At HOST we hope the Christian community we are building is at it’s heart missional. As we have been discussing mission in the context of supporting MDC we have also been reflecting that this is also worship.
I found this article at Next Wave really helpful in expressing this strong link between mission and worship. This dovetails nicely into our recent discussions and scripture readings:
In my introductory statements on how I see mission and worship as being one and the same, I brought up what the Bible says about justice and worship. In Isaiah 1 God says he hates our worship gatherings – finds them meaningless and detestable – if we are participating in injustices and not seeking justice for the oppressed. And in Isaiah 58 we are told that the sort of worship practices God desires are those that “loose the chains of injustice, and untie the cords of the yoke, set the oppressed free, and break every yoke. To share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood.” Worship has to be about serving God by serving others. Worship is mission which is seeking justice for the oppressed. The Bible is very clear about that and I think we have strayed far too far in the modern church from this biblical conception of worship. While most Christians might admit (hopefully) that worship isn’t just the singing of songs, I think very few realize that feeding the hungry is an act of worship and devotion to God. It is something the church must reclaim.
You can read the whole article here
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