The recent lectionary readings from Matthew narrate Jesus’
encounters with those who would “test” him.
Religious leaders want to know about competing claims; how does one live
in the empire yet serve God? Jesus
manages to silence his critics with nuanced understanding of human obligations
in an oppressive political environment; however, he reminds them that they also
have accountability to render to God what is God’s.
The Gospel reading for this coming Sunday offers another
conversation, this time between Jesus and certain Pharisees who were concerned
about his treatment of the law. With
legal precision, one asked: “Which commandment of the law is the greatest?”
Jesus responded: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and
with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37). This is what we are called to render.
I have just returned from a gathering of the Alliance of
Baptists in Dayton, Ohio. The focus of
the meeting was worship in the progressive church. Carefully crafted liturgy invited participants
to love God through worship. It was a
bracing and renewing opportunity, and I felt that we were loving God with our
whole selves—heart, soul, and mind.
We know
that humans are created for worship; it is just that we usually worship the
wrong things. Donald Hustad described
worship as “rehearsal for life.” It is hardly necessary to argue the
proposition that as persons we tend to be changed by what we idolize, what we
worship. We begin to resemble what we
worship.
Aquinas
said certain things were to be used, and only God to be enjoyed—yet we tend to
use God as a means to some supposed greater end. A utilitarian view of God is hardly
worship. So what are we to render to
God?
We are to
give our whole selves to God. The
worship service is practice for a lifetime of giving to God; our “living
sacrifice” is what God desires—not because of divine vanity, but because God
wants us to understand our place of dignity and humility in the cosmos. We become like the Triune God as we
worship—more loving, more generative, more hospitable, and more joyful—for we
are dwelling in the richness of community, divine and human.
Worship is
essential to our humanity. I love the
venerable proverb: “More than the Jewish people have kept the Sabbath, the
Sabbath has kept the Jews.” So it is
with Christian worship—it will keep us; God will reveal divine glory, and we
will reflect God’s likeness as we rehearse together for the performance of
Christian living.
Molly T.
Marshall
Central prepares women and men
for seeking God, shaping church, and serving humanity.
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