For: The Institute Of Contemporary And Emerging Worship Studies, St. Stephen’s University, Essentials Blue Online Worship Theology Course with Dan Wilt

This week I was thinking about how Jesus engaged with contemporary culture, where the most current questions of the human spirit were both heard and listened to, and then met with the even more beautiful questions of faith.

It reminded me of a passage by Tom Wright based on the Beatitudes, at the beginning of Matthew 5. In this, he responds to each of Jesus’ statements by questioning how we can make them a reality. (I have paraphrased slightly).

For the poor in spirit; what can the church do, not just say? For those who mourn; how can we be God’s agents in bringing that comfort? For the meek; how can the church stand up for their rights? For those who hunger and thirst for God’s justice; how do we stand alongside them until they receive it? For the merciful; can we model mercy by visiting the prisoner and welcoming the prodigal? For the pure in heart; how do we ourselves become refined by His purity? For the peacemakers; will we stand in the middle to resolve conflict? For those who are persecuted for Jesus’ sake; do we support them and further their message by insisting the true revolution begins at the foot of the cross?

For me these are beautiful questions, if rather uncomfortable ones. They are not questions that are easily resolved but their beauty lies in the fact that, in asking them, we find ourselves drawn to action – not just words. Questions such as these prepare the heart and mind. We begin to view the world around us differently and look for the times where we can act and make a difference; how we can worship God through our actions.

The beauty of the questions is not that they are unanswerable, but that in seeking to answer them we are drawn to asking more questions of God and of ourselves. When we are inspired by Him into action, we reveal His glory. We join with Him in bringing rightness to the world He created.

Tom Wright, For All God’s Worth (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company) 1997