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Six hundred years before he was born, Jesus’ ancestors found themselves taken away from their homeland. Families were separated, Homes and cities were destroyed, And the Israelite people were in exile – strangers in a strange country, captives in the Babylonian empire. In the midst of their exile, God called a prophet, A man named Isaiah to speak God’s word – A word of challenge and comfort, A word of honesty and hope. Isaiah was a man who knew and loved God, And who sought to share God’s dreams and God’s passions in the midst of their struggle and strife. Today’s Scripture is from the book of Isaiah, The 55th chapter, Where Isaiah shares a word of invitation and promise. READ Isaiah 55:1-9 Every week after church, Our family would stop at the bakery to pick up a loaf of Italian bread, and head over to Grandma Rose’s for Sunday dinner. She had spent the better part of the previous day making spaghetti sauce and homemade macaroni. She’d mix the meatballs and drop the spareribs into the big saucepan, And let the tomatoes and meat simmer all afternoon. Sometimes she would mix eggs and flour together for the homemade cavatelli or gnocchi; Other times, she would blend the ricotta and parmesan to stuff in the ravioli. Grandma Rose always had a special touch – fresh basil, a pinch of sugar, love – that made everything taste absolutely delicious. On Sunday afternoons, my siblings and I would bide our time outside or watching TV – (only three channels, in those days!) Oh, the meal often the same each week, but we would always look forward to it. The smells would stir the hunger in our stomachs until we heard those words of great joy, “C’mon, It’s time to eat!” “Mangia, mi familia!” Grandma’s words were an invitation, to be sure, But they were also good news – Good news that we were cared for and loved, Good news that a feast was laid in front of us. Good news that our hunger would soon be satisfied. No wonder that we couldn’t wait to get to the table! “Come and eat!” “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price!” “Come and drink!” “Delight in rich food!” This is God’s invitation, This is God’s good news! God’s good news to Jesus’ ancestors as they walked in a time of struggle and strife, a time of desolation and death. Even in the midst of exile, God was preparing a feast for them, Just as God prepared a meal of manna as they walked through the wilderness. In the time of exile, the people were hungry for a message of hope, And God’s prophet filled their hearts with the good news. Isaiah’s offer of good news is almost beyond our imagining. Is it true that God gives without cost, That we are promised an abundant feast for free? Can it really be that water will be given to quench those who thirst, And food will be given to all who hunger? Daniel Debevoise provides a powerful metaphor: “It’s like a grocery store where everything is free. In this supermarket, All the people who stand by the side of road with little cardboard signs that say, “Will work for food,” are pushing carts full of groceries through the checkout lines, paying only with a smile and a wave.” Debevoise’s metaphor reminds us that in the kingdom of God, there IS such a thing as a free lunch, and those who most appreciate it are the ones who have less rather than more. God offers nourishment for free, Isaiah says, And then reminds us that we’re too busy spending our money and our time on things don’t really nourish us. We’ve got a diet of junk food, friends, instead of letting God’s amazing grace and abundant love feed us and fill us. We’ve confused our needs and our wants, and our lives are filled and full of many things that don’t’ always satisfy us: running around from activity to activity, trying to figure out how to get ahead; making sure we have the latest technological tool or gadget, and then spending too many hours on them; worrying too much about what others are saying or doing, wishing our lives were different. Sisters and brothers, most of us don’t know what it means to go hungry – Physically or spiritually. Is it possible that our stomachs and minds and hearts are so full that we have no room to hear or receive the word of God and the nourishment that God offers? Some of us here this morning were raised in the Catholic church, and one of the ways you were invited to prepare for communion was to fast. You ate a snack on Saturday evening, but then you went without food until you received communion. Communion was your breakfast – You literally broke your fast by sharing in the bread of life and cup of blessing. You fasted before you feasted at God’s table of plenty, And, depending on what hour you went to worship, You might even arrive at the table with some hunger pains, ready to receive the feast of communion and open to knowing real comfort food: the love, grace, and presence of Christ. Friends, maybe it’s time for us to do a little fasting in our lives so we can feel the hunger that is in our spirits and our souls, And maybe it’s not just food we could give up for a day or two, although that can put us in touch with our spiritual hunger as well as our physical hunger. What might our lives be like if we fasted from our computers or televisions for an hour each day? Or if we fasted from judging others in our family, our school, our church, our world? What if we gave up complaining or or gossiping about others or fighting with our brothers and sisters? Friends, fasting allows us to know hunger not for hunger’s sake but for the sake of hearing anew God’s good news and feasting again on God’s love and faithfulness: You are loved and cared for. I have prepared a feast of blessings for you. Come, come and eat! As if that weren’t enough – A gracious feast – God has more – more for the Israelites and for us! God promises a new covenant, one that includes all people, all nations who will come to glorify God and to feast at the great banquet God prepares. This is the covenant that Jesus made real in word and deed and in the cross and in the resurrection. This is banquet that Jesus invites us to share in, the covenant where those who are fed and nourished by God’s grace and love help to nourish others. Earlier this week, the Board for Missions and the Board for Christian Education voted to join in a covenant, Covenant to Care. One of our newest members, Meghan Kelly, has agreed to be a liaison to the program, and she’ll share with us now about the program. Friends, As we continue on the Lenten journey, Let us hear God’s invitation to the table of blessing and to the banquet of life: Come, come and eat! Amen. |