Inspired by Isaiah
1:1-4, 16-20
“Wash yourselves; make
yourselves clean; remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes; cease to
do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the
orphan, plead for the widow.” Isaiah 1:16-17
What does faithful living look like? According to many adherents of Christianity,
faithful living means abiding by a strict morality code. Such adherents put their faith in acting or
dressing modestly, avoiding ‘worldly’ pleasures such as movies or literature
that are not explicitly Christian, and preaching against the dangers of
sexually immoral lifestyles.
Living according to a strict morality code can help to keep
one focused on God, but is not itself what makes a good Christian.
The word of the Lord that came to Isaiah was for the people
of Israel
whom God called a sinful nation, utterly estranged from God. His instruction for them was to cease to do
evil, learn to do good, and then that ‘good’ was defined: seek justice, rescue
the oppressed, defend the orphan, plead for the widow. The evil that the Israelites were doing that
was so offensive to God had nothing to do with sex or leisure activities; the
evil that God wanted the Israelites to turn from involved practicing injustice,
oppression, and disregard or exploitation of the poor and marginalized.
What does faithful living look like? It looks like someone working to see that
justice is served regardless of the power or social status of the parties
involved. It looks like someone giving
up some of their own comforts and even rights in order to protest the forced
labor of those who have no choice other than to provide goods or services at a
price lower than their work is worth. It
looks like someone lending their voice to the plight of those who have no voice
of their own, whose interests and wellbeing are beneath the concern of those in
power. Those are the behaviors that God
considers moral, and practicing them is how we can answer God’s call to live
faithfully.
Let us pray. God of
justice, you sent your Son to rescue the oppressed and help the
disenfranchised. Save us from our evil
ways, that we may reflect his grace in our lives and do the same. Through Christ our Lord, Amen.
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