аЯрЁБс > ўџ : < ўџџџ 9 џџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџџьЅС 5@ №П Ю' bjbjЯ2Я2 (4 X X Д џџ џџ џџ Д 8 д ш Д П Ж " 2 2 2 2 2 2 > @ @ @ @ @ @ $ u R Ч d м 2 2 м м d 2 2 y к к к м L 2 2 > к м > к к ј ј 2 спхЌ Х ( ј > 0 П ј л 0 л ј Д Д ј ж л Ю p 2 > p , к $ Р 2 2 2 d d Д Д d Ф Д Д Thus says God, who is Love:
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed;
your vindication shall go before you,
and the glory of the God of Love shall be your rear guard.
Then you shall call, and God, who is Love, will answer,
you shall cry for help, and God will say: Here I am!
If you remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted;
then light shall rise for you in the darkness,
and the gloom shall become for you like midday.
I want to re-read this beautiful scripture to you, so you can hear again its poetry. I invite you to let it speak directly to your heart.
I think Isaiahs beautiful passage is a reminder that we can be transformed and healed by the simple act of caring for each other.
Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your wound shall quickly be healed.....
In fact, it is in taking care of each other that we encounter the God who is also known by the name LOVE. And its not because God pats us on the back for being good people ---- but when we do take care of others, and even when we take care of ourselves with tenderness and love, our hearts open to an experience of connecting with a power that is much bigger than ourselves.
Elaine Pagels, in her book Beyond Belief, describes the early Christian community as behaving as if all of humanity were part of the same family.....they contributed money voluntarily to a common fund to support orphans abandoned in the streets and garbage dumps. Christian groups also brought food, medicines and companionship to prisoners forced to work in mines, banished to prison islands, or held in jail.
They also cared for the sick and dying, even those sick with plagues that terrified everyone else. They pursued justice for many different oppressed groups.
Pagels goes on to say that when people asked these Christians why they behaved in this way, they would say that their strength came from their encounter with divine power --- but she goes on to describe how different that divine power was from the gods and goddesses the people of that time were used to. Those powerful divine creatures required sacrifices, devotion, and large contributions of money to the priests at their temples. She says such gods were understood to act, like human beings, out of self interest. But Jews and Christians believed that their God, who created humankind, actually loved the human race, and evoked love in return. Jesus succinctly summarized Jewish teaching when he said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. (Mark 12:29-31) What God requires is that human beings love one another and offer help --- even, or especially, to the neediest.
Of course we know that passage in Matthew for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me. I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me....truly I say to you , as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. These early Christians believed the whole human family was inter-related.
On Wednesday night when a group of folks who have gone to Cuernavaca gathered and considered the Isaiah passage, Carol Hovis reminded us that the prophet who wrote this passage is not just speaking to individuals in this passage. He is speaking to the people of Israel. He is setting forth for them the way to live as people of God --- people of Love.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a big fan of Isaiah, and I think this is why Dr. King was a prophet who called for all people to see each other as brothers and sisters --- who wanted all people to
remove from your midst
oppression, false accusation and malicious speech;
if you bestow your bread on the hungry
and satisfy the afflicted
A few years ago I discovered these words of Dr. Kings about how we are called to be not only people who take care of each other in simple ways, but like the early Christians, people who stand up against oppression in all forms:
"In spite of our tendency to conform, we as Christians have a mandate to be nonconformists. There are some things in our world to which men and women of good will must be maladjusted. I confess that I never intend to become adjusted to the evils of segregation and the crippling effects of discrimination, to the moral degeneracy of religious bigotry and the corroding effects of narrow sectarianism, to economic conditions that deprived people of work and food and to the insanity of militarism, and the self-defeating effects of physical violence. Human solution lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.
I call upon you to be maladjusted as was Jesus of Nazareth who dreamed a dream of God and of all of us as sisters and brothers. God grant that we will be so maladjusted that we will be able to go out and change our world and our civilization. And then we will be able to move from the bleak and desolate midnight of men and women's inhumanity to others. Then we will be able to move to the bright and glittering daybreak of freedom and justice.
Our call is to stand up against oppression with compassionate action and voices of love. The trick for me, and I know for some of you, is that seeing the ways people are oppressed can bring forth anger. I KNOW this is true for me right now, in particular when I think of our Presidents call for a constitutional amendment that will guarantee oppression for those who wish to make a lifelong commitment to a partner who happens to be of the same gender. It makes me furious, in fact. It affects my family directly, of course --- including the fact that some of my hoped-for grandchildren will not be guaranteed the protection that other families have without any effort at all. As I see this strong anger arising in me, it makes me want to do something to stop this amendment. AND I know I cannot even think of what I will do until the anger subsides. The energy of that anger inspires me to want to do everything I can to fight this oppression, and I know that I cannot fight it effectively while I am dwelling in that anger. But I can remember it, and know that I also have the power of great love at my disposal.....and it is the power of that LOVE that Isaiah says will cause the
light to rise in the darkness, and the gloom to become like midday......I can see that if I approach this challenge with the intent to win or knock down the opponent, I wont be effective. If I approach it with love for my brothers and sisters who are being oppressed, Isaiah declares that I will have God at my back...as one of the Wednesday night discussion members said. Meaning, when we use Love as the power to help us overcome oppression, there is an endless supply of that Love available to us. Anger eventually dissipates, and then we are left weak and powerless. Love strengthens us, gives us the energy to go on, to continue to remove oppression from our midst......it is the very act of seeing every human, even the oppressors, as our brothers and sisters, that helps us tap into that power of love. It is, in my book, magical. This needs to be our spiritual practice individually and in our spiritual community. It is not a complicated practice, and it is also not that easy to do. But as we declare our intention to work together as community to take care of our brothers and sisters, we will, as Isaiah says, begin to see that
our light shall break forth like the dawn. Wont you join me? AMEN
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