A few weeks later a member


of our congregation had a conver- sation with the staff er of our state representative. “What’s going on in District 16?” the staff er asked. “Our offi ce received a slew of let- ters this week about hunger. Th e representative really took notice!” We did it! Our response to the injustice directed towards some our most vulnerable citizens was noticed, and our worship had the eff ect of making a diff erence. Our worship team was fi lled with joy.


Justice and joy It is certainly a challenge to


lead worship in these tumultuous times. Every week it seems like a new crisis befalls our world and we don’t have enough time to process it before the next one hits. It can be very tempting to want to close the doors and windows of the church and have worship be a time away from the troubles of the outside world. As a congregant once said to me, “I don’t like to come to church when worship makes me feel sad.” Th ere is a time and a place for retreat. However, for me, worship at its best opens our eyes to the hurts and brokenness of the world and calls us to respond in tangible ways. Th ere can only be joy when we are working toward justice for all people. Perhaps justice and joy are


interconnected because they both require a response. When we hear about an injustice in this world we are certainly commanded by our Scriptures to respond in a way that lift s up those who are suff ering. In the same way, when we experience joy we are compelled to tell others about it.


Emotional experiences My primary context of wor-


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ship is with youth in my summer mission trip program L.A.S.T. (Learning and Serving Together). We spend a week serving in inner city Portland or Seattle and each night it is my responsibility to lead the youth in worshipful refl ections


desk completing one of my favorite worship experiences. I am putting stamps on letters that were written by members of the Ashland Youth Collective. In our fi nal worship service during their mission trip last summer, I asked each youth to write themselves a letter that I would mail back to them in three months. I asked them to take all of the emotions they were feeling, all of the responses and commitments they felt called by God to make, and put them down on paper. My hope


5


ways to emphasize food justice and joy in worship: Set up stations ...


1. For writing letters to legislators about hunger issues.


2. For re-portioning 25-pound bags of beans and rice to quart- sized bags, to then be distributed to families in need.


3. For setting hunger-related goals, which then are turned in to be mailed back to the writer after a time as a reminder.


4. Of stories of folks experiencing hunger (food banks publish these); have people pray for the individuals and families in need.


5. With paper and art supplies and invite folks to share their own story of food insecurity through written words or art.


that help them process all that they have experienced that day. It is sometimes hard to honor their in- tense experience with the right tone. Many of the youth are so


excited to be together with their friends, having fun away from home. At the same time they typi- cally encounter folks on the mar- gins with heartbreaking stories, liv- ing in situations that seem hopeless. Th e ups and downs of a week


can be challenging and to each wor- ship time folks bring a wide spec- trum of emotions. Th is of course is true about worshipers everywhere, who bring a wide variety of expe- riences and feelings. Th ere is so much energy as we gather together, feelings stirred up, hearts broken, and my job as a worship designer is to help folks experience God in a way that allows them to focus that energy in the light of their faith and fi nd a way to respond. Th is aft ernoon I sit at my


is that when they receive their letter in the mail, they will have followed through on what they were feeling convicted to do. At the very least, the letter will remind them and inspire them to respond if they had not done so already. Once we move away from worship it is so easy to get wrapped up in our everyday life and lose focus on God’s calling to each of us. Sometimes we need de- vices to help us remember. A song, an image, a ritual or


response, all are ways that our wor- ship can help us connect the joy of our living with the response of jus- tice in our world. In my work I have been able to fi nd ways to extend the worship experience, whether it is preparing folks for worship through images or words in an email or Facebook page days before the worship service, or creating touch- stones that will be a reminder of the experience days or months later. May God help weave our worship into the fabric of our daily lives as we together create justice and joy.


JEFF LOWERY is an Ordained Deacon in The United Methodist Church, serving in Portland, OR,


and is director of the youth mission trip program L.A.S.T. (Learning and Serving Together). Jeff writes songs for youth and worship which can be found at jeffl owerymusic.com.


January-February 2018 • WorshipArts • www.UMFellowship.org


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