February 24, 2007

Catchy Title

I've been meditating a lot on various verses lately. I'm not sure I've ever been challenged in the ways our interim preacher has challenged us lately but am thoroughly convinced his material, derived mostly from Luke and Isaiah, is primo, high end, old-fashioned good news stuff. Our slogan at Sycamore View is 'Helping People See Jesus,' taken from a play of the name of the road our building is situated interacting with a story from Luke's gospel about a wee little guy name Zacheus. I feel like Isaiah 58 would be a great sub-slogan (although it wouldn't be very easily placed on a T-shirt, PowerPoint, or street sign). I'd love to see it as a purpose statement for churches or individuals. Its in the context of fasting but I think inserting all kinds of service, or church, could give them greater depth of purpose. Here it is:

6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?
8 Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard.
9 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I. "If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk,
10 and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.
12 Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.
13 "If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
14 then you will find your joy in the LORD, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Verily, verily, Amen!

1 Comments:

At 4:49 PM, Blogger Justin P. Lewis said...

I have been greatly challenged, too. Maybe you could take verse 10 out and use it as a slogan. It would be a great personal mission statement.

 

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