Worship

Isaiah 1:10-20

I'm not going to lie to you. I like the trappings of church. I love the lectionary. I love the liturgy. In my humble opinion, a sung mass is the pinnacle of worship experience. I love priests in fine vestments and candles and incense and small children carrying crosses or torches and organ music. There you have it. And this reading? It is for me. It is the prophet saying, in the words of the Lord, UR DOING IT RONG.

And, yes, I know that the music and the vestments and the celebrations--that's not the point. Being with God, doing the Work of God is so much more than that. It is when we

cease to do evil,
   learn to do good;
seek justice,
   rescue the oppressed,
defend the orphan,
   plead for the widow. 

that we are truly at worship.

But, as was as is as ever shall be...it is so easy for us to get caught up in the trappings of worship, forgetting that worship should be present in all the work we do for God. It's easy to get caught up in the rules and in the drama that coalesce in the Sunday morning services that for many of us mark our lives as Church.

Fortunately, the good news is here, too.

though your sins are like scarlet,
   they shall be like snow;
though they are red like crimson,
   they shall become like wool.
¹⁹ If you are willing and obedient,
   you shall eat the good of the land;

And so, I shall try. I shall try and move beyond my love for Sunday morning worship. I shall try my best to do good, seek justice, and defend the oppressed. My first task? To pick up a gift for Preschool Female with C for the Giving Tree at Church. It's small, yes, but a step outside of myself. I've done giving tree gifts for the past several years, and am excited to begin teaching C about why we give gifts at Christmas-time to people we do not know and will never meet.

How do you worship in daily life? Do you have Holiday traditions that help you refocus your priorities?