Justin Appel

Dear Friends in Christ,

In today’s Gospel lesson, the religious leaders of the day criticize Jesus for spending time with the dubious members of society, in this case, with tax collectors. Jesus responds with the justification that sick people in fact need a doctor, but that healthy people do not. He also gives the Pharisees a lesson from the prophets, simply the phrase “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”—a quote from Hosea, and one that cross references other similar passages from the prophetic books. Jesus implies that the Pharisees do not, in fact, understand this idea. They have been distracted by various external forms, while somehow missing the substance.

What is all this about? Is Jesus dismissing forms, rules, and a certain punctiliousness? Is he advocating for less rigorous worship forms? Is this a commentary on formality in worship? Is Jesus undermining sacrifice? Perhaps you recognize these as rhetorical questions.

While a number of tangents might be possible, these prophetic passages seem to have a central thrust: keeping the purpose of religion, with its external forms, in the front of us. Take worship for example.

What does this mean for us in corporate worship? Perhaps literally, that we keep Jesus in front of us. Practically, we recognize that Jesus is truly present to us in the church. This is the reason for the reverence we show towards the altar and the gifts consecrated there. Rather than an empty formality, this can be an expression of devotion to God, who although “present everywhere” and “filling all things” also deigns to be incarnated as a human.

How would we treat Jesus if he appeared to us today? We also recognize that the Holy Spirit is involved in our worship, and we cross ourselves at the prayer for the Spirit’s descent on the gifts and on us (the epiklesis). We also understand ourselves and our gathered community to mystically make the body of Christ. This community exists, not only here on earth, but above, where the saints and angels “delight to worship God in heaven.” We are taken into the heavenly movement of that worship.

The worship about which we are talking should ostensibly be transformational. We should be being changed evermore closely into the likeness of God, in whose image we are created, and whose Spirit dwells within us. Such a process should incorporate our whole being as embodied spirits, and that transformation begins in worship and follows us out into the world.

Now, if you’re like me, you’ve probably gone out of the church and immediately forgotten who you are and why you were in church to begin with. You’ve likely “gone through the motions” without considering what you’re doing.

Our purpose, however, in religious observation is to be present to God—body, mind, spirit—and to become the people he has created us to be. All of this is beautifully contained in one of the related passages:

“He has shown you, O man, what is good. Or what does the Lord seek from you but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with the Lord your God?” (Micah 6:8)

Yours in Christ,

—Justin