February 5, 2023 Text: Isaiah 58:3-9a
Dear Friends in Christ,
A big thing for people is that they want “their voices heard.” They want people in authority to give credence to their ideas and suggestions. An employee would like it from their employer. A child would like it from their parent. A player would like it from their coach. A citizen would like it from their government. The subordinate would like the authority to hear them and not just pay lip service to their thoughts.
In the church how do we get our voices heard? Through worship, and prayer, and praise. Through these means we bring our cares and concerns to our Heavenly Father. He doesn’t just give us “lip service” but He genuinely cares about what we have to say.
In our text for today Israel wanted to be heard but they went about it all wrong. They think that their fasting will be a means of motivating God to answer their prayers and petitions. The Lord wants more than that. He doesn’t just want us . . .
“PAYING LIP SERVICE”
The people of God in our text make a great pretense of loving the Lord. They think that their fasting ought to earn them something. The Lord should really hear their voices now because they are following His commands. They have been deceived into thinking they are a righteous nation and an obedient people who can expect God’s deliverance and blessings.
God only required one day of fasting and that was the Day of Atonement. The people thought if “one day is good, why not make it all the time. God will really love us then, right?” What was to be an occasion for self-denial became an opportunity for self-advancement at the expense of others. Their fasting only led to “quarrel and fight.” The fasting put them in an ugly mood. Their fasting was not a day acceptable to the Lord. The Lord calls for acts of righteousness and justice, and all the people are giving Him is lip service.
Do we ever pay the Lord lip service? Do we have an attitude that infiltrates our relationship with the Lord? Maybe we are especially gracious or kind or loving or we sacrifice for others and then we start to think that God owes us. Shouldn’t we earn a little extra credit with the Lord for being such a shining light to those around us? We can’t just pay lip service. Religious observances cannot substitute for moral integrity. A day acceptable to the Lord is not filled with empty worship, but a day of self-denial.
Such a self-denial was first accomplished by our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. He went to the cross without revenge but with obedience to the will of the Father. He offered up to our Heavenly Father an acceptable day. Jesus didn’t pay lip service to our sinful plight as humans. He did what He said He was going to do. Pay for our sins. Forgive our lip service. The day of His crucifixion He became our righteousness. Self-reliance gives way to faith and trust in His sacrifice. Our Lord’s victory overcomes our self-righteousness. We humbly accept this gift and claim the new life He offers through His death on the cross and His resurrection.
Because of all that He has done for us, we don’t just pay Him lip service. We give Him a life of service. The prophet Isaiah shows us the shallowness of the people. They thought they could draw near to the Lord through their own righteous worship. What the Lord wanted was for the bonds of wickedness to be loosened, the oppressed to go free, to share bread with the hungry, bring the homeless into a home and to cover the naked. Through these acts of self-denial Isaiah writes, “Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’” (vs. 8-9a)
A day acceptable to the Lord, a life where we don’t just pay Him lip service, is when we embody the servanthood of Christ and look first to the needs of others. We share the bounty of our blessings with those who struggle along life’s journey.
Look at our Gospel lesson in Matthew this day. We “are the salt of the earth.” We “are the light of the world.” Light comes from doing the work of the Lord. It keeps us out of the darkness. “Others…may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”
That always has to be our motivation. We don’t shine so that the world will give us glory. We don’t share for a pat on the back. We don’t self-deny so we can take in all the accolades. We do it as a fruit of our faith. The Holy Spirit uses us to further the work of the Lord’s Kingdom. By not just paying lip service our sacrificial service advances the cause of Christianity. The good works of the Christian is still the go to play in the world’s playbook. Where would we be if the Lord didn’t allow us to make a difference?
Jesus didn’t pay lip service. He paid life service. His sacrifice became our ours. His grace and blessing allows us to be salt and light. Here “I am” because of the great “I am.”
Amen.