Sharing with All

The Christian Community Comes Alive
Seeds of New Growth

Sharing All Things

Isaiah 1:15-20  The Message

^13-17 “Quit your worship charades.
    I can’t stand your trivial religious games:
Monthly conferences, weekly Sabbaths, special meetings—
    meetings, meetings, meetings—I can’t stand one more!
Meetings for this, meetings for that. I hate them!
    You’ve worn me out!
I’m sick of your religion, religion, religion,
    while you go right on sinning.
When you put on your next prayer-performance,
    I’ll be looking the other way.
No matter how long or loud or often you pray,
    I’ll not be listening.
And do you know why? Because you’ve been tearing
    people to pieces, and your hands are bloody.
Go home and wash up.
    Clean up your act.
Sweep your lives clean of your evildoings
    so I don’t have to look at them any longer.
Say no to wrong.
    Learn to do good.
Work for justice.
    Help the down-and-out.
Stand up for the homeless.
    Go to bat for the defenseless.

Let’s Argue This Out

^18-20 “Come. Sit down. Let’s argue this out.”
    This is God’s Message:
“If your sins are blood-red,
    they’ll be snow-white.
If they’re red like crimson,
    they’ll be like wool.
If you’ll willingly obey,
    you’ll feast like kings.
But if you’re willful and stubborn,
    you’ll die like dogs.”
That’s right. God says so. 

For Reflection 

We spend so much of our time in meetings and decision-making that sometimes I wonder if we worship religion rather than God.  What would happen if we spent half of that time doing good?  It's not that the stuff of religion isn't necessary,  it's just that it absorbs so much time and energy, and occasionally stirs up so much wasted emotional behavior.

Perhaps it is time for us to argue this out.  Perhaps we need to step back, wash up and clean up our act.  Perhaps it is time to stop talking and start walking, working for justice helping the down-and-out, standing for the homeless and the defenseless.

Pray

pray that the church will find its legs in the life of Christ.  Pray the church will act insanely Christian.