Epiphany Week 5

Psalm: Psalm 112:1-9, 10
Old Testament: Isaiah 58:1-9a, 9b-12
Gospel: Matthew 5:13-20
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 2:1-12, 13-16

Today is Super Bowl Sunday! I'm not sure how that relates to the life of the church or the Lectionary, but no doubt churches all over the country will try to make some connection. Indeed my home church today is having a "Jersey Sunday" in an effort to connect to the sports crowd and is having a sermon themed on sports. With all that is happening in the world, all the scripture we can expound on, and the depth of theology to explore (coupled with the theological illiteracy of the average Christian), it seems a waist to spend a Sunday on something so shallow. But we have to remember that we live in a era when church is cancelled because the Christian holiday of Christmas falls on a Sunday!

I am taking a class on John Wesley this semester and we are reading sermons where the topics are things like God's omnipresence, the witness of the Spirit, Original Sin, the means of grace, etc. These are deep theological concepts that Wesley was exploring. I don't know how much his audience actually understood what he was saying, but he wasn't afraid to go deep and discuss things that actually mattered.

Turning towards our scripture this week, I want to look at the reading from Isaiah. Our passage starts with a lament for the state of Israel. Not only is it a lament, but it is a call to the people to join in that lament. In fact, as the psalm progresses it will be clear that joining in lament is Israel's only hope. However, rather that lamenting the state of Israel and repenting, the people are calling out to God asking for his favor, as if everything is alright. They wonder why their fasting isn't eliciting any response from God.

Well, now God responds through the words of Isaiah. First, the people are only offering a false fast. They may cease from working, but they "drive hard all [their] workers." (vs. 3) The fasting is only to serve themselves and get what they want from God. They aren't humbling themselves, falling on their faces, and seeking what the Lord would desire of them.

Normally, I don't quote extended passages of Scripture in my posts, because the expectation is a that we have already read it. However, this week, verses 6-12 are at the heart of what God wanted for his people. They essentially tell the whole story of Israel: God's desire for them, their failure to follow through, and thus the exile and punishment, and finally the future hope and restoration God promises. God says:

“Is this not the fast which I choose,
To loosen the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the bands of the yoke,
And to let the oppressed go free
And break every yoke?
⁷ “Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry
And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him;
And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
⁸ “Then your light will break out like the dawn,
And your recovery will speedily spring forth;
And your righteousness will go before you;
The glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.
⁹ “Then you will call, and the Lord will answer;
You will cry, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you remove the yoke from your midst,
The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness,
¹⁰ And if you give yourself to the hungry
And satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
Then your light will rise in darkness
And your gloom will become like midday.
¹¹ “And the Lord will continually guide you,
And satisfy your desire in scorched places,
And give strength to your bones;
And you will be like a watered garden,
And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail.
¹² “Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins;
You will raise up the age-old foundations;
And you will be called the repairer of the breach,
The restorer of the streets in which to dwell.

God brings it back to relationships between people. Love of God and covenant-faithfulness to him requires and is shown in how we treat our fellow humanity. This is a profound message and one which Israel failed to grasp and one which we also struggle with. Our challenge is to learn from Israel's mistakes and to not repeat them. And hopefully, through the Spirit's help, our "light will break out like the dawn" (vs. 8) and we will be a witness to God's redeeming love. May we earnestly desire this.

Grace and Peace.