Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness.

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but he laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

—Matthew 9:35–38

As the COVID-19 virus — along with the raw pain of continued racial and economic injustice — explodes across the United States, some Christians remain fixated first and foremost on a prompt resumption of their own weekly worship services. Before giving heed to anything else, they want to get back to attending Sunday services in person, no matter the dangers to themselves or others.

On one level, the desire is understandable. Worship can be meaningful. Worship can be enjoyable.

But perhaps with his mind on the prophet Amos, Jesus seems to have never called on his followers to be worshipers.

The Gospels, however, do show us a Jesus who had great compassion for those who were afflicted with stubborn illnesses. It’s a Jesus who had a deep concern for those who were being battered by injustices of so many kinds. According to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, he understood the struggles of those whose strutting “shepherd” thought only of himself and his own glory.

And because of all this, say the Gospels, Jesus called on his followers to serve as “laborers” for justice, as “laborers” for mercy, as “laborers” for healing. We’re called not so much to worship as to work.

Here at Shiloh Old Site, we’ve not blissfully endangered ourselves or others through a mad rush to resume Sunday services. As a congregation, we understand our divine calling. We are committed to reflecting Christ’s priorities, Christ’s example. We aren’t yet ready to worship in the usual way. But we are ready to work.

In the midst of social and political upheaval, while violence and injustice continue to knock down those who have been knocked down too long, and while a virus of hopelessness and selfishness is raging like a fire through our hurting land , we know that there is no more important task than to fulfill our calling, our divine calling.

I hate, I despise your festivals, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.

Take away from me the noise of your songs; I will not listen to the melody of your harps.

But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream.

—Amos 5:21,23–24

There are those in this nation who like to shout. There are those who insist solely on getting their own way. With arrogance, they sometimes sneer, “Don’t tread on me.”

But the prophet Amos understood that the Holy One takes no delight in our songs and music and festive assemblies unless we are first reaching out with God’s liberating love to all those who have been trod upon, whether by illness or injustice or by any of those many other “demons” that seek to enslave us.

For now, Shiloh Old Site is not meeting in person. We don’t hear our choirs singing. We don’t feel the melody of hearts moving together in response to our pastor’s message. But we’re sustained. We’re sustained by the music of justice rolling down like waters. We’re sustained by that bountiful “harvest” that Jesus himself foresaw. And we’re sustained by the divine “labor” to which we all are called.

Though we aren’t meeting together in person right now, we still inwardly lift our voices. And from every voice in every heart, we still hear the word of praise.

Alleluia.

Thanks be to God, for no matter what is happening around us, we can all be laborers in the field of God’s healing mercy, workers in the field of God’s liberating grace, empowered agents in the field of God’s transforming love.