“Live like you mean it”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, February 5, 2023
Isaiah 58:1-12 (Forward, p. 7) CEV p. 752
Jesus continually had words of reproof and criticism towards those religious leaders of His day that ‘appeared’ to be religious and faithful to the faith but in reality weren’t—those who spoke the talk but didn’t ‘walk the walk.’
Today’s passage from Isaiah addresses the same ill. This is what he says, “Day after day, you worship him and seem eager to learn his teachings. You act like a nation that wants to do right by obeying his laws. You ask him about justice and say you enjoy worshipping the Lord” (verse 2). But notice the underlined words: it obvious that it is appearance only, words only, but not practice.
Oh, yes, there is practice of a sort, fasting, for instance, and clothing themselves in sackcloth and ashes. But this supposed humility is only a pretence, only a show. They are still self-centred, abusive and likely to ‘fly off the handle’ in anger. Somehow none of the outward show has made any effect on their behaviour.
But what is worse is that for all their ‘supposed’ eagerness in wanting to know God’s will and do it, they have consistently failing to do either. True worship, true religion, true obedience, the prophet says, is to manifest itself by caring for others. He then goes on to give some specific examples of this:
-they are to free those who have been wrongfully arrested and imprisoned;
-they are to free those who have been abused;
-they are to share their food with the hungry;
-they are to open their homes to the poor and the homeless;
-they are to provide the needy with clothes;
-they are ‘be there’ for their relatives;
-they are not to mistreat anyone, falsely accuse them, or say cruel things about them;
-they are to be honest in all their words and dealings.
If they do these things, they will know God’s presence, God’s healing power, God’s guidance and God’s provision. They will be used of God to rebuild cities and homes.
Okay, fine and good, but what does this mean to us, to us in our world today? We have agencies that try to protect and stand up for those caught up in our legal system, and we have numerous agencies, institutions and organizations that assist people with housing, clothing, food and other necessities. So, apart from volunteering occasionally or helping to make sure that the funding is still there, what can any ordinary citizen do? Well, we can still ‘be there’ for each other, yes, and we can be honest in our words and actions, and not mistreat others or say false or cruel things about them. And, come to think of it, our communities are often in need of healing, in need of restoration, especially with the aftermath of the covid 19 pandemic and the tensions and disagreements it evoked, and with the other pressing social and political issues that our communities, nations and world presently face. So, perhaps even these little things, things like not jumping to conclusions, being willing to put aside our own convictions, opinions and experiences for a moment, listening to each other and hearing them out, being kind towards each other, and being more disciplined, considered and temperate thoughts and actions, might make a profound difference.
Forward notes: “Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt…you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to live in” (verse 12).
“Two years ago, my town became everything you don’t want to see on the news. The disagreements turned hostile not only on social media but also in school parking lots. These weren’t unknown politicians and strangers staking out their positions. These were our neighbors. People who had been friends for years were no longer speaking to each other, refusing to buy coffee or attend church services until signs or flags were removed.
“The people of my town were putting trust in their tribes and refusing to listen to the ‘other.’ I read Isaiah 58 to remind myself that what is hurt and broken can be rebuilt and healed. As an act of love for my town, I dropped
my political party and registered as an independent. At first, I felt horrible about the decision. But then, I decided this was a step I could take to try to rebuild our community, to restore our streets, to repair the breach.”
Moving Forward: “How can you be part of the solution to a problem in your community or state? What does it mean to you to be a ‘repairer of the breach?’”