An open invitation to abundance

An Open Invitation to Abundance Isaiah 55 Psalm 63 The Third Sunday of Lent Year C Rebekah was one of the prophet’s Isaiah’s best friends. She visited him every day. Isaiah was an old man, Rebekah was a child, but they still has lots to talk about to one another. One day Rebekah was on the beach playing with her friends. They were building houses in the sand. And along came Asher, another boy their age. He wanted to show them all the toy that he had just gotten from his dad. But it seemed everyone was too busy building houses. So Asher took his sword and started swinging it near everyone. They asked him to stop, but he just kept going. He knocked down all of the houses, and even started swinging at people. The more you asked him to stop – the more deteremined he was to be aggravating. Rebekah had to put her arm up to protect her face – the sword grazed her arm and left a bad scar. She and her friends got up and left Asher there swinging his sword. The next morning Rebekah went to visit Isaiah, she showed him her scar and talked about the event. Why did Asher do that asked Isaiah? He always does things like that. We don’t like to play with asher – because he is always trying to act big and strong. Why does Asher do that? When he plays with us, his house is neve as nice as our houses, so he is always trying to knock ours down. Why does Asher do that? Asked Isaiah again. Why are you asking me the same question over and over again? Because you cant make things better until you answer the hard questions. Then you should be asking Asher why, not me. No Rebekah, I am asking you – why does he do that? I guess he wants us to pay attention to him. He wants us to be his friend, but he is way too mean to play with. Rebekah in the marketplace where I go every morning – there are lots of people like Asher. That want to be noticed, they want people to pay attention to them. So they buy nice clothes, they buy shiny swords so they can feel important – they buy sweets because they think it will satisfy their hunger. But they find that it just doesn’t work. The clothes, the shiny tools, the food doesn’t make their life any better, it doesn’t make someone like them any better realized Rebekah. People feel good while they acquire these things in the market – but as soon as they are gone – life goes back to normal. It is very sad. Why do they do that? Rebekah smiled as she now had a chance to ask Isaiah the hard question. We all need to be needed. We all need other people, we all need to be accepted by other people, we all need to be loved by other people. We all need God. But hitting people and buying nice clothes doesn’t make anyone love you – it doesn even make others like you. And those things certainly don’t impress God. Rebekah and Isaiah were quiet for awhile. Then in a whisper, Rebekah said – I am going to ask Asher to come and play with us. You know I really like asher when he is not showing off. Maybe if I show him love first – then he wont need to act like that – and he will know that I am his friend. Isaiah thought for a minute – I have a song – I am going to sing the song to the people, so they can see that God really does love them, just as they are, they don’t have to buy nice things to come to God and experience God’s love. The don’t need nice things to feel good – they need God’s love. Are you going to put your song in your book to all generations? Asked rebekah. Isaiah smiled and began to sing his song… Ho you who are thirsty, ho you who are thirsty. Here is some nice cold water. You don’t need any money, here is good, rich food. It is a free gift from God. Don’t spend your money buying things that don’t help. The things you buy wont make your friends love you, the things that you buy wont make God love you. God has promised you that God will love you just as you are. There is nothing that you can buy that will make God love you. You cant buy things that will make your friends care Live God’s way! Be kind and good and fair. Love yourself, just the way God made you, then God and friends will love you too. Love yourself, love your friends, love your God. That is the open invitation that God gives to us all. All of us do something in order to gain attention. All of us do things to make people like us. All of us have a deep yearning inside of ourselves. Our society depends on it. Today you don’t have to go to the marketplace to buy the things that you need. All you have to do is turn on the television – and commercial after commercial appeal to our deep inner needs. Food commercials are constantly reminding us that we get hungry. All day Saturday I watch cooking shows on tv – just thinking about all of the wonderful things that I could cook. We sat and watched a cooking show at family share – Julie and Julia – all about what – food. I don’t know about you – but when I see something really good being fixed on television – I am not happy until I am able to fix it myself. Has any of it made a big difference in my life? No – but it satisfies that craving inside of me. But Isaiah is very right about our cravings – they only satisfy us for a short period of time – and then we are craving something else. And not really acknowledging that we are still hungry. Not paying attention to the fact that God creating us to be hungry, to have cravings, to need to be loved, to ask for attention. We created the minute things to hold our attention and to lose focus on God. Yet God created those things which really truly satisfy our heart. That makes us know that we are loved, and that God is always giving us the greatest of attention. Isaiah comes into our lives, into the streets, the marketplaces, the living rooms, the dens – to give us a message – Ho you who are thirsty – god has invited you to a feast – a feast that you don’t have to pay for the ticket. A feast where you don’t have to dress up – just open you heart, listen, trust and understand. And you will be filled beyond your wildest imagination. How are you letting God come into you soul and fill you to the brim this lent? Let us pray?