From the Pastor |
Isaiah 58: 1-12
Ash Wednesday… marks the beginning of our Lenten season. The name comes from the ancient practice of using ashes as a mark of sorrow and repentance. The Old Testament tells us how people would ‘tear their clothes and put ashes on their heads’ as a way to show that there was some sort of great sorrow in their lives, and as a symbol of repentance for their sins. So the Service of Ashes is a perfect way to kick off Lent. Lent is a time of repentance… a time for us to reexamine our lives and to refocus our hearts and our minds on Christ using spiritual disciplines such as prayer and fasting. In fact… Fasting is one of the traditional acts of repentance during Lent… not only fasting from food, but fasting from something or some behavior that might be distracting us from our God. Fasting is the reason people like to give something up for Lent. So, what are you giving up for Lent? What will you be fasting from… Chocolate? Alcohol? Social media? …Spicy Romance novels? …Lima Beans? As you think about that… consider the fact that there is so much more to fasting than you might think. The prophet Isaiah tells us that… like us… the people of Israel misunderstood what it was that God required of them. They believed that as long as they fasted and prayed and offered appropriate sacrifices… as long as they maintained their religious rituals… then all was good. They were religious… devout and pious, and they cannot understand why it seemed that God had taken no notice of all they are doing. They cried out: “Why have we fasted… and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed? ” However, Isaiah points out that all they have done is not enough… their actions are not at all pleasing to God. “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” While they appear to be following the rituals… they… in truth… have failed. They follow the rituals, but still do whatever they please… they argue and fight and exploit their workers… They fail to do justice and do not care for the needy. Isaiah’s point is very clear – religious rituals aren’t what God is looking for. If fasting simply consists in going through all the religious motions… the saying the prayers, putting on the sackcloth and ashes, offering the sacrifices and so on… but does not really affect the way others are treated… then that fasting isn’t what God is interested in. God expects a different kind of fasting… a fasting from injustice, from selfishness, from neglect of the poor and needy. “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? … “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” Isaiah lets the people of Israel know that they cannot continue think they are pleasing God without caring for the poor and working to ensure justice for all. This is an important message for us today as well. These days… we too cry out to the Lord. We cry out for the ability to hear God’s voice… for God’s judgement to fall upon those who have wronged us… we desire for God’s peace and justice to reign… We seek the Lord’s presence and righteousness. We do what we think is necessary… We attend church… we take communion… we pray and fast and sing… And like the people of Israel we often wonder why it seems like God is not listening... But Isaiah warns us that our religious observances and rituals are not enough… our piety is worthless when our actions are accompanied by injustice, and oppression. God wants us to redefine what a fast is. A fast is not simply a time to humble oneself… or to take time out to pray. It is not solely a time to focus on our personal faith that is removed from the concerns of our world. God isn’t only interested with our daily prayers, our spiritual disciplines, our religious rituals or our elaborate worship services. God is passionately committed to justice and peace… to caring for the least… the last and the lost… and God requires that we… God’s people… be passionate about the same things. True, righteous fasting is meant to bring us closer to God as we work to “loose the chains of injustice… and set the oppressed free.” Fasting should open our eyes to truly see and recognize… Who is hungry and in need? Who is the “poor wanderer” in our midst? Who does not have the power to bring about justice for themselves? You see… God cares less about our rituals… and more about our personal response to the suffering that surrounds us. God cares about whether or not we share our food with the hungry… if we offer the ‘poor wanderer’ shelter… if we see the naked, to clothe them, and fight against injustice and oppression. This might include giving generously to organizations that offer help such as: the church, UMCOR or Family of Woodstock. It might mean offering our time or our talents to help a neighbor, or to volunteer with one of the many organizations that serve those in need. It might even mean becoming active politically as well. Loosing the bond of injustice is not something any one of us can do on our own… these are changes that need to be made in society… and we need to work together in order to fight injustice. So does that mean that we should not bother to give up chocolate for Lent? No… Not at all. Personal disciplines are important. If there is something in your life that has a special hold over you… if it is something you might be hard pressed to do without… something or some behavior that might be distracting you from our God… then definitely fast from that thing. This form of fasting can help us. It can help us to turn away from whatever has distracted us and to help us to turn back to God. We can deprive ourselves of some small pleasure or indulgence and offer that sacrifice up to God. Or we might give up a bad habit such as smoking as a way of making a positive change in our lives. The point is… we can’t stop there! God isn’t only interested in our personal spiritual health… God does not want is to settle into a reserved personalized faith… God wants us to work to bring change to this world. That change cannot happen if Christians only strive to turn away from some personal sin… Change will only come when we actively fast from injustice, oppression, selfishness and greed… and instead work to expand God’s kingdom of love, justice and peace. Isaiah reveals that the very presence of god can be found with the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed. Restoration… whether personal or national, must be sought through the seeking of justice and in caring for the oppressed and the afflicted in our midst. As you move through this Lenten Season… think about the problems of injustice and oppression in our communities and our society, and then consider… is your life is a part of the problem… or a part of the solution? Noting that apathy IS part of the problem. Then… let us consider what we can do to help bring lasting change, so that the bonds of injustice are loosed… the poor, the hungry, and the homeless get the help they need. Let us fast, not with ashes but with actions… in sharing and caring. For this, Isaiah says, is the fast that God would choose for us. Amen.
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Yeon Shin
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