Psalm 51:4-6, 10 (MSG)
You’re the One I’ve violated, and you’ve seen
it all, seen the full extent of my evil.
You have all the facts before you;
whatever you decide about me is fair.
I’ve been out of step with you for a long time,
in the wrong since before I was born.
What you’re after is truth from the inside out.
Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life…
God, make a fresh start in me,
shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.
Isaiah 58:1-12 (MSG)
This is the kind of fast day I’m after:
to break the chains of injustice,
get rid of exploitation in the workplace,
free the oppressed,
cancel debts.
What I’m interested in seeing you do is:
sharing your food with the hungry,
inviting the homeless poor into your homes,
putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad,
being available to your own families.
Devotion
I have a laptop connected to an outlet. It is charged and ready for use. But if it sits on my desk there are messages coming in from everywhere assuming I am reading them and ready to respond. There may be a suspected brownout in my neighborhood, a tornado racing toward my home, there may be a friend asking for a ride to the hospital, all gone unnoticed because although I have the power I am doing nothing. I am proud of my laptop sitting unused on my desk. With what have we learned to just be comfortable?
Scripture addresses this issue as does Martin Luther King, Jr in his “Address from the Birmingham Jail.” I am writing this devotional on the day we celebrate his gifts to America’s Civil Rights.
It is not enough to sit in a pew, pray a prayer, and sing a song. In a synagogue Jesus encountered a man with an unclean spirit. The man found a level of comfort in the religious community while being bound to the things he’s loyal to that keep him from God. God requires much more of us. The passages of scripture listed for this day are unbelievably powerful. I urge you to read them. They will be a blessing to you. The writer was absolutely plugged in to the spirit and recognized that God needs more from us. What has been made comfortable, Jesus confronted. Action is needed. Show me how you love me, he seems to be saying.
The Psalmist writes: “I’ve been out of step for a long time. What you are after is truth from the inside out. Enter me,then: conceive a new true life….Shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.” What could be a better way to live into Lent ready for Easter?
Isaiah 58:6-9 “This is the kind of fast day I’m after, says Isaiah: to break the chains of injustice, get rid of exploitation in the work place, free the oppressed, cancel debts. I’m interested in seeing you do: sharing your food with the hungry, inviting the poor into your homes, putting clothes on the shivering ill-clad, being available to your own families.”
Challenge complacency. You are plugged in. Use the power given you to make change. Then we will have a real Easter to celebrate.
Prayer
Dear Lord, help me to walk in your way, to confront those who would sew discord. Help me not to seek comfort in the pew, to be complicit in wrong doing, but rather make me a faithful follower, who refuses to accept injustice, hatred, and violence. May the love you have given me shine forth to light the way. Amen.
Sarah Larson
Feed the Hungry (YouTube Video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoqoB-mX9Xk&list=RDLoqoB-mX9Xk&start_radio=1