“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? 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…” Isaiah 58:6-8a (NRSV)
Prophets in the Hebrew Bible share an overwhelming proclamation: discontentment with the public life coupled with an alternative reality of God’s vision for the earth. The above passage from Isaiah continues in verse 12 to show us an example of God’s reality: “The Lord will guide you continually…your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt…you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of the streets to live in.”
As Christians, we see this work of holy discontentment in Jesus. The New Testament reveals that Jesus talked most about the kingdom, or reign, of God, and we are invited to participate in it. We are called to usher in this reign of God, to participate with God in repairing the breach, in sharing our bread with the hungry, and lifting up our voices on behalf of the oppressed. We, as God’s people, are called to speak truth to power in love, to live into, and call on the powers and principalities at hand, in order to influence change.
“Holy Discontentment” is a publication of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness, intended to be a resource for Presbyterians and other people of faith seeking to engage in public witness ministries.
Are you feeling Holy Discontentment? Do you feel a call to speak truth to power, to stand with the one in four children in North Carolina who are hungry when food stamps are being cut, when sequestration is cutting money for Head Start and other vital services? Do you feel called to be voice for these children who cannot speak for themselves?
Contact your Senators Burr or Hagan by going to their website and sending an email or calling or visiting their offices:
Senator Richard Burr
http://burr.senate.gov/
Washington, DC
217 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: (202) 224-3154
Fax: (202) 228-2981
Winston-Salem
2000 West First Street, Suite 508
Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Phone: (800) 685-8916
Phone: (336) 631-5125
Fax: (336) 725-4493
Senator Kay Hagan
http://hagan.senate.gov
Washington, DC
521 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Phone: 202-224-6342
Fax: 202-228-2563
Raleigh
310 New Bern Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27601
Phone: 919-856-4630
Fax: 919-856-4053
–Sandy Irving, Volunteer Program Associate
