Sermon - Isaiah 58:1-12

<p>There are people in my family, and probably also in yours, who, when they get hungry and need food, tend to get out of sorts, even angry.  In other words, when they get hungry, their actions and behavior show it.  Their hunger causes them to be cranky and snap at others.  They develop that condition we often describe as “hangry.”  When we see this condition arise, we usually quickly work to fix the problem as soon as possible.  </p> <p>Hunger is something that prompts a response.  And, throughout history, people have used the sensation of hunger to prompt a certain kind of response, a deeper sense of spiritual awareness in their lives by practicing fasting.  Fasting is spiritual practice utilized by people of <strong>many</strong> religious backgrounds in the belief that, by doing so, one will be drawn closer to God.  When used as a spiritual practice, it <strong>can</strong> help create more space for worship and reflection in one’s life. </p> <p>Fasting and worship are the spiritual practices described in our reading from Isaiah this morning as we find the people of Israel engaged in devoted acts of worship. The words of this passage were written around 520 BCE when the people had returned to Jerusalem following the exile.  The people were longing to live into the promises that are hoped for after extreme hardships.  Having been released from exile, they were trying extra hard to make things right because they did not want to return to the path that led them into what they perceived as great judgement and punishment.  They truly were <strong>hungry</strong> for a relationship with God.  So, they regularly and steadfastly gathered for worship.  In the process, they made worship look <strong><em>good</em></strong>.  That is where they put all their energies.  But, it did not take long for them to become so consumed by this that they became isolated from the rest of the world, closed off to anything beyond the walls of their worship space.  You see, what they did <strong>not</strong> do was let worship trouble