Contrasting Emotions

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Isaiah 58:1-11
Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins. For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. “Why have we fasted,” they say, “and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?”

Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord? Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?

Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: “Here am I.” If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday. The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.

I love Carnival time in New Orleans. I love the parades, the music, the floats, the people, the king cakes. Our family lives “in the box” so yes, traffic and parking are sometimes an inconvenience. But it’s okay; I can be excited about Mardi Gras and irritated by obstructions simultaneously. Because I love Carnival time.

So when Pastor Jay asked me to preach today, and I saw the lectionary text was Isaiah 58, at first I thought this chapter on fasting, hypocrisy, social action, and true worship would be a real downer. We are ready to party, right? We’ve just heard some great music and we’ve felt like dancing; we have our parade-watching planned and really we didn’t show up in church today to hear a heavy sermon.

But there’s a connection between that weighty passage and our celebrations. 

In today’s Scripture, Isaiah was talking to people who acted religious because they wanted to control God. They fasted regularly but it was because they hoped to influence God in their favor. Their actions had nothing to do with true worship and did not reflect any love for the Lord; they were just trying to make their lives easier, and they were frustrated because they felt like God was not paying attention.

They were missing the most important part, though. They weren’t really thinking about a relationship with the Lord; they were thinking about themselves. Their hearts and their lives did not align with their prayers and their religious rituals. 

As people who call themselves by Christ’s name, we are asked to care about others. We are expected to seek mercy and justice for those who are oppressed. We are told to love other people, because true love is the true sign of those who are Jesus’ disciples. All of this will be a natural outgrowth of our relationship with our Creator, an inevitable result of healthiness in our souls, as we seek to walk more closely with God.

However, guess what? Another inevitable result of healthiness in our souls is joy, and pleasure that doesn’t hurt anyone. 

This means, for instance, that we can care about problems in our world and also enjoy the parades. We have room in our hearts for emotions that contrast. 

So I can be concerned about people in Gaza, and in Sudan, and in northern Mississippi without electricity after the ice storm. I can also put on some Mardi Gras beads and get ready to party. If Jesus were here in the flesh right now, I’m pretty sure he would be concerned about evil and hypocrisy in government. He’d be working to help people who are targeted and unjustly accused. But I think he would also be enjoying the beautiful floats, tasting different types of king cakes, and dancing in the street with us.

As we grow in grace and glory, as we become more like our Creator, we can feel more joy and more pain. We can laugh more and cry more. We can be honest with our Lord about the way we feel, and we can learn that many things can be true at the same time. If you only take home one thought from this sermon, let it be this: We are created with the ability to hold contrasting emotions simultaneously.

For instance, we do that when someone we love a whole lot does something really stupid.

Here’s another example: Do you remember Allen Toussaint’s jazz funeral, back in 2015? It was a sad day for everyone who loves New Orleans music; the man was uniquely gifted, and greatly treasured, and people mourned his passing. When they came out of the Orpheum Theater the brass band played a slow, sad tune. But the song soon changed to one of rejoicing, deep gratitude for a lovely soul. All the instruments joined in the joy: the tubas, the trombones, the drums, the saxophones, the clarinets, even a melodica and a tambourine. People all around were dancing, smiling, holding grief and happiness at the same time.  

We can feel revulsion at the actions of a serial killer while developing a measure of understanding for the horrific background that led to those crimes. We hear of calamities and disasters and our hearts are touched for people who are hurt. At the same time, we can rejoice in music and beauty and friendship without betraying those who are suffering – both are true, both real, both need to be acknowledged.

In the same way, we can hold serious questions about faith while earnestly desiring to walk with the Lord. Both can be true at the same time. 

Let’s ask God to help us see more clearly, day by day. We tend to lean more to one side than another; some of us like to “stay on the sunny side,” as the old song says. Others concentrate on doom and gloom. These divisions can lead to frustration and anger with others who don’t see things the way we do.

Let’s seek to walk in the full light of Truth, more and more. Let’s desire godly balance and growth. And when we see problems—if we can do no more than pray, then we’ll pray, not ignoring issues, and ready to do what we can. When we see loveliness that reflects the glory of God, we’ll rejoice with enthusiasm.

Maybe you’re having physical challenges and are regretting the loss of some ability. At the same time you can be truly thankful for hot tea, soft blankets, good health care, and loving friends.

Maybe you care deeply about a group of people but are also realizing that it’s time to distance yourself from them.

Some of us live with the brutal daily awareness of a catastrophic personal failure. We can walk with that pain while clutching the confidence that God can turn that failure into blessings, somehow.

Maybe we were exploited and abused when we were vulnerable children. We can carry grief and anger at what was lost, and we can also refuse to disappear, refuse to be silent.

We can mourn because we are all sinners. We can rejoice with exceeding great joy because we can all be redeemed.

Will you pray with me? O God of all emotion, we are created in your image. May we learn to be honest with you and with ourselves. May the activities of this day bring us some holy joy.