God Wants Joyous Service, Not Empty Rituals
Daily Scripture
Isaiah 58:3-8
3 “Why do we fast and you don’t see;
why afflict ourselves and you don’t notice?”
Yet on your fast day you do whatever you want,
and oppress all your workers.
4 You quarrel and brawl, and then you fast;
you hit each other violently with your fists.
You shouldn’t fast as you are doing today
if you want to make your voice heard on high.
5 Is this the kind of fast I choose,
a day of self-affliction,
of bending one’s head like a reed
and of lying down in mourning clothing and ashes?
Is this what you call a fast,
a day acceptable to the LORD?
6 Isn’t this the fast I choose:
releasing wicked restraints, untying the ropes of a yoke,
setting free the mistreated,
and breaking every yoke?
7 Isn’t it sharing your bread with the hungry
and bringing the homeless poor into your house,
covering the naked when you see them,
and not hiding from your own family?
8 Then your light will break out like the dawn,
and you will be healed quickly.
Your own righteousness will walk before you,
and the LORD’s glory will be your rear guard.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Isaiah 58 spoke to Israelites who did many “religious” things, including fasting, but did so from self-serving motives. (Isaiah’s contemporary Micah made the same point in Micah 6:6-8.) Why, they asked, didn’t God honor their feasts and fasts? The prophet said their piety was only skin-deep. They didn’t need showy, external fasts. They needed to “fast” from mistreating other people and start finding their joy and glory in serving those who needed their help.
- Fasting is a helpful spiritual practice, whether from food or some other valued activity. But the Israelites’ fasting only seemed to be on the surface and never reached their hearts. Isaiah 58:3-4 noted sadly that the pious “fasters” kept abusing their workers and fighting each other. How do verses 6 and 7 speak to your heart and your life today? What is one step you can take to make your spiritual practices truly life-changing, as the prophet called Israel to do?
- Jesus’ echoed Isaiah and Micah when he said, “’Go and learn what this means: I want mercy and not sacrifice [from Hosea 6:6]’” (Matthew 9:13)? How have you seen your spiritual practices change your heart and lead you to a life of greater service? How have you found greater joy and satisfaction as your ability to show mercy to others has grown?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank you for opening my eyes and heart to care for and show mercy to your children in need. Use me and whatever good things I have so that through me “your light will shine in the darkness.” Amen.
GPS Insights
Valerie Nagel
Valerie Nagel, who serves as a Connection and Care Pastor at Resurrection Leawood, wrote today's Insights. A Californian by birth, her Master of Divinity degree is from Duke Divinity School. She served in the Rio Texas Conference from 2011 in the Austin area and San Antonio. From congregational care and welcoming guests to leading in worship, Valerie loves the local church's ministry. She juggles ministry with being a mom to Caleb (born 2012) and Jacob (born 2015), friend, avid reader, lover of the outdoors, beginner in CrossFit, and foodie.
“Look at me.” If you’ve spent time around kids, especially preschool aged kids you’ve undoubtedly heard this phrase. “Look at me swing.” “Look at me jump.” “Look at me jump in the pool.” It’s natural for kids to look to adults to affirm that they are, in fact, paying attention. It’s important for kids’ development to have adults encouraging their independence and growth. But it’s not just kids. Who doesn’t want to be seen? Who doesn’t appreciate being recognized for something we do or, more importantly, for who we are? As the youngest child, I secretly loved attention as I was growing up. And since this is a place for telling the truth, occasionally I’ve sought attention for my spiritual life, too.
In high school youth group, as my faith began to grow, I realized that my spirituality could get the attention of others. Giving up all sweets, not just one type of candy for Lent in college? I did it. Working long hours at a Christian youth summer camp for minimum wage? I did it for three summers. Leading Bible Studies, traveling internationally for mission trips, and even tithing on money I earned babysitting? Yes. Yes. And yes. I didn’t do these things primarily for praise, but when I was younger, I certainly liked when adults thought I was a “good” Christian.
This passage from Isaiah doesn’t hold anything back when it comes to calling out hypocrisy. What I’ve learned over the years, as I’ve continued to grow on my faith journey, is that at times I wanted to look like I had impressive faith because I wasn’t sure if I could really serve joyfully. Honestly, there were times I wasn’t sure if I wanted to. Isaiah and Jesus invite us to offer mercy and sacrifice from willing and compassionate hearts. The love God shares with us is meant to be shared with others.
I appreciated when Pastor Adam shared in his sermon that he doesn’t feel like serving others 100% of the time. Sometimes we choose to serve, and joy doesn’t come until later. But I agree with Pastor Adam, I do feel good when I spend time serving. Even before anyone can say “thank you” for anything I’ve done I feel the blessing of connecting with others. I feel the joy of joining with all of you to care for our community. As we celebrate our 35th anniversary I’m awed by all that Resurrection has done to care for our neighbors. For every one of the numbers we’ve heard in Pastor Adam’s sermons–pints of blood donated, pounds of food shared, or books given away–people’s lives have been changed. Statistics remind us of how big our impact has been.
You are doing amazing things! And while there is so much more to come, what I hope we hear when we read this passage from Isaiah, when we hear Pastor Adam preach about serving, and when we remember how Jesus loved others, is that we are invited to experience the greatest joy we could ever know. Our lives are changed when we remember that God sees us and God loves us. God gives us gifts and talents that we get to share with others. And when we share what we have we not only bless others, we get to experience the joy that comes from living like Jesus. I see you, Resurrection, and I’m so proud to serve as one of your pastors as we seek to love God and our neighbors for the next 35 years and beyond.
