Getting Religious

Read Isaiah 56:1–59:21

⁴“What good is fasting when you keep on fighting and quarreling? This kind of fasting will never get you anywhere with me. ⁵You humble yourselves by going through the motions of penance, bowing your heads like reeds bending in the wind. You dress in burlap and cover yourselves with ashes. Is this what you call fasting? Do you really think this will please the Lord? ⁶No, this is the kind of fasting I want: Free those who are wrongly imprisoned; lighten the burden of those who work for you. Let the oppressed go free, and remove the chains that bind people. ⁷Share your food with the hungry, and give shelter to the homeless. Give clothes to those who need them, and do not hide from relatives who need your help. ⁸Then your salvation will come like the dawn, . . . and the glory of the Lord will protect you from behind.”Isaiah 58:4-8

It’s easy to act like a religious person—to go to church, go along with what happens there, and go about your business. Many people go to church—anyone can do it, with or without sincerity.

The people of Israel were definitely religious. This portion of Isaiah’s message supports that fact. But their piety doesn’t please the Lord, and he lets them know it. He says, “What good is your religion if it doesn’t affect the way you live?”

Two other messages come through loud and clear in this reading: God loves it when we love; God hates it when we sin.

To the people of Isaiah’s day, worshipping God consisted entirely of religious ritual—going to the Temple every day, fasting, and listening to Scripture readings. They thought nothing of the fact that they oppressed the poor and denied help to the weak (Isaiah 58:1-12). In fact, they loved their worship practices, even as they refused to love hurting people.

Religious people who miss the point of a living, vital relationship with God forget that God cares about people, not performances. God does not want us merely to act pious—he wants our behaviour to reflect our relationship with him. More important to God even than correct worship, liturgy, and doctrine is genuine compassion for people who are poor, helpless, homeless, or oppressed.

To God, true worship is simply this: doing deeds of love and kindness for others, especially those who need help or are defenceless. Set aside empty religious rituals and practice true worship. This is what really pleases God. Who needs a touch of God’s love through you? Reach out to that person today.