Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food. Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David.
Isaiah 55:1-3
I think I have written on here before about the invitation we are offered to "COME." In light of Isaiah 55:1-3, I want to revisit this invitation. Learning the context of this passage has, as always, brought new depth and richness to these words. But rather than exegeting this passage, I want to just write what has really been moving me as I have been sitting with these verses tonight.
When I think about the simple statement- "come"- two versions of that one word pop into my head. One is a command, like when I tell my dog to get at my side. It is an issue of simple obedience. It may be appropriate and even loving, but it isn't an offer- it's a command. The other version is what I see in this passage. It is a gentle, loving invitation. A choice is presented. I'm not usually real excited, or even willing, when I am commanded (which didn't go over too well growing up); I don't like to be told what to do. But when I'm invited... even if I don't really have much of a desire to go to the place or be with the people, I'm usually intrigued and moved enough by the offer that I will at least be open to taking them up on the invitation.
We aren't ordered to go to God. We are invited. And this is beautiful to me because I would not have responded, or at least would have tried not to respond, to a demanding, "come." But the invitation allures me. All I had to do was move towards God, listen to what He had to say, eat His food, and be open. I didn't have to make drastic life altering decisions or intellectually learn and try to carry out a new way of life. I just had to take a step in another direction and be willing to experience something new.
Those of you who have lived near me know that I rarely pass up an invitation to come over and have free food and listen. Tonight it kinda cracked me up that these are the three things mentioned in this passage in Isaiah, because those three things always get me... of course I took God up on this offer, too! Initially I moved hesitantly and cautiously, and even skeptically. (I think I kinda wondered if God was offering real food or if I was going to be stepping into a scene like in the movie "Hook"...) But I began to moved towards Him. And honestly, eventually I did make drastic, life altering decisions, and I did become intellectually engaged in the wisdom found in the Truth of the Gospel, and I have begun to live completely differently. But none of this was a prerequisit or a condition. It all happened as I kept responding more and more to the simple invitation to come. These things were a result of what I experienced when I came and listened and ate... I was delighted and I found life for my soul. Not because I sought it and worked as hard as I could to live or be a certain way. I found life for my soul when I sought HIM.
This simple word is one of those, like "steadfast love" and "hope" and "abide," that sums up the Gospel pretty well for me. For the past 9 years this one word describes my mission every single day. When I try to add a lot of extra stuff to that one word- even stuff that is good and "Godly" or whatever- I usually end up following a side trail that may still lead in the general direction God is inviting me to, but I'm taking an unnecessarily long and difficult route. But what I keep finding over and over again is that if I just focus on "COME TO ME," the other stuff usually follows. It all comes back to what C.S. Lewis has taught me about keeping first things first...
When I think about the simple statement- "come"- two versions of that one word pop into my head. One is a command, like when I tell my dog to get at my side. It is an issue of simple obedience. It may be appropriate and even loving, but it isn't an offer- it's a command. The other version is what I see in this passage. It is a gentle, loving invitation. A choice is presented. I'm not usually real excited, or even willing, when I am commanded (which didn't go over too well growing up); I don't like to be told what to do. But when I'm invited... even if I don't really have much of a desire to go to the place or be with the people, I'm usually intrigued and moved enough by the offer that I will at least be open to taking them up on the invitation.
We aren't ordered to go to God. We are invited. And this is beautiful to me because I would not have responded, or at least would have tried not to respond, to a demanding, "come." But the invitation allures me. All I had to do was move towards God, listen to what He had to say, eat His food, and be open. I didn't have to make drastic life altering decisions or intellectually learn and try to carry out a new way of life. I just had to take a step in another direction and be willing to experience something new.
Those of you who have lived near me know that I rarely pass up an invitation to come over and have free food and listen. Tonight it kinda cracked me up that these are the three things mentioned in this passage in Isaiah, because those three things always get me... of course I took God up on this offer, too! Initially I moved hesitantly and cautiously, and even skeptically. (I think I kinda wondered if God was offering real food or if I was going to be stepping into a scene like in the movie "Hook"...) But I began to moved towards Him. And honestly, eventually I did make drastic, life altering decisions, and I did become intellectually engaged in the wisdom found in the Truth of the Gospel, and I have begun to live completely differently. But none of this was a prerequisit or a condition. It all happened as I kept responding more and more to the simple invitation to come. These things were a result of what I experienced when I came and listened and ate... I was delighted and I found life for my soul. Not because I sought it and worked as hard as I could to live or be a certain way. I found life for my soul when I sought HIM.
This simple word is one of those, like "steadfast love" and "hope" and "abide," that sums up the Gospel pretty well for me. For the past 9 years this one word describes my mission every single day. When I try to add a lot of extra stuff to that one word- even stuff that is good and "Godly" or whatever- I usually end up following a side trail that may still lead in the general direction God is inviting me to, but I'm taking an unnecessarily long and difficult route. But what I keep finding over and over again is that if I just focus on "COME TO ME," the other stuff usually follows. It all comes back to what C.S. Lewis has taught me about keeping first things first...
Each year we designate this time to intentionally remember the reality of our need for the cross, and celebrate the hope offered to us through the life, death and resurrection of Christ. It is without a doubt my favorite time of the year. And each year God seems to allow me to experience it from a different angle. This year the angle is "COME TO ME." Not observe, study, talk about... just come...
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