Rise Daily: March 24

Rise Daily: March 24

THIS WEEK’S THEME & PASSAGE

Doing Justice and Mercy – Isaiah 58:1-12

This week’s sermon from the series “Where We are Going: The City and the Mission“

THIS WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE

Memorizing scripture is a way to keep God’s word close to our hearts. Each week we will select one verse of scripture to remember as a community.

Isaiah 58:10
If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.

THE WORD

Each day’s devotion will focus on one part of the week’s passage.

Isaiah 58:8-10

8 Then shall your light break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up speedily;
your righteousness shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9 Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
If you take away the yoke from your midst,
the pointing of the finger, and speaking wickedness,
10 if you pour yourself out for the hungry
and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness
and your gloom be as the noonday.

MEDITATION ON THE WORD

In our busyness and distraction, it is easy to skim through our reading rather than taking it in. Yet we believe this is the inspired word of God. Take a moment to pause, thank God for the scriptures and ask him to speak to you through them today.

Isaiah is very fond of the “light” metaphor that we see here in verses 8 and 10 (cf., Is. 9:2, 10:17a, 60:19). In the text we are meditating on today, the righteousness of God’s people is being compared with light. Isaiah shows us that when our worship goes hand in hand with tangible action to alleviate the social injustice that degrades the world, our light, reflective of his glorious light, begins to dawn.

The New Testament writers pick up this same metaphor: Christ is the light of God (John 1:4-9). Through him, the children of God are the children of light (John 12:36; Eph. 5:8; 1 Thess. 5:5).

This is brought out by the conditional if/then statement that closes today’s passage: “If you pour yourself out for the hungry, and satisfy the desire of the afflicted, then shall your light rise in the darkness, and  your gloom be as the noonday.” The first phrase (the cause) is active and the second (the effect) is passive. When God’s people are actively serving those in need, their light is shining as a consequence. They are reflecting the true light of God, that is, Christ in the world.

THIS WEEK’S RISE REFLECTION

We hope you will say “I’m In” to pray, engage and give in your neighborhood as part of a gospel movement for the good of our city.  The vision of Rise is to see thousands of people rising to bring the hope, joy and grace of the gospel to every neighborhood. That vision starts with you… in your neighborhood. Have you considered how you could help bring hope to the poor and marginalized in your neighborhood by serving with or giving to Hope for New York?

TODAY’S PRAYER

For your Heart: Pray for God to protect your heart from being cold or indifferent to the poor and suffering.

For your Church: Pray for the Diaconate ministry that serves the needs of congregants in practical and tangible ways in addition to offering care, mercy and compassion.

For our City: Pray that more and more New Yorkers would come to build their identity on the light of Christ. Pray that our city would be full of servants who find their “light rise in the darkness” as they “pour themselves out for the hungry.”