The ancient Israelites dutifully observed elaborate worship rituals but their love of idols and lack of social conscience disgusted their Lord. Through His spokesman the prophet Amos God declared,
‘I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me… offerings… I will not accept them… Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen…
But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!’ (Amos 5 v 21-24)
This last verse was famously quoted by Martin Luther King in his 'I have a dream' speech in Washington DC in August 1963.
We frequently come to worship with genuine joy. This weekend let’s be sure to include humility and, where necessary, penitence!
Sometimes wordsurfers articles get a wider audience. With some echoes of Amos, this one was featured in this week’s Irish News:
http://www.irishnews.com/lifestyle/faithmatters/2017/07/27/news/andrew-watson-why-slavery-is-making-a-comeback-1093089/