clinging to this promise in the face of the powers of death, the church, and particularly the church’s preaching, takes up the way of resistance.[2]

Ours is a task to preach the message of this hope, the future promise of God’s unending reign, calling all to show allegiance to him through holy living and worship. In our preaching we help formulate mental models that encourage the listener that the worldview of God’s ultimate reign is the true reality from which they should understand the world. Therefore, they can engage the world with its embedded corrupt systems and not fall to their persuasion and powers.

Preaching in the vein of justice is not easily accomplished; there is a temptation for the preacher to be liked, so we are often tempted to preach in such a way that does not reflect the truth of scripture but rather sooths the listener’s ears. Therefore, it is imperative that the preacher holds a deep conviction within themselves that justice is in fact a central tenant to the economy of God. With any idea, there are multiple ways that it can be framed, so we have a choice to put forward what we believe is God’s agenda for his creation—that we would both honor him in our lives and consequently live justly with one another. Thankfully, we do not go about this task alone. Thomas Long states it well, “Christ is not present because we preach; we preach because Christ is present.”[3] If we think that we can approach this task without the grace of God going before us, we are already lost. Our understanding of preaching must start from the premise that God is working to illuminate the preacher as they prepare and deliver, but also is active in preparing the hearts and minds of the listeners.

Jericho: A Case Study

We now turn our attention towards the issue of worship and justice. Worship is a more subjective modality for creating mental models of justice for the people of God, but that does not mean it is less effective. The scriptures are filled with stories that open the hearts and minds of its readers to a reality where God is a chief actor, working to secure a future for his people. A theology of worship, preaching and justice consists of stories that are formative in creating a people that act under the guidance of God’s authority. Acts of worship help formulate mental models of God’s justice in both our heart and our mind as we confess our allegiance to God’s ultimate authority. One story stands out among others to serve as a case study to the church for the power of worship is Joshua 5-6. Throughout the book of Joshua, we find Israel moving towards the Promised Land, not knowing how this land will be secured but living by faith in the deeper reality that God holds all things together. In the beginning of Joshua we see Israel in need of renewal, as they had gone astray, wandering through the wilderness for 40 years. In Joshua 5-6, we find God reconstituting his people through acts of allegiance and remembrance and the encounter of the divine. This is an example of worship that gives us a picture of justice as realignment to God’s purposes as it frees Israel to be obedient to God even when he calls them to act in ways that are counterintuitive to the standards of the world. Trent Butler comments well regarding the significance of Joshua 5:

Joshua 5 thus stood through many generations as a testimony to God’s greatness in enduring the unfaithfulness of one generation of Israelites and stirring new hopes in a new generation. It stood as a call to each generation to cultic faithfulness even when the result might be shame, reproach, or suffering. It stood as a call to remember God’s gift of fertility, a gift given to a faithful people. It stood as a promise of divine appearance and divine protection for a leader ready to worship and obey.[4]

These acts shape the people of Israel, and they subsequently shape us so that we can be a just people in the world. Joshua 5-6 serves as an example to us of a God who works through the means of worship acts, calling us to follow him in ways that would be considered counterintuitive to the world’s standards. Throughout generations, God has used the means of worship to cultivate a people that will be faithful to his purposes. A theology of worship, preaching and justice is a confession that we are aligning ourselves to the purview of the creator of the universe and not falling in subjection to corrupt systems and powers.

Acts of Allegiance

As we come to this text, Israel has just passed through the Jordan River and erected stones at Gilgal to commemorate yet another miraculous act of God on their behalf. The passing through the Jordan river almost functions as a “re-baptism” of Israel from their previous deliverance from the Egyptians in the parting of the Red Sea. Through this act we are filled with memories of the ways that God has already acted on behalf of his people. These memories are helpful in the formation of Israel and for the church as we move forward in history to continually show our allegiance to the God who has delivered us and will deliver us in the future.  As previously mentioned, an act of worship is a demonstration regarding the way we realign ourselves with the purposes of God. This act of realignment is demonstrated as Joshua is instructed by God to re-commission the cultic act of circumcision. All the men who had been born on their journey through the wilderness had yet to be circumcised (Jos 5:5). This act of circumcision represents an allegiance to the “Abrahamic and Sinaitic covenants [and] made it of particular religious significance for ancient Israel as the badge of covenant identity, since circumcision linked future generations to the promises of Yahweh.”[5] Moreover, circumcision served to remind Abraham and his descendants of the covenant promises—especially the promise that through Abraham’s seed all the nations would be blessed—thus carrying intrinsic obligations for Israel to act justly towards its neighbors.[6] This act of recommitment functions in a way of restoration for the people, so much so that the Lord states, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt” (Jos 5:9). Thus through this physical act of worship Israel is realigning itself with their specific privilege and obligations to function as God’s representatives in the world.

The act of circumcision has a parallel to one of the most important sacraments that we participate in during worship: baptism. As a church, we celebrate and affirm the statement that “Jesus is Lord.” As previously stated, such a statement has far reaching implications, implying that any competing powers are relegated to his supremacy, and therefore all of life must be reframed in light of the advent of his coming. The question is: how do we now show our allegiance to the fact that he is the both the king of creation and the lord of our hearts if circumcision is no longer a mandate for the church? I find baptism to be one of the most beautiful communal acts that we partake in as a church, but I also think that it might be the “oddest” act that we do from an outsider’s perspective, similar to circumcision. In the church’s tired quest to remain relevant, baptism is one of the most “cultic” demonstrations of a person’s newly found faith. It is a personal event during which a person expresses that they are dying with Christ (in submerging in the water) and are being raised to live a life in the Spirit (when they come out of the water). This is an initiation event that begins a person’s spiritual journey with Christ, just as circumcision was a reminder of the covenant that God held with Israel. This event also represents an external expression of an internal commitment that they are choosing to realign themselves to the purposes of God, thus exhibit justice in their lives. This also holds significance for the community at large. Baptism is an essential act of faith for the community because when we witness someone else’s initiation into the faith we are reminded of our own commitment on our road of discipleship. Grenz states this well: “Our Lord ordained this act because he knew that it is of great benefit for us as we embark on the road of discipleship. Baptism is to be a day to remember.”[7] When the road of faith becomes rocky, we can look back and remember our baptism and find strength in the confession that we made on that day. We remember our initial confession that “Jesus is Lord” and how that redefined our worldview initially at baptism and continues to as we function as his witnesses. Circumcision and baptism are both acts of allegiance that order us under the leadership of a God who actively seeks for justice to be made manifest in the earth.

Acts of Remembrance

Moving forward in this text, we see Israel being shaped through an act of remembrance of the Lord’s deliverance in Egypt when they observed Passover at Gilgal (Jos 5:10). Acts of remembrance are an essential aspect of what we do in worship. We cognitively interact with the many ways in which God has dynamically moved in our lives and throughout our community. As Israel looks to move forward into Jericho, they must first remember the act of deliverance that occurred at the first Passover in Egypt. They were once slaves, with no advocate to be found, and yet their cries were still heard by God. Israel is to remember the struggle of being repressed by captivity and the liberation that they received out of this life of servitude. But they were also to recall the deliverance that was received, seemingly out of nowhere. In Ex 2:23-25, as a corrupt system oppressed Israel, cries for justice ascended from the people. Brueggemann insightfully notes, “The cry is not addressed to YHWH; but it comes to YHWH because YHWH is a magnet that draws the cries of the abused….The human cry, so the Bible asserts, evokes divine resolve.”[8] In the deliverance of Israel, God shows himself as one who is not distant or foreign to their circumstances but rather is right there with them, concerned with securing a future for his people and fighting against the injustice that stands against them. The act of remembrance also works to bring encouragement to move forward in the confidence that his presence goes with and before them. In our own worship, we remember that God has moved mightily in our own lives: the ways he has delivered us from our own bondage and the ways that he has secured justice on our behalf. We are no longer slaves to corrupt systems and power, but we are a people set apart to be God’s ambassadors in the earth.  As Israel moves forward, they now hold an active memory that God is for them—so who can be against them? They can move forward and reflect to the world the justice that has been bestowed upon them.

The Passover meal was an act of remembrance for Israel to recall how God acted in their midst, and similarly, communion serves as a corporate act of remembrance for the community as we remember the death and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Messiah of God. While communion has impact for an individual, it holds greater significance to the church as other believers gather to partake of the event and are reminded of the body and blood of Christ that was shed for our sins.  Through communion, we celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and through this fellowship of the breaking of bread, we are strengthened in our faith. Communion is an essential act of worship for the community because we are united in our common need for deliverance and remember the grace that has been bestowed upon us, even though we did not merit it. We remember how we have acted injustly in our own lives, yet we received grace, which subsequently frees us to now act justly in the world.  Communion is an act of worship that calls us to consider our history, proving to us the graciousness of our creator and motivating us to live lives that reflect his character in the earth.

The Power of A Divine Encounter

The third way this text is instructive for developing a theology of worship, preaching and justice is that it is essential for worship and preaching that we encounter the living God if we are going to have the conviction and confidence to stand for justice in this world. In this text Joshua is just outside of Jericho when he encounters the “commander” of the army of the Lord (Jos 5:14). The term for commander can also be translated as “prince”[9] and, given the illusion to Moses’ encounter with Yahweh in Ex 3:5, we can judge that Joshua was encountering the divine. When we seek to live justly in the world we are choosing to live in a way that is counterintuitive to the norms of the world. It is hard road to walk when all the world is telling you that “left is right” and “up is down”, which is why if we are to walk justly in the world we need to encounter the living God in worship. Though these encounters can be subjective, and even possibly abused, they are essential because they give us the courage of our convictions to live faithfully and justly in a world that is corrupt.   When we encounter the divine through worship and preaching we cannot help but be shaped by this experience. These encounters serve to support our faith and work to realign us to his purposes in the earth.

Moving to Joshua 6, what can be more counterintuitive than the way God instructs Joshua to go to battle in Jericho? Cities were captured by the flexing of military might, but in this passage God instructs Joshua to march around the city for six days and on the seventh when the priests blow their trumpets, the walls will come crumbling down and the city will be theirs to vanquish. Taken at face value, to make such a decree is at best insane and at worst is vile, because this could easily lead them to their slaughter. But this was not the Israel of the wilderness that questioned God’s leadership. In Joshua 5, we have already seen through worship that these acts of allegiance and acts of remembrance have reconstituted Israel to align themselves under God’s authority. Likewise, the divine encounter has only further solidified their faith. In chapter 6, we find them to be attentive listeners, awaiting God’s instruction. So in 6:2, when “THE LORD said to Joshua, ‘See, I have handed Jericho over to you, along with its king and soldiers,’” Israel did not blink, but with full faith they trusted in God’s promise. They had aligned themselves to the reality of the word of God, so much so that if he spoke a word, they believed it to be so. As we see in this text, God’s word was faithful to Israel as the walls of Jericho did indeed come crashing down on the seventh day.

Acts of worship had transformed Israel to be a people that trusted in the word of God; they believed his power was greater then any other so they had no fear to act in accordance to his will. The human heart is ruled not by logic but mainly by emotions, and worship awakens these centers in our soul so that we can see the world through the lens of God. This is why worship is foundational to our understanding of justice. Acts of worship help transform us to see the world as God sees it; therefore, we have the conviction to live our lives in light of his right ordering of power. We need these acts of worship to keep us focused on what is true and right in the world; without them we will be easily sucked up by the corrupt systems of the world. We respond in worship, because these acts allow us to vocalize and express the deeper truths of God.

Worship, Justice and Grace

Finally, a theology of worship, preaching and justice is only possible if it contains a strong understanding of grace as an essential element. When speaking of justice in worship, we must remind ourselves that justice in the kingdom is not that of justice in the world. While the world seeks justice for those who deserve it, expecting only those who are worthy or “one of us” to be included in its reception, the kingdom extends justice to all who lay down their self-righteousness in return for grace. This is how we worship justly, by recognizing that the God we worship has seen who we are and yet still welcomes us into us family, declaring us to be righteous. And not just this, but he longs to welcome others with a similar measure of grace. Justice is not to be seen as some high and lofty attribute that only a few will obtain, but instead it should spring forward from a belief that all are welcomed to worship a God of justice.

One of the many examples of this can be found in the gospel of Luke, in which Jesus defies the expectations of those around him as he receives with joy the worship of a woman whom the culture has received with scorn. Luke 7:36-50 begins on the heels of the previous pericope, which ends with the statement from Jesus “Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children” (v. 35). This is in response to those who reject both John the Baptist and Jesus for not fitting their mold of the purposes of God (reasoning that the former has a demon and the latter is a glutton and a drunkard). Wisdom’s children, says Jesus, are those who align themselves with his purposes.[10] The story that follows further demonstrates the counter-cultural nature of God’s purposes and further separates kingdom justice from worldly justice. While eating at the house of a Pharisee, a woman “in the city, who was sinner” brings to Jesus a jar of ointment. She first washes his feet with her tears, drying them with her hair, and then proceeds to anoint his feet with the ointment. Those in attendance expect that Jesus, if he were truly a prophet, would know of this woman’s reputation and reject her act of worship. But he does not. Instead, he tells them a story of a man who owes great debts and another who owes little: if both debts were forgiven, which of the two will love the creditor more? They admit that the former would love more, and Jesus points to the woman: she has been forgiven many sins, and as a result, she has shown great love (v. 47). She is not worthy of worldly justice, and yet her worship is received by the one who not only accepts her gifts but claims the ability to forgive her sins.

This story reminds us of the means with which justice is employed in worship: justice always comes on the heels of grace. We worship a God who has forgiven us many sins, and it is because of this great forgiveness that we show him great love in our worship. When encouraging worship within our churches, we must be consistent in reminding our congregation that worship is for sinners. Worship is not for those who feel they have justly earned their place at the table, it is for those who know they could never step foot in the kingdom of God if not for his exceeding grace toward them. And if this form of grace has been displayed toward us, how much more can it be displayed to the poorest and vilest of people in our world? In worship we seek mercy for ourselves and for the world. We praise God for the mercy he has extended to us as well as that which he also extends to the gentile sinners, to the outcasts who bring with them little more than their tears. We are a people who have received much grace and must therefore view justice through this lens, as coming from one who rejoices most as the greatest of sinners fall with humility at his feet.

Conclusion

In current events, we find the world rejoicing in the death of one of its greatest villains, Osama Bin Laden. One must wonder if the American church would have rejoiced with equal exuberance if Bin Laden were to find his place with the woman of this pericope, instead of meeting death at the hands of our soldiers.  Wisdom’s children know that to do justice, they must also love kindness and walk in humility (Micah 6:8). While the world finds solace in hating those that persecute them and their neighbor, wisdom’s children know that to do justice, they must love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (Matt. 5:43-48). This justice is counterintuitive, and we will not find it by living daily in our culture. We must therefore find it in our worship service, which is why it is essential to develop a working theology of preaching, worship and justice, one with its roots founded in grace. Our hope as preachers is to develop mental models for worship that engages with the one who died for the ungodly. It is in our worship that we seek out what it is to act justly toward our neighbor. And it is in our worship that we create a community in which kingdom justice prevails in our hearts. Justice reigns as we align ourselves to the purposes of God in the world.

Bibliography

Butler, Trent C. Word Biblical Commentary: Joshua. Edited by David Allan. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker. Waco, TX: Word Books, 1983.

Campbell, Charles L. The Word before the Powers: an Ethic of Preaching. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002.

Green, Joel B. The Gospel of Luke. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1997.

Grenz, Stanley J. Theology for the Community of God. Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000.

Long, Thomas G. The Witness of Preaching. Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005.

Williamsom, P. R. “Circumcision.” Edited by T. Desmond. Alexander and David W. Baker. In Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch, 122-25. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003.

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            [1] Charles L. Campbell, The Word before the Powers: an Ethic of Preaching (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2002), pg. 43.

            [2] Ibid., pg. 67.

            [3] Thomas G. Long, The Witness of Preaching (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2005), pg. 17.

            [4] Trent C. Butler, Word Biblical Commentary: Joshua, ed. David Allan. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker (Waco, TX: Word Books, 1983), pg. 64.

            [5] P. R. Williamsom, “Circumcision,” ed. T. Desmond. Alexander and David W. Baker, in Dictionary of the Old Testament: Pentateuch (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), pg. 122.

            [6] Ibid., pg. 123

            [7] Stanley J. Grenz, Theology for the Community of God (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans, 2000), pg. 526.

            [8] Walter Brueggemann, Journey to the Common Good (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), pg. 11-12.

            [9] Trent C. Butler, Word Biblical Commentary, pg. 63.

            [10] Joel B. Green, The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans Pub., 1997), pg. 304.