Daily Readings - Sat Feb 20 2021
Isaiah
9Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;10And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday:11And the LORD shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.12And they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in.13If thou turn away thy foot from the sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the sabbath a delight, the holy of the LORD, honourable; and shalt honour him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words:14Then shalt thou delight thyself in the LORD; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Luke
27And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.28And he left all, rose up, and followed him.29And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.30But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?31And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.32I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on the essence of living a life rooted in faith and compassion. In Isaiah, we hear a call to true fasting, which is not merely about abstaining from food but about embracing justice and kindness. The prophet urges us to feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and free the oppressed, promising that such actions will bring light and renewal. This passage emphasizes that our faith should manifest in selfless service, transforming our lives and the world around us.
In the Gospel, Luke presents Jesus' encounter with Levi, a tax collector, who, upon being called, leaves everything to follow Him. Levi then hosts a feast for Jesus, attended by tax collectors and sinners. The Pharisees' criticism of Jesus for dining with outcasts is met with His profound response: He came not for the righteous, but to call sinners to repentance. This narrative illustrates Jesus' mission of reaching out to those on the margins, embodying the compassion and justice Isaiah spoke of.
These readings connect through their emphasis on living out our faith. Isaiah's call to justice and Jesus' inclusive table fellowship remind us that our faith must be active and transformative. We are called to move beyond rituals and instead engage in acts of love and service. In our daily lives, this means reaching out to those in need, just as Jesus did. Let us strive to live with such compassion, that our actions may reflect the light and hope of the Gospel.