Thirsty, Hungry, Needy: We Come
This is where my meanderings took me in the sermon I preached yesterday:
Lent calls us to reflect—to reflect upon our lives, on Christ, on our relationships with God and neighbor. We may be satisfied with our lives as they are…or we may find that something is missing, that we are thirsty, hungry, and needy.
This was the case for the people of Israel. They had been in exile in Babylon, far from home, feeling far from God—thirsty, hungry, and needy. That is the setting of this morning’s passage from Isaiah. God calls out, “ … everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price” (Isa 55:1 NRS). This theme introduces our first lesson.
Is God talking about physical or spiritual food here? The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” That is for everyone— for God’s ancient people and for us.
As I was finishing this sermon yesterday, a ...