An All Too Familiar Story

Dear Faith Family,   

 

"Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps 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 him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard."
(Isaiah 58:6-8)


We are officially in the season of Lent. A cycle in the Church calendar where we intentionally consider how we are living in the light of the Kingdom, and if there are any areas where we are still walking in the darkness. 

To aid in the sobriety and mindfulness of this season, many traditions, especially in the Western Church, prescribe regular fasting and/or prolonged abstinence from things necessary to pleasurable to addictive. While there is much good in this seasonal practice, I wonder if it might be more helpful for our souls and neighbors if we fasted more like God called His people to fast in Isaiah's day?

After all, as our final kingdom epiphany and the proverb that followed, prepares us to see, life with God in the light of the Kingdom is about partnering with God, participating with His presence and purpose in others' lives, especially during those moments when they struggle to be and become human. In the vulnerabilities and limitations of making a good life, living a life that is full and forever; that is where God is, where his Kingdom is coming, and where we are expected to be. 

But why? Why is this where God is in the human story? Well, to answer that question, we have to tell another story, The Story of Sin. A story in which your story and mine, all of humanity's story, really, is intertwined. A story that we began telling on Sunday. 

Whether you were able to gather with us or not, I invite you to join me on this week's stretch of the Lenten pilgrimage. Here is how you can do today, and the remainder of the week: 

TODAY

  • Prayerfully and slowly read Isaiah 58:1-12, letting the exhortation of the LORD sink into your heart and mind. 


THURSDAY

In what ways am I trading participation for power?
&

Where have I recognized God's gracious covering of my shame?


FRIDAY

  • Prayerfully and slowly read Matthew 25:14-46, letting the parable & proverb of JESUS sink into your heart and mind. 


SATURDAY

  • Spend ten minutes asking and letting God do what Psalm 139:23-24 encourages: 

"Search me, O God, and know my heart! 
Examine me, and know my disquieted thoughts! 
See if there be any grievous way in my living,
And lead me in the way ancient and everlasting!"


Love you faith family. God bless.