The 12 Days of LCC – A Year-End Devotional Series

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Disorderly Conduct - The Ninth Day of LCC

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. – Isaiah 58:6-8

Have you ever noticed how easily we human beings slip into routine? We are so very fond of putting things in order and then repeating that order over and over and over and over until it becomes meaningless. There’s a word for doing something the same way repeatedly without thought, evaluation or real engagement... religion. To do something religiously means you’re bound to a routine from which you will not vary.

Relationships, on the other hand, are very difficult to put into a routine. They can feel sloppy and disorderly... uncomfortable even. You might be uncomfortable right now just reading this, but imagine reciting the same paragraph to your spouse each evening over dinner and having them return the same response every time with exquisite predictability. Ridiculous, right? When we slip into rote without regard for relationship we become numb to those who would much prefer relationship. We mark the checklist and move to the next thing. Slipping into religion isn’t unique. The prophet Isaiah brought the Lord’s chastisement to the people of Israel because they, too, had slipped into the routines of fasting and prayer without thought to what God’s intention was for them in relationship with him and each other.

God calls us into relationships, messy, unpredictable relationships that stretch us, try our patience, confront our weaknesses and provide us the opportunity to have our light break forth like the dawn and experience the glory of the Lord. If you’re feeling numb and disconnected perhaps you’re living in the dry routine and orderly checklists of religion. Maybe it’s time to engage in a little disorderly conduct. Not sure what to do? Try picking something from the passage above. That would be a good place to start.

Prayer
Lord, shake me from my mindless pursuit of routines that numb me to the relationships to which you’ve called me. Open my eyes to those who so desperately need to see the light of your love expressed in my service to them and move me to act. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.