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Walking Prophetically: Marching as a Form of Worship

100318_090501_351_immigrationThis Sunday like tens of thousands of Americans I'll be in Washington D.C. in the March for America rally on behalf of undocumented immigrants. On Friday, we had a pre-rally in the Bronx with Congressman Luis Gutierrez and several faith-based and not-for-profit organizations. Groups like the Latino Leadership Circle, the Latino Pastoral Action Center, NY Faith and Justice, and the NY State Interfaith Immigration Coalition have made it clear that comprehensive immigration reform is an issue for people of faith. We are marching to make it clear that we need immigration reform now to a broken system.

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So this Sunday, March 21, the Lamb's Church, the Evangelical congregation which my wife and I have the privilege of pastoring, is taking our worship on the road. At 6:00 a.m. we are getting on a chartered bus to Washington, D.C. for the March for America gathering. I believe that this is a moment to move beyond speaking prophetically to marching prophetically. Many of the faithful at the Lamb's Church believe that marching on behalf of some of the most vulnerable is a form of worship. In the words of Bonhoeffer, "the church is only the church when it exists for the other." So we are going to wake-up early not to go to church but to "be church" at the National Mall with close to 100,000 people.

I spoke to one of my 20-something leaders yesterday and I said to her, "This is our moment for a public witness. When our children and grand-children ask us what we did on behalf of the stranger. We can say, 'We walked, child

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by: Dialectic

03-18-2010 @ 11:29pm

Paul to answer your question eventhough it comes from a literalist only reading of Scripture.

Worship: Romans 12: 1-2 Being not conformed to this world and presenting your bodies as living sacrifice is reasonable worship. Marching can be seen as presenting a living sacrifice to God on behalf of your neighbor whom you should love as yourself.

NC77: Ephesians 4:15 speaks about speaking the truth in love. There are many ways to speak it. A rally like the March Dr. MLK Jr took part in is just one

by: ckgmailOTscholar

03-18-2010 @ 3:59pm

pcnot, maybe it's the other way around. Maybe you have to speak prophetically to be a prophet.

by: pcnot4me

03-18-2010 @ 3:56pm

Wouldn't you have to be a prophet to speak "prophetically"?

by: pcnot4me

03-18-2010 @ 4:19pm

The Biblical requirements for being a prophet are very specific and no offense to Mr. Salguero, but he doesn't meet them. The arrogance of those on here who claim to "speak prophetically" amazes me.

Is there no regard for the Holiness of God? Jewish Rabbi's won't even say his name they are so reverent of him. Yet bloggers on Sojo have the audacity to think that they can speak for him. And claim to be speaking prophetically

by: rubigrand

03-18-2010 @ 5:03pm

It's SOHO not Sojo...

by: BlueDeacon

03-18-2010 @ 5:00pm

No -- given the situation, anyone can be a prophet.

by: Dialectic

03-18-2010 @ 5:14pm

PC:

Rev. Salguero nowhere claims to be a prophet in his post. What he says is that sometimes we are called to speak prophetically.

FYI: Many in the Scriptures spoke prophetically without being prophets, Deborah the judge, Miriam the sister of Moses, Saul, the list goes on... Please make a distinction between prophetic speech and being a prophet both Scripture and Rev. Salguero have done that.

by: Ngchen

03-18-2010 @ 6:18pm

Depends on how one defines "prophet."

by: NC77

03-18-2010 @ 10:27pm

How do you reconcile that with Ephesians 4:7-16?

by: paulcquillman

03-18-2010 @ 9:55pm

Just curious, could someone give me the chapter and verse in Scripture that says that marching is a Biblical form of worship? I seem to have missed it.

by: Dialectic

03-18-2010 @ 11:29pm

Paul to answer your question eventhough it comes from a literalist only reading of Scripture.

Worship: Romans 12: 1-2 Being not conformed to this world and presenting your bodies as living sacrifice is reasonable worship. Marching can be seen as presenting a living sacrifice to God on behalf of your neighbor whom you should love as yourself.

NC77: Ephesians 4:15 speaks about speaking the truth in love. There are many ways to speak it. A rally like the March Dr. MLK Jr took part in is just one

by: ckgmailOTscholar

03-18-2010 @ 3:59pm

pcnot, maybe it's the other way around. Maybe you have to speak prophetically to be a prophet.

by: pcnot4me

03-18-2010 @ 3:56pm

Wouldn't you have to be a prophet to speak "prophetically"?

by: pcnot4me

03-18-2010 @ 4:19pm

The Biblical requirements for being a prophet are very specific and no offense to Mr. Salguero, but he doesn't meet them. The arrogance of those on here who claim to "speak prophetically" amazes me.

Is there no regard for the Holiness of God? Jewish Rabbi's won't even say his name they are so reverent of him. Yet bloggers on Sojo have the audacity to think that they can speak for him. And claim to be speaking prophetically

by: rubigrand

03-18-2010 @ 5:03pm

It's SOHO not Sojo...

by: BlueDeacon

03-18-2010 @ 5:00pm

No -- given the situation, anyone can be a prophet.

by: Dialectic

03-18-2010 @ 5:14pm

PC:

Rev. Salguero nowhere claims to be a prophet in his post. What he says is that sometimes we are called to speak prophetically.

FYI: Many in the Scriptures spoke prophetically without being prophets, Deborah the judge, Miriam the sister of Moses, Saul, the list goes on... Please make a distinction between prophetic speech and being a prophet both Scripture and Rev. Salguero have done that.

by: Richard

03-18-2010 @ 6:11pm

Richard...

This is probably my favorite post on your site. nice....

by: Ngchen

03-18-2010 @ 6:18pm

Depends on how one defines "prophet."

by: NC77

03-18-2010 @ 10:27pm

How do you reconcile that with Ephesians 4:7-16?

by: paulcquillman

03-18-2010 @ 9:55pm

Just curious, could someone give me the chapter and verse in Scripture that says that marching is a Biblical form of worship? I seem to have missed it.

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by: ckgmailOTscholar

03-18-2010 @ 3:59pm

pcnot, maybe it's the other way around. Maybe you have to speak prophetically to be a prophet.

by: NC77

03-18-2010 @ 10:27pm

How do you reconcile that with Ephesians 4:7-16?

by: NC77

03-18-2010 @ 10:27pm

How do you reconcile that with Ephesians 4:7-16?

by: pcnot4me

03-18-2010 @ 3:56pm

Wouldn't you have to be a prophet to speak "prophetically"?

by: pcnot4me

03-18-2010 @ 3:56pm

Wouldn't you have to be a prophet to speak "prophetically"?

by: ckgmailOTscholar

03-18-2010 @ 3:59pm

pcnot, maybe it's the other way around. Maybe you have to speak prophetically to be a prophet.

by: pcnot4me

03-18-2010 @ 4:19pm

The Biblical requirements for being a prophet are very specific and no offense to Mr. Salguero, but he doesn't meet them. The arrogance of those on here who claim to "speak prophetically" amazes me.

Is there no regard for the Holiness of God? Jewish Rabbi's won't even say his name they are so reverent of him. Yet bloggers on Sojo have the audacity to think that they can speak for him. And claim to be speaking prophetically

by: BlueDeacon

03-18-2010 @ 5:00pm

No -- given the situation, anyone can be a prophet.

by: BlueDeacon

03-18-2010 @ 5:00pm

No -- given the situation, anyone can be a prophet.

by: rubigrand

03-18-2010 @ 5:03pm

It's SOHO not Sojo...

by: Dialectic

03-18-2010 @ 5:14pm

PC:

Rev. Salguero nowhere claims to be a prophet in his post. What he says is that sometimes we are called to speak prophetically.

FYI: Many in the Scriptures spoke prophetically without being prophets, Deborah the judge, Miriam the sister of Moses, Saul, the list goes on... Please make a distinction between prophetic speech and being a prophet both Scripture and Rev. Salguero have done that.

by: Richard

03-18-2010 @ 6:11pm

Richard...

This is probably my favorite post on your site. nice....

by: Ngchen

03-18-2010 @ 6:18pm

Depends on how one defines "prophet."

by: paulcquillman

03-18-2010 @ 9:55pm

Just curious, could someone give me the chapter and verse in Scripture that says that marching is a Biblical form of worship? I seem to have missed it.

by: pcnot4me

03-18-2010 @ 4:19pm

The Biblical requirements for being a prophet are very specific and no offense to Mr. Salguero, but he doesn't meet them. The arrogance of those on here who claim to "speak prophetically" amazes me.

Is there no regard for the Holiness of God? Jewish Rabbi's won't even say his name they are so reverent of him. Yet bloggers on Sojo have the audacity to think that they can speak for him. And claim to be speaking prophetically

by: rubigrand

03-18-2010 @ 5:03pm

It's SOHO not Sojo...

by: Dialectic

03-18-2010 @ 5:14pm

PC:

Rev. Salguero nowhere claims to be a prophet in his post. What he says is that sometimes we are called to speak prophetically.

FYI: Many in the Scriptures spoke prophetically without being prophets, Deborah the judge, Miriam the sister of Moses, Saul, the list goes on... Please make a distinction between prophetic speech and being a prophet both Scripture and Rev. Salguero have done that.

by: Ngchen

03-18-2010 @ 6:18pm

Depends on how one defines "prophet."

by: paulcquillman

03-18-2010 @ 9:55pm

Just curious, could someone give me the chapter and verse in Scripture that says that marching is a Biblical form of worship? I seem to have missed it.

by: Dialectic

03-18-2010 @ 11:29pm

Paul to answer your question eventhough it comes from a literalist only reading of Scripture.

Worship: Romans 12: 1-2 Being not conformed to this world and presenting your bodies as living sacrifice is reasonable worship. Marching can be seen as presenting a living sacrifice to God on behalf of your neighbor whom you should love as yourself.

NC77: Ephesians 4:15 speaks about speaking the truth in love. There are many ways to speak it. A rally like the March Dr. MLK Jr took part in is just one

by: Dialectic

03-18-2010 @ 11:29pm

Paul to answer your question eventhough it comes from a literalist only reading of Scripture.

Worship: Romans 12: 1-2 Being not conformed to this world and presenting your bodies as living sacrifice is reasonable worship. Marching can be seen as presenting a living sacrifice to God on behalf of your neighbor whom you should love as yourself.

NC77: Ephesians 4:15 speaks about speaking the truth in love. There are many ways to speak it. A rally like the March Dr. MLK Jr took part in is just one