I've come around...

'cause I've found.

A word of introduction, I wanted to title this post, "Justice; foreplay with God." I didn't want to offend anyone's sensibilities, though.

Prayer:

Lord, may the words of my lips and the meditation of all our hearts be a part of your humble walk in this world. Amen.

Intro:

I am very grateful for the opportunity to be here today. My name is Ryan Cosgrove, and I am seminarian, spending a year in internship. That is part of the preparation of becoming a pastor. That particularly is not why I am here today, though. I am here today as a representative of the Lutheran Public Policy Office of Washington state, or the LPPO.

The LPPO is a statewide ministry that engages congregations, individuals, organizations and government. The mission of this ministry is to be part of God’s work of justice and sustainability in the world. More on that a little later, though.

I graduated from a smaller, ELCA university as well; Grand View University (although it was a college when I graduated). I remember chapel, and how important it was for me as a student, and someone interested in God. So it is both very exciting and intimidating to be here today.

So, I am excited to be able to participate in your chapel service. But my excitement grew when I learned about your theme this month, “Do Justice.” What a fitting month for an LPPO representative to be invited to participate in chapel. (although, technically, I invited myself)

I’d also like to point out that I think it is a very profound statement you all are making. I mean, when I was in college the end of November was right about the time I was hoping my professors would show mercy, not justice. ;-) So your statement, “Do Justice,” is quite profound at this time of the year.

Enough of introductions, though.

This reading of Micah is so epic. It certainly confronts our modern sensibilities. Here God calls on mountains and the foundation of the earth to act as a judge upon humans. This certainly is a way of articulating the ecological imperative to allow creation to have its own integrity apart from humans.

What is God calling the mountains and foundations of the earth to judge, though?

Earlier in the book of Micah we get a sense of what accusations God is leveling against God’s people. In Micah chapter three, there is a critique of worship that is merely lip service, and a critique of worship that perpetuates injustice.

While God’s people are engaged in public rituals they are no longer living out true worship, in fact their leaders are engaged in war (6:12). Their worship has become regulated to the temple, and the public lives of leaders have become consumed with war.

The second part of God’s accusation is found in Micah 6. God makes the point that while the people have indulged the idea that they have been faithful, in reality they have not.

God, however, has remained faithful. God has been faithful as a liberator. God has been faithful as a comforter, providing leaders. God has been faithful as one who works through anyone, even outsiders. And, God has been faithful to God’s promises, granting people the land promised to Abraham. God’s case has been made; God has been faithful to the covenant between God and the people, but the people have not been faithful to the same covenant.

The people have not been faithful, they have hindered justice, and all the while God has been faithful. Therefore God brings an accusation against them, calling the earth to act as judge. This is the setting of our reading.

So, with all this evidence stacked against them, the people get it; they admit their guilt. And, just as quickly, they get right back to business as usual. The people ask God, what can we do to appease our guilt? What shall we offer: animals, oil, our first-born, or even the fruit of our being?

Aside from being outrageous, it shows the people do not get it, still! Perhaps the understand guilt, but they do not understand justice.

Micah has already spoken out against violent religious lip-service, yet the people don’t want to give up their system of cultic sacrifice that no longer demands anything of them. The people cannot imagine worship outside of the temple.

No, Micah has God say. More shallow, violent religion will not satisfy God. In fact, God has already said what is required: do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

Micah understands that doing justice, that loving kindness, and that walking alongside God are integral to Worship. Micah needs to remind the people that worship in the temple is not all there is to worship. Micah understands doing justice, living kindness, and walking humbly with God is part of mature and faithful worship, not simple an voluntary addendum.

In fact, it appears that worship that is restricted to the temple will inherently hamper justice.

Here, it appears the people have gotten this incredible idea in their head. They have become convinced that ritual worship is the only part of their worship. They have gotten this idea that worship is restricted to the temple. In other words, their worship has become constrained.

Micah is calling the people from restricted worship, to a mature personal, public worship.

In this way, we can be a lot like the people Micah spoke out against. Often we think worship is about us and our church, and it stops there. (Micah spoke about the temple, but for Christians today church is a fitting word.)

In that case, worship becomes little more than an exclusive social gathering. When worship is limited to one place, or one day it inherently becomes a part of injustice. This is because silence is never neutral, and when worship is constrained it loses its voice. Silence is never neutral.

Let me be clear, though, I am not saying gathering together (like we are now) to worship is bad. In fact, it is just as essential as doing justice outside the church. These two dimensions of a full life of faith complement each other, they do not compete.

You see, faith is personal, in that it affects you. But faith isn’t private, in that it is restricted to a day, place, person, or group. I mean, if Micah understands the earth to be a judge for God, than the idea that worship is restricted in any way goes right out the window.

Perhaps you have struggled with this; wondering about what faith means, wondering about the proper role between your faith and civic engagement. These are complex questions, and simple answers that equate worship of a God who liberates (a public event), a God who provides leaders (a public event), a God who works through people of different beliefs and citizenships (a radically public event) to something purely private does not address all this.

I don’t have all the answers for you. In fact I have a lot of questions, and I can take issue with some of this. For instance, public faith statement that stuffs religious assumptions down the throat of others is pretty offensive to me.

Yet, I wonder if that means that one’s faith has no public role.

I think that is part of the good news. For so long, Christianity has become innocuous, naval gazing. In North American Christianity has become part of the dominate culture. It has become a merely a social gathering, to the malaise of many. That is the good news of Micah, even if it comes in the form of a divine accusation.

Worship is part of your entire life, it is not limited. Don’t forget about justice when you walk into a church, and don’t forget about church when you walk into the world. This is why I am excited to be here. You’re in college. You’re holding a promise, and pouring yourself into it. Your faith is a part of that.

I want to read something to you. NY TIMES EXERT. See, politics works this way, too. Justice will happen; and if political folk won’t enact it, religious communities can. Justice will happen; and if religious folk won’t enact it, community organizations (as they increasingly have had to) can.

(work on) In many ways, this is what the work of the LPPO is about. The LPPO is a way for religious folks to worship fully. The LPPO is about creating networks of individuals, congregations and organizations to be part of justice. We call this advocacy. In other words, the LPPO is about pleading the cause of those suffering injustice. This is a part of doing justice, not all of it, but an important part of it.

The LPPO is about organized advocacy. Advocacy may be personal, but it is never private and it is inherently public. There are many ways to be part of the LPPO’s work, you can do this through organizing your congregation to become an advocating congregation.

Advocating congregations are part of the LPPO’s statewide network of congregations formally engaged with the LPPO. These congregations engage in education around advocacy, they engage in public witness for enacting advocacy, and as the spirit moves them they can even engage in financially supporting the LPPO.

The other way someone can be part of the LPPO’s work is by becoming a congregational advocate. Congregational advocates are people who subscribe to our e-mail list, act a liaison between the LPPO and a congregation, or someone who attends various forums and events the LPPO hosts. The most immediate forum is UVUVUV, and a really neat upcoming event is interfaith advocacy day in Olympia on March 17. This event is an opportunity to meet with legislators to talk about and be a part of justice, to do justice.

My supervisor, Paul Benz, likes to say that the LPPO is about saying “yes,” in the halls of power. This yes is for justice on behalf of those who are often denied justice; in other words advocacy.

This is why Micah spoke out; worship had not only become silent in matters of justice, it had gotten to the point where it served to pervert justice. Micah spoke out against restricted worship.

When God is concerned with people, when God liberates the oppressed worship can never be restricted. Yes it is personal, but it is public, too. As I said earlier, justice will be done, and God Micah tells us God requires it. I, however, do not think it is a requirement that creates insiders and outsiders. It is the requirement of a lover. "If you’re going to be mine and I yours, we must walk together," the lover says to the beholden. It may be a requirement; after all that is how meaningful relationships work, but it is also an invitation, justice can be an awful lot of fun.

I am really excited to be here. I am excited to be here with you. I’d love to talk with you about your passions, advocacy, and of course answer any questions about the LPPO. Thank you.

Postscriptum: You will notice this isn't completed. Writing a sermon like this is very different for me, so I am having my struggles. Concerning the NY Times article, the part I will cite is the third and second to last paragraphs. You will also notice there are notes to myself such as work on, and that I haven't completed all the details.

Anyway, I'd be interested to get any takes on this.