Fifth Sunday after Epiphany
Last week we heard God’s heartfelt wish for all of us from the prophet Micah, who reminded us what God requires of us: to act justly, love tenderly and to walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8). It’s an extraordinary expectation of each of us and is without any ambiguity. This week Isaiah speaks similar words as he urges his listeners, to hear God say clearly:
Is this not the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke?’ Isaiah 58:6
Isaiah reminds us we need to share our food with the hungry, find shelter for the homeless poor, and ensure people have enough clothes and warmth, and to work together in community to bring the people’s suffering and their struggles, into the light of day. Our actions give others courage, lighten their hearts and open them up so they may encounter God more fully. The glimpses others have of God, are made visible through the way we live, talk and believe in God. Living this way is to act justly, love tenderly and as we share the abundance God has given us, we walk humbly knowing we ourselves have not earned these blessings. They are all God given; we are not entitled.
Jesus is firm in his own explanation. The laws are already present, God has been asking these things for ages, and there are no excuses for not doing them. And when these things are offered, then our light shall rise in the darkness, we shall be fed and watered, rebuilt, reborn and re-energised with the glory of God. As we become salt and light, we are invited to transform the Beatitudes-shaped ethics and values into practical metaphors for costly, love-your-neighbour care which can’t stay hidden, as we see in the US, Iran, Gaza and Greenland. We see the ‘yoke’ and its symbolism interpreted by Isaiah as ‘speaking evil, pointing the finger’, gossiping, bearing false witness, scapegoating, killing people with words and wrong actions. When we cry for help, God will answer. But all these actions should be done in community, as part of God’s family, the body of Christ. It is with God where we will make a much greater and meaningful difference. And as we become visible and tasty, this is not for our gratification, but for God’s overflowing justice and love which makes life bearable and liveable for those who would rather keep the system invisible and silent.
If God is a God of love, then what we see with the US Federal authorities is not Christian. What is extraordinary is the joining together of all the churches, faiths and community groups to protect, support and care for their neighbours, taking huge risks to do so. It is not easy breaking the law, standing between formal authorities and the vulnerable. For when the authorities no longer act justly, God calls us into the breach to bear witness and stand in solidarity with them as salt and light, as they are doing in the USA.
It is the same call for solidarity and witness with the people on the West Bank, Gaza, in Ukraine and South Sudan. It is the same principle undergirding the work being done with Greenland and calling us into justice work with first nations peoples, the homeless and hungry, with women and children killed by family, domestic and intimate partner violence.
This is not about choosing a nationality, or preferencing races or faiths. It is about God’s people suffering, recognising and acting when it can no longer be ignored and we have no excuses left. God reminds us, it is never too late to act, to be generous in God’s name and with the resources God has provided us. As we draw closer to Lent, God is calling us to walk with Jesus to the cross, step by steady step, listening, praying, acting, being and loving. Jesus said we can’t take a short cut into the kingdom, the words of the law and the prophets as they tell of God’s hopes and dreams for us, are as critical today as they were when they were spoken. To diminish them or ignore them is to refuse to see the face of God, of Jesus, in our neighbour, including those who are poor and struggling.
Each person is unique in the eyes of God, bringing something into the world which cannot ever be replicated. They too are God’s Light in the world. To wipe them out, to treat them with contempt is to do this to God. Is this the place where our faith takes us, to choose a side which may not be with God, to take offence at the ‘other’ and then refuse to follow Jesus? This winter, and in the depths of the floods and wildfires happening around the country, the cries of the suffering poor are raised as economic poverty bites severely. The homeless continue to face landlords raising rents, increasing food costs which we soften with food pantries and community meals; insurance is too costly, and those in rentals fear asking for repairs, as the landlord’s answer is to put the rent up once the work is done and seek higher paying tenants.
The increasing horror of family, domestic and intimate partner violence in our homes and in our churches, needs courage and determination to resist passive acceptance, or ignoring inappropriate or sexist, misogynistic comments; and we must be ready to assist people to make the decisions they need to live safely and fully.
As we contemplate the corruption and evil rampant in the corridors of power enabled by Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell with human and sex trafficking and wilful entitlement created by excessive wealth and power always at the expense of others, we can see very clearly the wickedness of doing nothing and looking the other way. This is not God’s way!
The creeping concern about the rule of law and loss of peace around the world starts in our own hearts, minds, hands and words. God calls us to liberate those who are oppressed, to remove and break the yoke of unkindness, contempt, discrimination, hatred and abuse; and to be generous and kind. Can we do this not only for one another but for the stranger and the one who is unlikeable?
Our churches are slowly turning to be both outward facing, more involved in the world where so many injustices prevail, as well as remaining inwardly nurturing all our people with love, pastoral support and belonging. Stretching ourselves to be more than we imagine in the world is surely possible with God. In doing so, we give God room to act, and we can share in God’s Light in the world as we ourselves become light and salt when we are most active in the community, being justice focussed, consistent, courageous, generous and kind.
As we think about where we agree and disagree as the body of Christ, we know we agree on God and God’s love. It’s a good place to start and end, and as we prepare for Lent, let us try to be different, to fast from selfishness, entitlement, pride and instead share with scandalous abundance God’s love, justice, and hope alongside God’s call to action.
The Lord be with you.