Liturgy: Worship and Brussel Sprouts

What is the King’s Liturgy? King’s Liturgy defines our experience together as a Christian community. It outlines the rhythms we celebrate with the Church at large: Scripture readings, Sabbath habits, and celebration of Holy Days and historical events.

This Week’s Lectionary Readings
Isaiah 58:1–12
1 Corinthians 2:1-12
Matthew 5:13–20
Psalm 112:1–10

This week’s liturgy is contributed by Paul Mueller, Assistant Professor of Politics:

The passages for this week contrast true humility with false humility, true repentance with false repentance, and true faith with false faith. God condemns the Israelites for fasting and “humbling” themselves. Seems like an odd thing to critique at first. Aren’t they showing obedience and devotion by bowing their heads, wearing sackcloth, and fasting? The answer is “no,” not in spirit.

Fasting and humbling are supposed to be physical manifestations of broken, contrite, and repentant hearts. Yet the Israelites just went about their wicked ways of violence, oppression, and selfishness. That’s why Isaiah writes:

“Is this not the fast that I choose;
To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the straps of the yoke,
To let the oppressed go free,
And to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into your house”

The Israelites had the form or façade of righteousness without the substance or the power.

Fortunately, God does not leave us to fake formalities or false devotion. For the Christian, He gives us His own Spirit to guide and to correct us and to give us the power and desire to do His will. As we live holy (not perfect) lives by the Spirit, God promises us contentment and peace. Not that bad things will never happen, but that by God’s grace we can endure those tragedies with Thanksgiving. We have joy, even in suffering, and peace, even with conflict and uncertainty around us.

I used to wonder how I could tell if I was worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth. If both true and false humility and true and false repentance looked similar externally, which was I showing? Here is a paraphrased story one of my pastors shared that helped me understand the difference:

“When I was a boy, I hated brussel sprouts. Yet my mother wanted me to eat them. She tried to persuade me that they were good for my health and would help me grow—I didn’t care. Finally, she decided to offer me something I really liked, a trip to get an ice cream cone, if I ate my brussel sprouts. That was enough motivation for me and I ate them. But I still didn’t like them.”

This story illustrates the difference between a change in our actions and a change in our desires. People change their behavior all the time for the sake of other things that they want. But Christians are marked, not just by different behavior, but by different desires. We learn to be deeply content with what God has given us—we don’t need that fancy car, that compromising relationship, that perfect job, the adulation of those around us, the mind-numbing or titillating entertainment that the world around us devours. Our hearts and desires have changed and are changing with God’s help.

My wife and I have thought about how changed desires look in our lives. When I was in graduate school, we talked about having my colleagues and students over—how we wanted to show a small reflection of the hospitality that God has shown us. But we rarely did—and that was with no small children as an excuse either! I knew it was a good way to serve others but I honestly preferred working and entertainment. I didn’t want to give up my evenings or deal with the hassle of logistics or the fear of rejection. We slowly recognized our lack of desire at the time and began to pray that God would change our desires.

Fast forward to our first year at King’s. God answered our prayers and filled us with genuine delight in being hospitable and love for the students at King’s—who we had never even met! I don’t mean to suggest that we have arrived by any means, but we can clearly see God’s work in our hearts and answer to our prayers.

Ask Christ to change you and give you the power to follow him.

I’ll conclude with a few stanzas of one of my favorite songs that fits this week’s readings well:

No list of sins I have not done,
No list of virtues I pursue,
No list of those I am not like,
Can earn myself a place with You.
O God! Be merciful to me—
I am a sinner through and through!
My only hope of righteousness
Is not in me, but only You.

No humble dress, no fervent prayer,
No lifted hands, no tearful song,
No recitation of the truth
Can justify a single wrong.
My righteousness is Jesus’ life,
My debt was paid by Jesus’ death,
My weary load was borne by Him
And he alone can give me rest.

No separation from the world,
No work I do, no gift I give,
Can cleanse my conscience, cleanse my hands;
I cannot cause my soul to live.
But Jesus died and rose again—
The pow’r of death is overthrown!
My God is merciful to me
And merciful in Christ alone.