The Greatest Secret: How Being God's Adopted Children Changes EverythingSample

Adoption – Worthy worship   

The book of Isaiah is full of awe-inspiring pointers to Jesus and the wonderful comfort, redemption and salvation that he would bring. It also contains the most excoriating review of corporate worship ever written and it comes right in the first chapter. 

These verses are so brutal that it is perhaps little wonder that we hear them read out in church so infrequently. These words are not going to translate well into a praise song. No amount of drum rhythms, or ‘ambient worship pads’ are going to be able to disguise the disgust God has for his people’s corporate worship. God decries the sacrifices and festivals. Even turning up at the temple is considered ‘trampling’ God’s courts. And he will not even listen to their prayers. But surely this is wrong – doesn’t God command us to worship him through gathering together, offering sacrifices, celebrating, praying and singing? Why does he command us here to stop and shut up?

According to this chapter of Isaiah our corporate worship can be an act of rebellion against God, not because of what we are doing, but because of what we are not doing. It is what God’s people have left undone which is the essence of their true worship. The way we treat and defend the fatherless, widows, and oppressed is the worship offering God really cares about. 

Too often it is a lot easier to substitute choruses for caring, songs for service, piety for personal sacrifice, words for actions.  This seems to be God’s issue with Israel. They have offered God the ritual of worship but have neglected the heart of it. They have not cared for those whom God cares for. They have left the fatherless, the widow and the oppressed in great need on their doorsteps, while they busied themselves with praise services and festivals, with gatherings and sacrifices. God says stop. He can’t stand it any longer. 

Isaiah leaves us with a challenge here. He expects us to rebel against our corporate worship, not by being complainers or critics, but by cutting through any hypocrisy in our own lives. Why aren’t we doing something to stand up for the needy today? Why can’t we make it part of our daily rhythm to show care for widows and orphans in whatever way we can, reflecting something of the heart God has for the vulnerable? This is the way we transform worship, the way we transcend the ritualistic habits, the way we translate God’s passion into our own lives.