Isaiah 55:1-13

Lent 3 - Year C 

Isaiah 55:1-13

Seeking G*D while G*D is active in ways our senses can appreciate does imply an unceasing awareness. Asking whether G*D is present now, in the midst of this sorrow, this joy, this everyday, does increase our ability to catch a glimpse of G*D.

Of course we usually record our experience as more than a glimpse. We turn a moment into eternity. In doing so we cease asking whether G*D is present as we bask in echoes from the past — after all, we have had our fix and don’t need to attend for just a little while.

It is also worth seeking G*D where G*D is anticipated. Here the accumulated wisdom is clearer. Where is wickedness being pursued, G*D is present. Where widows and orphans are not cared for, G*D is present. Where doubt rises, G*D is present. Where idols reign in marketplaces, G*D is present. Basically, wherever G*D is an afterthought, G*D is becoming more present. The corollary is that wherever G*D is thought or felt to be present, G*D is already moving on.

What kind of perversity is this sort of steadfastness? It is the same challenge every teacher uses. Prophets have simply learned the latest lesson about how to learn about presence. Attend to the present; anticipate more depth than surface; there is more ahead than behind.