What Were You Thinking?

Ash Wednesday
February 6, 2008

The Reverend Paul R. Abernathy, Rector

“Is this the fast I choose?”^[1]

The prophet Isaiah proclaims God’s word, really, God’s question to a confused people.

The Israelites had come through a terrible period of bondage in Babylon. With the fall of the Babylonian Empire at the hands of the Persian armies, the people – their longed for liberation finally come, their hated exile finally over – returned home. But their suffering in poverty and powerlessness continues. The land, in ruins. Basic necessities, lacking. Neighboring nations, poised to strike.

The people literally hungering and athirst for God’s favor, fast – abstaining from food and drink – donning coarse sackcloth, smearing their faces with dust and ashes. All ancient, ritual signs of sorrow. All meant to get God’s attention.

But no relief comes. Because, the prophet says, the fast is an external display of humility, masking hypocritical, unchanged hearts driven by the impulse of selfish self-interest. Even in poverty, some are less poor than others, who seek to maintain whatever privilege they possess, which those who are more poor would wrest from their hands.

God, through the prophet Isaiah, asks, “Is this the fast I choose?” Did you really believe that outward, ritual display without deeds of mercy, without common acts of common assistance to address common need would satisfy God’s hunger for righteousness? Did you really believe that superficial religiosity, artificial piety would reflect God’s kingdom, God’s community of love and justice? What were you thinking?

“Is this the fast I choose?” Clearly, the people have not fulfilled their calling.

However, this prophetic chastisement isn’t merely a negative job evaluation, a poor performance review. For it’s not about doing, but being. Not duty, but identity. The people have failed to understand not what they must do, but who they are.

This isn’t about a nation, even God’s chosen people, who have a mission of love and justice, which they either do or don’t do. This is about a God of love and justice who has a people through whom that mission, literally taking flesh, lives. Again, it’s not about doing, but being. And the people don’t get it!

Deeds of mercy are not done, indeed, can’t be done to gain God’s blessing. Rather, they are the very signs that one already has God’s blessing, verily, is God’s blessing for others.

Not doing, but being. Not duty, but identity. So much so that the prophet declares what is an acceptable fast – deeds of mercy – which, when engaged will not result in salvation, but, rather, reflect that salvation already has come. Deeds of mercy are not done to gain a reward. Rather, they are signs that the spirit of salvation, healing, wholeness is already the heartbeat of the community.

Thus, it would do no violence to the text, indeed, it would be to unearth its truth to change the word “then” to “when.”

Is not this the fast I choose:
To loose the bonds of injustice,
To undo the thongs of the yoke,
To let the oppressed go free,
To break every yoke?
To share bread with the hungry
To bring the homeless poor into the house
To cover the naked
To hide not from our sisters and brothers in need.

And, again, not “then,” not if we do these things, this will be the result, but, rather, “when” we do these things it is a sign that already:

Our light breaks forth like the dawn,
Our healing arises speedily
God answers even before we call…

This is but a biblical way of saying that we already have embraced, indeed, embodied the love and justice that constitute God’s very nature.

So, friends, this Lent, let us not do deeds of self-sacrifice or even self-denial. Rather, let us be acts of mercy, particularly for those who are “other” than we.

Thus when God saith, “Is not this the fast that I choose?” verily, “Are not you the fast that I choose?” we can answer, “Yes!”

[1] Isaiah 58.5a. The Hebrew scripture appointed for the day is Isaiah 58.1-12.