Instead of a Show

I'll be honest, this ethics class is making me think. It's so much easier when I can just go to class, listen for awhile, send a few emails, and head home. Yeah...this ethics class isn't so much like that. It's haunting me. In a good way, but it's still haunting me. I've spent the last 5 weeks in the Sermon on the Mount, and I'm not sure it's possible to do that without being challenged and slapped upside the head. This idea of justice won't go away.

That's really what the Sermon on the Mount (along with most of scripture!) is pointing to. Justice matters to Jesus. A lot. We can't ignore that. But, we just don't like talking about it. Oh sure, we sing our hymns and songs about justice on Sunday morning (I'm preaching to myself here) but we really really don't like to think about it beyond that. And why should we? We're comfortable and happy with the way our lives are, we've earned and worked hard for what we have darn it! We deserve to live the way we want to--we're Americans aren't we?? That's the way I have always thought, but I just don't think we can read scripture and continue thinking this way; continuing to live in ways that aren't "just, equitable, righteous, fair." From God's perspective, not ours.

That's the kicker right there that's hit me upside the head this quarter. We look at things from our own viewpoints, from our eyes, from the mentality that "I've worked hard and others should do the same for their food, medicine, education, clean water etc." But as Christians, aren't we supposed to be looking at the world differently? If we're going to sing and talk about the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven don't we need to be looking at the world through "Kingdom eyes?" Over and over and over again throughout scripture God's prophets tell people that their words are good but their actions are abominable to Him--the way they are ignoring the poor, the widows, the orphans, the sick, the lonely, God is disgusted by this! He uses some incredibly harsh language in the prophets to explain how he feels about this--just look at Amos 5. "You turn justice into bitterness...you trample on the poor...therefore I hate, I despise your religious feasts, I cannot stand your assemblies...away with the noise of your songs, I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream." Tough words huh? Yup. But we can't ignore them. They didn't disappear with the coming of Jesus. The Sermon on the Mount (and the rest of the gospels for that matter) pretty much say the same thing. This stuff matters! It has to influence our choices with how we spend our money (do we pay attention to where our products that we buy come from? Do we buy and support fair trade coffee? Chocolate? Locally grown produce?) What do we do with our extra money? Our time? How do we let justice impact our political choices? (It SHOULD!) Do we vote in order to continue protecting our own interests, or do we make our choices based on what policies are actually going to improve the lives of our brothers and sisters who desperately need it regardless of the personal cost to ourselves? I refuse to post on here who I have decided to vote for, but I just wanted to throw those ideas out there--do we let traditional party lines influence us more than critically thinking globally and biblically about these issues? (And by the way, just because it's election season and I'm listening to all kinds of rhetoric from the different political parties as they court our votes, just as a side note, to throw out my personal pet peeve...God is NOT a republican, God does not belong to the republican party, and I find it incredibly offensive and unbiblical to continue spouting that rhetoric that still exist out there.) God cares deeply about justice, and if we are going to make a difference in this world, we have to join Him in that.

I was introduced today by my friend Brian to a new song, which honestly, will probably offend some. I think that's ok though, I think when we are offended by something we think about things deeper. It's a song by Switchfoot's lead singer Jon Foreman called Instead of a Show and is based on Isaiah 1. I'm posting the lyrics here for us to all continue thinking about. It's based on this idea that God doesn't want our songs or praise if our hearts, hands and feet aren't lined up with that--if we aren't willing to care about the things God cares about, and love the people God loves but society has told us are unlovable, well...we're not being obedient. I hope this post and this song makes you think as much as I've been thinking...it's a journey, we're all on it and none of us walk it perfectly, and there's a lot of grace along the way, but we have to start caring my friends, our world needs us to!

Instead of a Show
by Jon Foreman

I hate all your show and pretense
The hypocrisy of your praise
The hypocrisy of your festivals
I hate all your show
Away with your noisy worship
Away with your noisy hymns
I stomp on my ears when you're singing 'em
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show

Your eyes are closed when you're praying
You sing right along with the band
You shine up your shoes for services
There's blood on your hands
You turned your back on the homeless
And the ones that don't fit in your plan
Quit playing religion games
There's blood on your hands

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show

Quit fooling around
Give love to the ones who can't love at all
Give hope to the ones who got no hope at all
Stand up for the ones who can't stand at all, all
I hate all your show

Instead let there be a flood of justice
An endless procession of righteous living, living
Instead let there be a flood of justice
Instead of a show
I hate all your show