Worship & Justice

"If you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
And satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
Then your light shall rise in the darkness,
And your night shall be as the noonday."
- Isaiah 58:10

This has been something that's been weighing heavily on my heart....and I know that it's a burden, a passion that God is stirring in the churches around the world as well- for the church to rise up boldly as a voice of hope and justice. I'm really encouraged to hear more songs on justice written by Hillsong, Delirious?, Tim Hughes, Matt Redman etc. Something is stirring in the spiritual atmosphere. An awakening to our role in God's story.

About 2 weeks ago, I was watching a video clip of Joel Houston's sermon on worship & social justice at the Hillsong Conference 2008 (watch the video titled "Part 2"), and within the first few secs, I was reduced to a mess of tears. And Glenn is amazed that it all happened within 5 secs of Joel's preaching. He is afraid to imagine the state I would be in, should I have been at the conference, listening to Joel live, like him. I think he's right. I would have been a royal mess. But you know what....in all seriousness, I think Joel delivered the best sermon I've ever heard all my life. It was short, but he totally nailed it. The reason why we sing, why we live. It was real, it was heartfelt, it was passionate.

We need to rise up for such a time as this.

Here are some excerpts of Joel's powerful message which was based on Isaiah 58:10....but I do recommend that you watch the 10 min video for a better taste of it.
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"If what we do is just about coming together and singing praise and worship songs to God, singing lyrics and melody and having all the bang and going crazy, and its having no effect on the streets we travel down to get there..then what's the point?

God has called you, He's given you life, given you breath, created you for a purpose. He's given you life for this moment in history, for such a time as this. He's planted you wherever it is you are, put people around you, and put things in your hand...that you would become His hands and feet on this earth at this time.

If we just really understood the part we all have to play in God's masterpiece...we stop trying to compare ourselves to others, stop trying to chase value in ourselves, stop trying to build our ministry, or write our songs, or hope the senior pastor sees your gift and what you have to offer....but if we just go about being the church, not a denomination, not an organization, , not a politcal persuasion, a moral police force...but the body of Christ, His bride, the salt of the earth, the light of the world, God's plan for the salvation of this planet. It's you. Every single one of us.....

He's called us to be love, without any agenda, without any applause, not for any accolades, there is no personal agenda, other than God's agenda, and that is love....It's not about us anymore.

Together God's glory will be revealed, and the church will be what the church is called to be. Amen."