The High Bar
What constitutes a worthy sacrifice for God?
Is such the fast that I choose, a day to humble oneself? Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush, and to lie in sackcloth and ashes? Will you call this a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed 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 not to hide yourself from your own kin? - Isaiah 58:5-7
In today's reading, Isaiah tells us to give some real thought to what we do or what we give up doing in order to honor God.
He says that fasting is nothing compared to doing good works. We can make a sacrifice in God's name, abstaining from food or drink, making the day difficult for us, but what does that do?
It is only when we work to relieve the oppression of others, or feed the hungry or clothe the naked that we are truly sacrificing for God.
Instead of giving up something for Lent this year, why not make room for a homeless person in your home?
That's a big sacrifice, isn't it? Surely God can't expect that of me, can he?
What if he does? Maybe that was the whole reason He chose to come among us in human form, to show us what we could be doing for each other, rather than praying and fasting and putting change in the poor box.
What if the benchmark against which we will all be measured is that big? What if the bar is really that high? How much distance do we need to make up before we die?
Lucky for us, God accepts us as we are. We don't have to do anything to gain His grace, but to really live up to the calling He has for each of us as ministers of faith is much more than just living a good life.
We need to be doing something for others.
The good news is when we do sacrifice for those in need, we feel good about it. It changes us, making us whole. It isn't the hard work it sounds like it should be.
But if we never try, we will never know.
So, this year as we prepare for Lent, we should look to do something that makes a difference for someone who is oppressed, forgotten, lost, hungry, empty.
And if you don't know where to find someone like that, just go to your local soup kitchen and volunteer. You will thank me when you do.
More to come...