Move Your Feet

Readings: IS 58:1-9A; MT 9:14-15

Today’s readings focus on religious folks and they offer us a pretty stark reorientation to the faith life.

The reading from Isaiah is a famous one.  The people are kind of complaining, “God how come you don’t hear our prayers?” So God says (and I am paraphrasing), “You have it all wrong!  You think I like your fasting and prayer and almsgiving when it’s divorced from an authentic pursuit of justice?”  God goes on to say, “I will start listening to your prayers when you shelter the homeless, feed the hungry and set prisoners free.  Then I’ll know that you are serious!”

I think a lot about what’s happened in this country over the past few years with #BlackLivesMatter.  A business or organization can “sign on” to declarations, host workshops and even make some superficial hires to make the organization look more diverse.  But without a fundamental power shift, it’s hard to conclude that they’re really serious about doing what must be done.

And, of course, John’s disciples are confused in the gospel.  They say to Jesus, “Wait, what?  You mean you don’t have to fast?  How come? I thought we had to do that?”

All of this gets me thinking about what God requires of us to be “holy” people.

While God seems to “care” what we think and feel (because these have implications), God seems to care more about what we DO. Our actions are a true reflection of our faith. I often think that God resonates with the Shania Twain song title, “That Don’t Impress Me Much!” when God hears our prayers and witnesses our religious rituals because they often do not do much to (collectively) change us and the world. In fact, we have often seen – particularly in the Christian tradition – that our prayers and practices have supported and upheld injustice, exclusion, marginalization and oppression.

God’s desire for us is to have our religious practices – and our Lenten practices – effect change in the world that bends us and the world closer towards justice, compassion, reconciliation, joy, equity, economic redistribution, reparation, etc. If they are not doing that, then we might need to rethink them.

I have heard various versions of the African proverb, “When you pray, move your feet.”  I think the Hebrew scriptures and Jesus would agree.

For today, reflect on how your Lenten practices might help you to bend the world a little closer to God’s dream for it.