Isaiah 58:7
to share your bread…
Reflection by The Rt. Rev. W. Michie Klusmeyer
Previously, in the Chapter of Isaiah, the prophet recognizes what the ‘faithful’ are doing, and he calls them on it.
During their day of fasting, they are fighting and quarreling. They make others work harder, and they beat people. They are not taking the act of fasting as a ‘self-improving’ action, rather they make themselves feel miserable, and take it out on others. The act of fasting could be viewed as a holy act, when in fact it was something done for ‘show’ and glorification. What good is it, when we do it only to impress others?
At this verse of Isaiah, the Prophet is asking them to look at the act of fasting in a different way. This beautiful reading calls the people to fast by outward acts of justice and mercy, rather than in ritualistic fashion. The passage reminds us of the kind of life the covenant to which God calls us. We act out of our commitment to God in a life leading toward justice, liberation and love for every person. We share our food with the hungry!
Too often, we see Lent as a time of self-denial, penitential actions, all looking inward into our souls and into our own personal relationship with God.
Instead, the Prophet tells us to shift our attention away from ourselves, and to reach our hands out to help those around us. It calls us into a time of faith that joins God’s struggle against evil, falsehood and hunger. Share your food!
We have come to know God as One who has wholly emptied Themselves of all, so that we might receive all that God has to offer. In so doing. God held nothing back. Continue Reading.
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The Rt. Rev. W. Michie Klusmeyer is the seventh bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of West Virginia. Bishop Klusmeyer also serves as chair of the Bexley Hall Seabury Western Theological Seminary Federation’s board of directors. He is a member of the boards of trustees of Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria and The General Theological Seminary in New York City. Prior to becoming bishop of West Virginia, he was a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago.
Connecting Neighbors:
The EMM initiative, Connecting Neighbors, was born out of our affiliate partners’ need to supply clients with adequate technology to continue receiving services, pursuing education, and communicating with staff. Connecting Neighbors allows individuals and congregations to fill the gap and directly support refugee families resettled by EMM. Learn more.
