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Worship and justice are often seen as separate and unrelated. Nothing could be further from the truth based on the character of God and the revelation we have been given in Jesus Christ.
The word justice is never far hidden in the vocabulary of the psalmists. Over half the psalms specifically use the word. But in worship today, particularly in the Western church, the word is suspect and politicised.
This conversation explored issues of justice and peace in the Middle East, and reflected on the question: what it is like to be a Christian and a woman in the Middle East today?
We listen to the cry of the prophet Isaiah, voicing God's call to God's people regarding the true nature of worship and the inextricable bond between our relationship with God and our relationship with one another, and particularly with the most downtrodden among us.
This was a handout at one of two plenary sampler sessions that introduced several of the leaders at the Calvin Symposium on Worship and the Arts on Friday, January 14, 2000.
The following is a check list for planning worship services that reflect a concern for justice; this list was distributed at the "Just Worship" conference in Edmonton, Alberta, in January 2003.
Restorative Justice is a biblically-based view of justice that focuses on restoring persons and communities to shalom.
A list of people and situations to pray for.
This was designed as a short, reflective service that encourages time for prayer for issues related to restorative justice. This service specifically prays for prisoners, but it also acknowledges that all people need to seek forgiveness and work for reconciliation.
A look at worship and justice
An article with songs that describe justice.
Forgiveness and reconciliation lie at the heart of the gospel of Jesus. For Jesus, who is our peace, puts to death hostility and enmity. Still, profound hostility is still the defining feature of life for billions of people—the hostility of gunfire and persecution, the hostility of racism and fear, the hostility of family dysfunction and church disunity.
