Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppress go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and to not hide yourself from your own kin?
--Isaiah 58:6-7, New Revised Standard Version
We are on the threshold of Lent, a gateway to the wilderness. Who wants to go there? Who wants a gray and gritty smudge to remind us of our need for repentance, a mark of our individual and collective mortality? Lent is the season to reorient ourselves to God's will and hope for us. All we like sheep have strayed away (Is. 56:6). In Lent we hear Christ's call, to come back to the fold and to fast together.
The fasting to which God summons us in Isaiah 58 reminds me of Jesus' parable in Matthew 25. In the latter, both the righteous and the unrighteous ask, "When did we see you, and . . .?" Lenten fasting requires that we have eyes to really see the prisoners who are oppressed, the hungry, the naked, and our own kindred. Such seeing requires putting aside the lenses through which we typically view the scripture and our world--to see anew, to look upon the trouble around and within us, and to respond with prayerful attentiveness and compassion. When we really see, we may discern God's justice and find the courage to respond.
The United Church of Christ's "March Forth" initiative is an invitation to this kind of fasting on Shrove Tuesday (March 4)--the day before Lent begins this year. Rather than indulge ourselves in fatness, it will be good to begin the fast a day early. It will be important to see those who need our company during the 40 days in the Lenten wilderness: those on death row, workers whose wages are so low that they cannot sustain their life (maybe it is time to consider clergy compensation too), those who already experience the deadly effects of climate change, children who must grow up too fast and fend for themselves far too early, addicts of every kind, those who have no "kinfolks," and those who die before their time.
As I step through the doorway to Lent, I will spend more time in fasting, seeking that which is the true Bread from heaven. I will spend more time in prayer and quiet reflection. I will immerse myself in the holy scriptures. I will try to see more clearly--with my eyes and with my heart--those who really need me to keep this fast with them, that--at the last--all may feast on the joy and glory that God intends for all of us and all creation.
O God, may Lent not be a time for the same old business as usual. Stir my heart toward silence. Help me to fast more deeply and completely. Guide me, by your Spirit, to see those who struggle and suffer, and grant me the courage to engage with them for Jesus' sake. Amen.
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the thongs of the yoke,
to let the oppress go free,
and to break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
and to not hide yourself from your own kin?
--Isaiah 58:6-7, New Revised Standard Version
We are on the threshold of Lent, a gateway to the wilderness. Who wants to go there? Who wants a gray and gritty smudge to remind us of our need for repentance, a mark of our individual and collective mortality? Lent is the season to reorient ourselves to God's will and hope for us. All we like sheep have strayed away (Is. 56:6). In Lent we hear Christ's call, to come back to the fold and to fast together.
The fasting to which God summons us in Isaiah 58 reminds me of Jesus' parable in Matthew 25. In the latter, both the righteous and the unrighteous ask, "When did we see you, and . . .?" Lenten fasting requires that we have eyes to really see the prisoners who are oppressed, the hungry, the naked, and our own kindred. Such seeing requires putting aside the lenses through which we typically view the scripture and our world--to see anew, to look upon the trouble around and within us, and to respond with prayerful attentiveness and compassion. When we really see, we may discern God's justice and find the courage to respond.
The United Church of Christ's "March Forth" initiative is an invitation to this kind of fasting on Shrove Tuesday (March 4)--the day before Lent begins this year. Rather than indulge ourselves in fatness, it will be good to begin the fast a day early. It will be important to see those who need our company during the 40 days in the Lenten wilderness: those on death row, workers whose wages are so low that they cannot sustain their life (maybe it is time to consider clergy compensation too), those who already experience the deadly effects of climate change, children who must grow up too fast and fend for themselves far too early, addicts of every kind, those who have no "kinfolks," and those who die before their time.
As I step through the doorway to Lent, I will spend more time in fasting, seeking that which is the true Bread from heaven. I will spend more time in prayer and quiet reflection. I will immerse myself in the holy scriptures. I will try to see more clearly--with my eyes and with my heart--those who really need me to keep this fast with them, that--at the last--all may feast on the joy and glory that God intends for all of us and all creation.
O God, may Lent not be a time for the same old business as usual. Stir my heart toward silence. Help me to fast more deeply and completely. Guide me, by your Spirit, to see those who struggle and suffer, and grant me the courage to engage with them for Jesus' sake. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment