Quite a few years back there was the phrase WWJD which stood for what would Jesus do? People were caught up in asking this question and they thought they could apply it to life. Unfortunately we all fall short of doing this every time and it misses another point. What would God say?
Asking this today in light of our Isaiah passage is important because what Jesus does, and today what he says, is he is fulfilling all of what was said right here in Isaiah. So it is important for us to look at these words.
The people of this time are practicing being righteous. Remember a few weeks ago we talked about being a culture set up of right ways to act and wrong ways to act and we miss the point if that is all we look at. The people in Isaiah's time thought they could talk about looking righteous, but not walk it into their own lives. Just look at the accusations here.
"...you serve your own interests.." and "...you fast only to quarrel and fight..." or "...you oppress your workers..." all these lay up what is a question. Do you think that because you fast and sit in sackcloth and ashes that is really all I require of you? No, it isn't. In order to walk the way, the way Jesus comes to fulfill we have to look at the lines which follow.
The desired fast is this, "...loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free...". Then later it is in sharing bread and opening your home and covering the naked. Then your light will break. A light which cannot be put out and is just the starting point of trying to keep out the darkness.
We cannot form a faith without having action. We have to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. Paul asks us today to put on the mind of Christ. It is a heavy call to action. To walk in amongst all that is happening in our world and stand for those who do not have a voice. It is important to do this walk and to not lose sight of our own light.
I mentioned a song in church about carrying your candle into the darkness. It asks people to seek out those who are in the dark and to bring the light of Christ to them. What that looks like for us is to bravely do this because so many people are now afraid to walk out into the light.
This week I heard of some people afraid to leave their homes because they are afraid of being picked up by ICE. Now it doesn't matter how you feel about this, what does matter is that people are afraid. So afraid they can't pick up necessary needs, so afraid they feel isolated and alone, so afraid they sit in darkness. One of the things we can do is to help by delivering food, being a contact friend, and making sure loneliness doesn't swallow them up. No matter how we feel about the politic of this there is something we can do to show the compassion of Christ in this hurting world.
And this is the point Isaiah shows to us today. No matter the politic you still have to reach out to others with compassion. To show the light God intended us to show in a weary world. This is not a new problem. This is an old problem. And we tend to think we are caught in the midst of two points of view, but as Christians we are not. We are to show the light Christ showed, revealing once again what God intends for one another. Not what we think, but the way God thinks.
So, go and shine your light in the dark of a world which wants us divided. Go and cross the boundaries and do what is asked for. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and find the stranger and orphan and keep them from being lonely. This is the light we need today.
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