58 “Shout with the voice of a trumpet blast.
    Shout aloud! Don’t be timid.
Tell my people Israel of their sins!
²     Yet they act so pious!
They come to the Temple every day
    and seem delighted to learn all about me.
They act like a righteous nation
    that would never abandon the laws of its God.
They ask me to take action on their behalf,
    pretending they want to be near me.
³ ‘We have fasted before you!’ they say.
    ‘Why aren’t you impressed?
We have been very hard on ourselves,
    and you don’t even notice it!’

“I will tell you why!” I respond.
    “It’s because you are fasting to please yourselves.
Even while you fast,
    you keep oppressing your workers.
⁴ What good is fasting
    when you keep on fighting and quarreling?
This kind of fasting
    will never get you anywhere with me.
⁵ You humble yourselves
    by going through the motions of penance,
bowing your heads
    like reeds bending in the wind.
You dress in burlap
    and cover yourselves with ashes.
Is this what you call fasting?
    Do you really think this will please the Lord?

⁶ “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
    lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
    and remove the chains that bind people.
⁷ Share your food with the hungry,
    and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
    and do not hide from relatives who need your help.

⁸ “Then your salvation will come like the dawn,
    and your wounds will quickly heal.
Your godliness will lead you forward,
    and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.
⁹ Then when you call, the Lord will answer.
    ‘Yes, I am here,’ he will quickly reply.

“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
    Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors!
¹⁰ Feed the hungry,
    and help those in trouble.
Then your light will shine out from the darkness,
    and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon.
¹¹ The Lord will guide you continually,
    giving you water when you are dry
    and restoring your strength.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
    like an ever-flowing spring.
¹² Some of you will rebuild the deserted ruins of your cities.
    Then you will be known as a rebuilder of walls
    and a restorer of homes.

¹³ “Keep the Sabbath day holy.
    Don’t pursue your own interests on that day,
but enjoy the Sabbath
    and speak of it with delight as the Lord’s holy day.
Honor the Sabbath in everything you do on that day,
    and don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.
¹⁴ Then the Lord will be your delight.
    I will give you great honor
and satisfy you with the inheritance I promised to your ancestor Jacob.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!”

Isaiah 58

Dear God, this is a challenging word from you. I’d love to point at some people in the American church and say, “Have you read this?!?” But then I can’t help but wonder how much of this is for me too. It’s the Old Testament reading for today’s feast day for St. Theresa of Calcutta. It’s appropriate for her. She loved selflessly and well.

It’s so much more fun to read your “judgment” passages and relate them to someone else and then right your “attaboy” passages and think they are for me. But is my worship of you good? Is it right? Does it lead to enough fruit of me loving and reaching out to others? And some of this stuff is pretty black and white as far as loving and helping others. The part that is interesting is how it talks in verses 9 and 13: “…stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors.” and referring to the Sabbath in verse 13 “…don’t follow your own desires or talk idly.” It reminds me of what Jesus said about it not being what goes into the mouth, but what comes out of it that can defile. (Matthew 15:11)

Father, help me to watch my tongue. A friend is coming over later today. He’s a great guy, and he does not start gossip. But I don’t want to be the start of gossip or negatively talking about others either. So help me to be your representative. Help me to build him up and my wife up through my words. Help me to see need and respond to it however the Holy Spirit is nuding me to respond. Be glorified in my life, oh, Lord!

I pray this in Jesus and with your Holy Spirit,

Amen