Dear Friends,
“Is not this the fast that I choose: To loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin?”
Isaiah 58:6,7
During the season of Lent, based on the spiritual discipline of fasting, it is traditional to give something up. Some people give up chocolate, some stop smoking, some stay off social media. It can get a little silly with people “giving up” something they never liked doing in the first place, like vacuuming or dusting.
This year, instead of giving something up, take something on, like picking up trash in your neighbourhood, or phoning a person who lives alone, or writing a thank you note, or shopping for someone who finds it hard to get out in the winter, in a pandemic. You could send an email of encouragement or concern to your local politician. You could make a cash donation to the Food Bank (as well as your Fishy February contribution!) This is the fast that God chooses.
Revs. Bob and Helen Smith
A version of this message first appeared in the Saturday, February 27, 2021, edition of Tidbits.