Isaiah 58:6-8 reads "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: share your food with the hungry, invite the homeless poor into your home, put clothes on the shivering ill-clad, be available to your own families. Then. when you pray, God will answer.
God must be pleased when we sacrifice and fast. But, it sounds, reading this excerpt from Isaiah 58, as if God is most pleased by our acts of sacrifice. Stand up with those who have been treated unjustly-don't just talk about it. Help someone to become legal who has lost their right to stay legally in MN. Don't buy goods which are known users of poor youth to manufacture or fruit whose poorly paid workers picked. Work to free those who are illegally held in prison and have had no opportunity to declare themselves. Don't loan money if you can afford it; give it as a gift. We can't out-give God. Give to hunger campaigns; help the homeless find shelter from the heat or cold. Many places welcome used clothing. So how any coats do you need?
Be available. Listen. Listen. Listen, and then move.
God, help us to see the need and not fear the cost. Hear our prayer, O Lord. Amen.
Jo INMN
No comments:
Post a Comment