What is of more interest to me though is the heart of our God over injustice and His desire that we would spend our strength on making wrong things right. That's a fast that pleases Him. That's a fast that can last for more than 40 days and actually be great and outrageous fun because justice brings joy.
This is a particularly strong concern of mine for all of us who serve in the House of Prayer because, in fact, you are all quite generous and kind; fasting your time, energy and finances with remarkable grace. The impact of combining generous lives with prayer and fasting is earthshaking and I believe that you are earth shakers.
Years ago I drew a picture of Long Island with a flag stuck in the middle. On the flag it said "RAW 58"- "a Radical Army of Worshippers who live out the fast of Isaiah 58 on their knees". Who knew it would come true. That's you. You are a people who will walk this out under the grace and care of Our Loving Father.
Vineyard Central in Ohio started a Lent group on their facebook page as a movement for this season with Isaiah 58 at the clarion call. I think it was meant to say "Hey, wake up. Let's do the stuff."
I'm sending a modfied version for a little different purpose. Not to shame us into action but to encourage us. To say that I see your hearts and lives in these sentences and to say your light is about to break. I see you in action and want to urge you on; to encourage you to love being the radical army of worshippers that you are and to admonish us to please be sure to pass these ideals on to the next generations TODAY! While we still can.
Will you pray with us as a House to see Mercy- Justice increase and flow from our hearts and our lives; transforming our relationships and eventually transforming Long Island.
Father, will you help us to respond to the fast of Isaiah 58 as a course of daily living. Will you help us fulfill Mercy-Justice in every arena of our lives and in the places that we still struggle to do so, will you send perfect love to cast out our fear. We love the things that bring You pleasure Lord and it is our desire, even though we don't always line our lives up with it, to see You and live with You in the place Your Glory dwells . So, in the places where we don't trust in Your care and provision, will You grant us repentance and renew our hearts to run with You. We love You SO!
5 Practices for a Justice-ful Lent
1. Immerse yourself in Isaiah 58. A Long Island paraphrase of that chapter is at the end of this email. Read it. Pray it. Live with it. Live IN it.
2. Personally meet someone's basic needs for a connection to another human being. Perhaps the need is simply a hug and some love, a bag of groceries, shelter, or clothing. There are lots of resources available that will help you reach out. Listen to someone. Hear their story and validate them. The first step for many of us might be just to get to know someone. The needs will soon become apparent. If you need help making that kind of connection or want to voluntee time changing ourenvironment, contact Jamie at King's Corner or Lighthouse Mission or the Family Service League. Go to the local Department of Social Services. It is EVERYWHERE. Kindness is where it's at.
3. Connect with someone - maybe even in your own family- who you feel far from or need to reconcile with. Perhaps there's someone in your family you just need to spend more time with. Do that.
4. if you don't already have one, introduce a Sabbath day into your weekly schedule. Reserve a day a week to only do things that bring you joy and honor God. It's not selfish. It's a good, Godly practice with several millennia of precedence.
5. Worship & Pray.
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A paraphrase of a paraphrase...
Isaiah 58
"Shout! A full-throated shout! Hold nothing back—a trumpet-blast shout!
Tell the family of God on Long Island what's wrong with their own lives,
face your family Long Island with your own sins!
Friends we’re busy, busy, busy at worship gatherings,
and we love studying all about God...
By all appearances we’re a group of right-living people—
law-abiding citizens, God-honoring, even patriotic Americans...
We often ask God, 'What's the right thing to do?'
We love having God on our side, blessing all our plans...
But we also complain,
'God, why do we fast and pray and you don't look our way?
Why do we humble ourselves on this Island and you don't even notice?'
Well, here's why... God says, I’ll give it to you straight:
"The bottom line on fasting and your pious “suffering” on my behalf - for you it is your own gain, what you will profit from it.
You drive your kids and co-workers much too hard. Your schedules are overcooked!
You ‘fast’, but at the same time you bicker and fight.
You fast, but you bash people I love with your unkind and harsh words.
That kind of fasting
won't do jack squat! Your prayers won’t even get off the ground!
Do you really think this is what i want you do?
Is this a season to show off how humble you are by giving up something meaningless and suffering for me by going to church in a poor neighborhood?
Is this about putting on a pious long face
and parading around solemnly?
Do you call that fasting?
Is that the kind of fast that I, God, would like?
"Here’s the kind of fast I'm after:
break the chains of injustice, the invisible yet real chains all around you, start looking you’ll see them...
get rid of exploitation in your workplace, stop taking advantage of others who make less than you do and complaining about those who make more!
free the oppressed right here in your own backyard!
cancel debts... let people who owe you money off the hook... do you really need to get every penny back? Are you really going to keep score with your closest friends and family?
What I'm interested in seeing you do is meeting some basic needs in those around you:
share your food - a real meal!- with someone who is hungry and can’t afford to go to Friday’s to get whatever they want, whenever they want like you can!
Invite the poor into your home... Are you more concerned about a carpet stain or justice? You know its really me in disguise anyway, right?
put clothes on the shivering ill-clad and cold... go through your closest - it’s cluttered anyway and you could use the space! Give those seldom used garments to someone who really needs them and will use them right away... its cold... do it now!
Be available to your own family. Is there a conversation you have been putting off? Is there a sibling or parent you need to forgive? Is there an elderly grandparent crying out for a visit? Don’t wait... start at home. Today. Call. Visit.
Now here’s the good part!!
Do this and the lights will turn on,
Your lives will turn around at once. That area of life where you feel stuck? It will be a distant memory. I’ll take of it for you if you care of the them for me....
Your righteousness will pave your way.
I, the God of infinite glory will make you secure and prosperous in the ways that matter most.
Oh and when you pray, I will answer.
You'll call out for help and I'll say, 'Here I am. Right here. Totally available. What can I do for you?'
Get rid of all unfair practices,
quit blaming suffering victims, I’ll sort them out not you!
quit gossiping about other people's shortcomings, you have enough of your own to deal with!
Be generous with the hungry, lonely, underserved, underclothed,
start giving yourselves to the down-and-out,
Your life will begin to glow in the darkness,
our shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight.
I will always show you where to go.
I'll give you a full life in the emptiest of places—right here in this abandoned and ridiculed Nazareth of Long Island!
You’ll have firm muscles, strong bones Strength to accomplish more than you can now imagine!
Long Island will be like a well-watered garden,
a gurgling spring that never runs dry.
You'll use the old rubble of past lives to build anew, lives up and down the back streets of Long Island!
rebuild the foundations from out of your past.
You'll be known as those who can fix anything,
restore even the old ruins, rebuild and renovate homes all over this forgotten, abandoned place...
Together, with me, we can make this Island livable and thriving.
Keep a Sabbath
and don't use this holy day for personal gain,
Treat the Sabbath as a day of joy,
God's holy day for celebration,
Honor it by refusing 'business as usual,'
making money, running here and there—
Be free to enjoy Me!
Then I'll make you ride high and soar.
You’ll feast on the inheritance of your ancestors"
God himself says so! It’s available to all who want it. These promises are real and available to you today!
Links to IHOP-LI: the Ark House of Prayer On Long Island
Loving Long Island with 24-7-365 worship-filled prayer
http://www.IHOP-LI.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IHOP-LI/
http://www.squidoo.com/IHOP-LI/
http://gworship9.blogspot.com/
http://www.myspace.com/ihoplongisland
http://theburn247.com/longisland/
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7748449673
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