The Luminous Life

Good evening to all of you.

I know most of you.

My name's Tommy.

I'm a pastor here.

And strangely, I love Ash Wednesday.

Even though the focus is maybe not our favorite topic, the idea that everyone in this room is going to die a premature death.

Not the kind of thing that we like to dwell on.

Nevertheless, it's true.

But at this point in the service, we want to turn our attention to God's Word.

And I know that there are different people in this room coming from different places.

And maybe even spiritually, I'm assuming you're in very different places.

Some of you may be here tonight and you feel full of faith.

You feel like God is near you.

He's present in your life.

You feel alive and exhilarated by what God is doing in your life.

And full of passion for the kingdom.

And if that is you, then praise the Lord.

Lord, I'm so glad that is true.

And we're going to pray and ask God that that just continues in your life.

For the rest of us who may feel like faith is a struggle.

If you feel like God is very distant, that your faith at some point grew cold.

If your prayer life feels like an exercise in futility, then Lent is the season for you.

And I'm glad that you're here.

Because Lent is a time when we focus uniquely on our relationship with God.

And when we talk about our relationship with God, it is supposed to be a relationship that is life-giving and intimate and love-filled.

And yet, I think sometimes that's not our experience.

When we look at the common images used to describe the relationship that God desires to have with us, one of the most common images is the image of a marriage.

A lifelong, intimate, committed relationship of mutual love.

And yet, I think that sometimes that's not our experience.

So, if you don't have that kind of relationship with God, then something is getting in the way.

Because we know that that's what God wants for us and with us.

And so, Lent is a good time for us to ask, as we look inward and as we come before the Lord, times like this,

what's getting in the way of that relationship with God?

And that's why we're looking at Isaiah chapter 58 briefly before we receive ashes.

Isaiah 58 · chapter mention

Because this is a place where God's people are complaining about this very problem.

They're complaining that their relationship with God has grown cold and distant.

And it shows us two reasons why this kind of thing can happen.

Let me ask God's blessing on this time.

And then we'll look briefly at those two reasons.

Lord, we do ask that as we come before you, that this would not just be an exercise in empty religion.

But we're here because we know on some deep level that we need an encounter with you.

And we know that that can only happen through your word.

And so, we pray that your word would facilitate this interaction.

Lord, that it would open our hearts and that it would bring you into our midst.

That we might see you face to face, Lord.

We pray this in your son's holy name.

Amen.

So, Isaiah 58, what are the reasons, what are the things that get in the way of us having this kind of warm,

intimate, life-giving relationship with God that I think probably most of us in this room wish we could have?

One of the things that I learned in marriage, and you definitely don't have to be married to learn this kind of thing.

Just for a person like me, it took that to teach this to me.

But some of you already know this.

But one of the things that I had to learn in marriage is that when it comes to showing your love for somebody, words are never enough.

And I don't mean that words don't matter.

Words do matter.

But if, over time, the only way that you express love to your spouse is through words,

very quickly those words start to lose their meaning.

And they start to sound hollow.

And so what I had to learn is that if you really want to make somebody feel loved,

you have to figure out what makes them feel loved.

You have to figure out how to show love in ways that they're going to recognize and receive as love.

So a few examples in our marriage, my wife Laura, I know that if at the end of the day,

if we get our kids down, which is its own kind of small miracle,

and then we have some time left and some energy left,

I know that if I, instead of pulling out my phone or flipping on a show or diving into a book,

I know that if I look at her and we sit down and I ask what's on her mind, what's on her heart,

what's she thinking about, and I devote time and energy,

and we sit there and I listen and I care about the things that she cares about,

and I help her process some of the things that are on her mind,

I know that she's going to feel tremendously loved by that.

It doesn't take much.

I know that if I proactively, miracle of miracles, plan babysitting down the road in the future at some point,

and maybe even plan something for us to do,

she's going to feel tremendously loved by that relatively small gesture.

I know that the things that she works on are very important to her,

and if I just show some support, genuine encouragement and support,

toward the things that she's working on, that makes her feel loved.

And so I know that my words matter to her, but what I've learned is that these things that I'm able to do,

and many of them don't require a whole lot,

they convey so much more powerfully the genuineness of my love,

and they result in us feeling a lot closer and more connected.

So the point is, if you want to make somebody feel loved,

and you want to feel a connection with them, you can't just use words.

You have to show that love in tangible ways.

And the reason that I say this is because the same is true of our relationship with God.

The best way to show our love for God is to love the people that God loves.

It's to love the people that God loves.

So in our passage, Isaiah 58, verses 2 and 3,

Isaiah 58:2

these people are praying daily to God.

They want to feel close to God.

It says they, quote, delight to draw near Him.

And then it says in verse 3, we've humbled ourselves and fasted and prayed.

Why haven't you noticed?

We're doing all the right things.

We're going to church.

We're fasting.

We're putting ashes on our forehead.

We're wearing uncomfortable clothing, sackcloth.

We're doing all of the things.

Right?

We're observing all of the rituals.

In other words, we're upholding our side of the deal.

And somehow you're not showing up.

And God essentially responds through Isaiah.

He says essentially to Isaiah,

give a full-throated shout

and respond to the people this way.

God says,

you say that you love me

and you say that you want to be close to me.

You say that you want intimacy with me.

But the people that I most care about,

you ignore.

They don't seem to matter to you at all.

So God says, you know,

you say that you love me

and you look the part.

You look pietistic.

You look like I matter to you.

You're wearing the right clothing

and saying the right words.

And yet you work your employees to death.

And you pay them barely a minimum wage.

And you don't offer health insurance

or retirement benefits at all.

He's like, you say that you love me.

I hear the words.

But then you go and you bicker

over nothing.

You gossip because you love drama.

You go and you're nice to people's faces

and then you criticize them behind their back

and you make fun of them.

God says, you say that you love me.

You look the part.

It sounds right.

But you seem oblivious

to the injustice that is all around you.

So God's response is to essentially say

there's a disconnect here.

Like something doesn't add up.

And then God says,

is this not the fast that I choose?

In other words,

this is how I know that your love for me is genuine.

I mean, the best way to know how to show love to somebody

is to sit down and ask them,

what are the things that I can do

that make you feel loved?

That's what God is talking about here.

Here's the fast that I choose.

Here's the expression of love and devotion

that I recognize as genuine.

That's what he's saying.

If you truly love me,

he says in verse 6,

then don't just free

oppressed people.

Break the yoke.

Deal with the systems and institutions

that make oppression possible.

Break the yoke.

If you truly love me,

he says,

if you truly care about me,

then in verse 7,

don't just fast from certain kinds of food.

If you're not going to eat that food,

give it to somebody who needs it.

Give it to somebody who's hungry.

Better yet, he says,

invite someone into your home

and serve them that food.

Maybe spend less money on clothes

so that you can go clothe someone

who doesn't have any.

Cover their nakedness.

That can also imply,

don't just meet physical needs,

but recognize that the deepest needs

that people have

often are connected to deep sources of shame.

Minister to people's shame

if you really love me.

And this is important.

Certainly spoke to me.

The end of verse 7,

God says,

if you truly love me,

don't hide from your own flesh.

What does that mean?

It took me a little while.

Sometimes it's hardest to recognize

the sins that are closest to true for us.

Don't work so much

that you neglect your family.

Don't give yourself so much

to other causes and pursuits

that you neglect your friends,

that you neglect your church community.

Be available to your family.

Not just physically,

but emotionally,

spiritually.

Don't hide yourself

from your own flesh.

And the thing that connects

all of these definitions of love

is they all have to do

with the way we treat the people

right around us

that God has put there.

Right?

So the first point is this.

If you want to love

and be loved by God,

if you want to feel close to God

and intimate with God,

words are never going to be enough.

Gestures like this are helpful,

but they're never going to be enough.

Right?

God has given us neighbors,

people he puts in our lives,

and guess what?

God loves and delights in those people

more than we can possibly imagine.

And if we don't show some amount

of love and concern

for those people

that God is so crazy about,

then no matter how much

we try to tell God

that we love him,

our words are going to ring hollow.

And this is one reason

our relationship with God

might grow cold or distant.

If we think that we can love God

without loving any of the people

around us in our lives

that God loves.

All right?

So that's reason number one.

Reason number two

that we see in this passage

is a little more subtle,

but it's every bit as significant.

Either reason number one,

we're failing to love God's people,

that's what causes distance,

or reason number two,

we are failing to love

in God's way,

God's way of loving.

So some of you are vegan,

and some of you are vegan

based on principles, right?

You have an ethical conviction

based on what you believe

about the food industry

and whatnot

that you want to be a vegan.

That's a lifestyle

that you've committed to.

So imagine there's somebody

in your life

and they really want

to make you feel loved,

and they say,

I'm going to make you

this extravagant meal,

and I'm going to go all out,

you know,

kind of like Babette's Feast style.

If any of you have seen that movie

or read that book,

I'm just going to, you know,

spare no expense,

lots of money,

lots of time,

lots of energy,

and the night finally gets there

and they plop this plate

down in front of you

and it's a big old T-bone steak.

Right?

And you would look down at that

and the question would be,

you know,

they're looking at you expectantly,

do you feel how much I love you?

And of course,

if you're honest,

you might be moved by the effort,

but at the end of the day,

that dish does not convey love

at all.

It's in fact maybe the opposite

because no matter how much money

they spent on that food

and no matter how much effort,

no matter how high-end

or grass-fed

or well-marbled that steak may be,

at the end of the day,

it's a steak.

And that meal does not communicate love to you

if your commitment ethically

is to be vegan.

And what that means is

this person is trying to love you,

but they're not doing it in your way.

In other words,

they're ignoring your principles.

They're ignoring your character.

They're ignoring commitments

that matter to you.

That's not loving.

I say this on a day

when some of you are fasting.

I apologize for that.

But loving God

doesn't just mean

loving the people that God loves,

which matters.

It means loving the way that God loves,

which means loving according to God's standards,

God's character,

God's commitments,

God's principles.

You know, I've heard so often

people quote Isaiah 58

and say,

well, what this shows,

I mean, this justifies the idea

that God actually doesn't care

about our personal lives.

He doesn't care about our morals.

All of that is just empty religiosity.

What God really cares about

is social justice

and ending oppression.

That's all God cares about.

And so if we do that,

no matter who we sleep with

or how we spend our money

or our time,

that's what matters to God.

We are doing justice in the world.

This proves it.

All the rest is empty religion.

But it says in verse 2

that God's people are people

who delight in His ways,

who desire to do righteousness,

who do not forsake the judgments

or the commandments of their God.

And then you have to look at

the larger context of Isaiah chapter 58.

Isaiah 58 · chapter mention

Just before it,

in Isaiah chapter 57,

Isaiah 57 · chapter mention

which is a profoundly important chapter,

it talks about the core problem

of humanity.

The core issue

is not oppression or injustice,

but idolatry.

Worshiping other things in our lives

instead of God.

And what idolatry means

is that we are driven by our desires.

We are driven by our appetites.

Right?

Appetites like lust

or greed

or covetousness.

And so things like injustice

or poverty

or oppression

are symptoms.

They're downstream

from these

uncontrollable appetites.

Which result from the fact

that we have given ourselves

to false gods

who can never satisfy

our appetites.

We're always hungry.

We're always thirsty.

We're always yearning.

That's why we have injustice

and oppression.

And so God calls His people

to be free from these idols

and to worship Him alone

and to have the kind of holiness

and character

that reflects His holiness

and character.

He says in Leviticus,

Be holy for I am holy.

And so this means

the way that we use our money

or our bodies

or our resources,

that all needs to reflect

God's heart.

So if we believe

that we can love God

simply by doing justice,

but then we take liberties

in redefining justice

to fit whatever agenda

or issue

matters to us.

If we seek justice

in ways that disregard

God's character

and holiness,

that's like serving

a T-bone steak

to a vegan.

It doesn't matter

how much money

or effort it takes.

It's not an act of love.

In fact,

I think it's profoundly unloving

because it's profoundly

self-focused.

So loving God

means loving God's people

God's way.

Loving God's people

God's way.

And this is not going to lead us

and this is not only

going to lead us

to have a deeper sense

of God's presence

and love in our lives,

but the amazing thing

at the end of this passage

is it says,

if we love God's people

God's way,

it turns us

into the kind of people

this world most needs.

It says in verse 10,

then shall your light

rise in the darkness

and your gloom

be as the noonday.

You know what that means

in more common terminology?

Your life is going to

glow in the dark.

You're going to live

a luminous life.

You're going to shine

into the darkness

of this world.

Because listen,

this world has enough

empty religiosity

and piety.

But this world also

has enough social action

campaigns and charity

organizations.

What the world really needs

is people who glow

in the dark.

People who radiate

the love of God

into the world

like beacons of hope,

like lighthouses

in the darkness,

like lamps in a dark wood.

That's what this world needs.

So as we enter

this season of Lent together,

which this marks

the beginning

of our Lenten journey,

maybe you could think

of this like a marriage

retreat between you

and God.

And ask yourself

this question,

am I loving God's people

God's way?

Am I showing love to God

in ways that matter to Him?

Right?

Some of us may need

to focus during this season

on loving God's people more

by engaging in the needs

and the people around us.

That could be the hungry

and the homeless.

It could also be

our own families.

Serving the people

God has put in our lives.

And listen,

pastors need to hear that

more than anybody else.

Right?

The kind of people

who are ready

and available

for people in their church

but neglect their own kids.

We all need to hear that.

Maybe this means

just making extra food

when you cook

and thinking of people

you can bless

with that extra food.

I had a good friend

in seminary.

This is what she did

every week on her Sabbath.

She would make food

and she would make

twice as much

as she needed

and she would just

randomly pick people

to give it out to.

And I was the recipient

of some of those blessings

and I can tell you

I felt deeply loved.

Maybe it simply means

working fewer hours

or turning our phones off

so that we can be more

emotionally available

to people.

Others of us need

a different focus

this Lent.

Maybe we need to focus

more on living

and loving God's way.

Right?

Maybe you do need

to fast from sugar

or caffeine

or alcohol

because maybe

these things

are leading your appetites

to become out of control.

Maybe you need

more control

over those appetites.

Maybe you need

to learn how to seek

the Lord for satisfaction

rather than these things.

Right?

Maybe there are areas

of deep sin

that we need to face

and confess

and turn away from

in our lives.

So some of us

need to focus

on loving God's people more.

Some of us need

to focus on loving God's way more.

Many of us

probably just like me

need a little bit of both.

The last thing I'll say

is this.

If you are here

and you don't have

a relationship

with God at all

and by some strange

twist of providence

you find yourself here

on an Ash Wednesday service.

the least seeker sensitive service

of the Anglican year.

And maybe you're here

and you don't have

a relationship with God.

Before you do anything

that I just said

you need to read

Isaiah chapter 59

Isaiah 59 · chapter mention

which comes right after

chapter 58.

Because in that chapter

this is where he says

that we on our own

are utterly powerless

against the idolatry

and the oppression

and the injustice

in our world.

And so God says

because you're powerless

because the situation

is hopeless for you

one day I myself

am going to come.

My arm

will accomplish

salvation for you.

One day

a redeemer

is going to come.

And we're here tonight

because we know

who that redeemer is.

Jesus Christ

who died on the cross

not only to save us

from sin and death

not only to take away

the fear that we have

of the premature death

that we will one day die

but also to invite us

into a loving

intimate relationship

with God himself.

And so if you've never

come to Jesus before

this is a perfect night.

Lent is a perfect season

for you to come to Jesus

in prayer

to ask him to forgive

all of the sin

in your life

and then to receive

the love and the forgiveness

that God desires

to pour

into your life.

Let's pray.

Lord we thank you

for your word

and we thank you

for the hope

and we need it.

We need hope.

We need truth.

We need love.

I pray that you would

kindle in our hearts

the embers

that they would become flame

that we would rediscover

our passion for you

that we would fall

in love with you

even as we know

the love that you had

for us

from before

the beginning of the world.

And we pray this

for our good Lord

but ultimately

for your glory

that as we radiate

your love and truth

into the world

you would be glorified.

In your son's name.

Amen.