Am I a stranger among my own?

Is this a place where I can be known?

What do I have to hide just to belong?

Is this my table? Am I alone?

I see you stranger among your own

No reputation, without a home

Touching the river, throwing no stones

Come to my table, you're not alone

This table is yours, this table is mine

Christ breaks the bread and pours the wine

So we lift the cup and we join the feast

God's holy mystery

Jesus He cried out while on the tree

“O God forgive them, they cannot see”

His love forsaken, his mercy meek

Yet at this table, we know Christ's peace

Mary in mourning went to the tomb

Her heart was broken; the stone was too

She saw an angel claimed Jesus raised

The body's gone now, don't be afraid

This table is yours, this table is mine

Christ breaks the bread and pours the wine

So we lift the cup and we join the feast

God's holy mystery

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

With open hands and broken hearts

Lord, we lift our prayers and we join the feast

God's holy mystery

God's holy mystery

Today’s reading is from the Prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 58:7-10

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?

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up quickly;

your vindicator shall go before you,

the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

If you remove the yoke from among you,

the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,

if you offer your food to the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,

then your light shall rise in the darkness

and your gloom be like the noonday.

In today’s reading, the prophet Isaiah challenges those who practise the religious act of fasting to also demonstrate acts of kindness and compassion by meeting the needs of others.

Let this list of good acts challenge you now, as you open your heart to Isaiah’s suggestions:

Share your bread with the hungry.

Bring the homeless poor into your house.

When you see the naked, cover them

Don’t hide yourself from your own kin

Which of these instructions do you find the most challenging? Speak with the Lord about your service to him and to those around you, asking him to show you his way and will for loving others around you.

Isaiah writes

‘Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up quickly;’

As you listen to the reading again, notice how the quality of our relationship with God and his nearness to us can reflect and empower our outward love towards others.

Isaiah 58:7-10

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?

Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,

and your healing shall spring up quickly;

your vindicator shall go before you,

the glory of the Lord shall be your rearguard.

Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;

you shall cry for help, and he will say, Here I am.

If you remove the yoke from among you,

the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,

if you offer your food to the hungry

and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,

then your light shall rise in the darkness

and your gloom be like the noonday.

‘Then your light shall rise in the darkness

and your gloom be like the noonday.’

Where in the darkness of our world can you enable light to rise? End your time of prayer by offering the light within you to the Lord as a gift to others.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

World without end

Amen