It was a bitterly cold winter Sunday morning in Oklahoma City. I was teaching middle school youth in the basement of the church where I worked as youth minister. And then I saw Will standing at the door. He had just come into the church and was wearing a flimsy sweater with holes in it. His pants were worn and stained. He wore work shoes, but no socks.

     I went over to the door and asked him how I could help. He told me that his wife and baby were out in the car and that they were out of food. He explained that he was out of work. I took him to my office, where I called the food bank. The receptionist on the other end of the line told me to give Will a food voucher and send him over on Monday morning.

     I knew that Will's family shouldn't wait until the next morning for food. So, I found someone to pinch hit in the Sunday School class and Will followed me to the grocery store. Using the church's account, we selected about $50 of staples to restock their meager kitchen. He thanked me and the family went on their way.

     It was a hot summer afternoon in Oklahoma City. I was sitting in my office at the church working on my sermon for the next Sunday. Then I looked up and saw Will standing at my office door. "Reverend," he said, "I just wanted to come by and let you know that I got a job. And I want to pay you back." I was delighted to see Will, not because he was paying back the church funds, but because he was employed and happy. The church's generosity on that cold winter morning had given him hope and courage to keep going, he told me. I can't describe how good that made me feel.

     The prophet Isaiah calls us today to hear God's call to serve the hungry and the oppressed. Isaiah is often thought of as the greatest of the writing Hebrew prophets. He was the son of Amoz and his name means, "the Lord saves." Isaiah was a prophet at the same time as Amos, Hosea, and Micah, beginning his ministry in 740 B.C. Isaiah was married and had at least two sons. He spent most of his life in Jerusalem and enjoyed influence under the reign of King Hezekiah. Isaiah was also the author of a history of the life of King Uzziah.

     It's interesting that Isaiah insisted on caring for the poor and oppressed, because he carried himself with an aristocratic air. He moved like a prince among men. He spoke with the dignity and moral authority that he knew fit a spokesman for the Most High God. It's evident that he was a product of the finest culture of Judah.

     Maybe it's because he was so familiar with the lifestyle of the ruling classes that he so often accuses them of failing to maintain justice. His easy access to King Hezekiah suggests that he might have been a member of the king's council. In passage after passage, Isaiah addresses issues of justice in government and foreign policy.

     Do Isaiah's words have any importance in our lives today? How can the words of a prophet writing in 740 B.C. have anything to do with the issues that we face in the 21st Century? And yet, as we read his words, they sound uncannily familiar to the challenges we face.

     The first lesson we can draw from today's scripture is that:

I. LIFTING THE YOKE OF OPPRESSION BRINGS FREEDOM AND FULFILLMENT

     It's interesting that Isaiah talks about oppression as a yoke. Can you picture a yoke in your mind? No, it's not that yellow thing in the center of an egg. A yoke is a large wooden device that's placed over the shoulders of oxen. A plow is attached to the yoke so the oxen can pull it. A yoke is a heavy, uncomfortable, oppressive device that places the animal in forced service. Isn't that a good description of the weight of oppression?

     We don't have to look around Tucson for very long to see the weight of oppression on people's faces. We can see it in the weary, broken stares of the hungry. We can see it in the frail, sunburned bodies of those living on the streets. We can see fear in the eyes of those who have been attacked in various ways. Oppression, hunger, poverty, and injustice, are very much alive in 21st Century Tucson.

     So, are we supposed to spend time and money alleviating oppression just to make ourselves feel good? Are we supposed to address injustice in our society because God says so? No. We are called to bring justice to our world because those who are hurting are our sisters and brothers. And they deserve to have the yoke lifted from their shoulders.

     When Will came into my church office that day, he was thinking about the money we spent on his food. He wanted to pay it back. But, what if we didn't think in terms of getting back our investment?

     Catherine Ryan Hyde wrote a novel about an extra credit assignment in a 7th grade Social Studies class. The hero of her story is young Trevor McKinney, a 12-year-old whose imagination is sparked by the assignment: "Think of an idea for world change, and put it into action." Trevor's idea is deceptively simple: do a good deed for three people. But don't ask them to pay it back. In exchange, ask each of them to "pay it forward" to three more. "So nine people get helped. Then those people have to do twenty-seven.... Then it sort of spreads out." Trevor's early attempts to get his project off the ground seem to end in failure: a homeless junkie he befriends and brings home ends up back in jail. But even after the boy has given up on his plan, his acts of kindness bear unexpected fruit.

     Later in the story, the junkie that Trevor helped comes across a woman on a bridge. And Trevor's words come back to him. The novel, Pay It Forward, was made into a movie last year, so let's take a look at the scene_ [VIDEOTAPE]

     After Jerry, the junkie, talks the woman out of jumping off the bridge, here's what he says to her: "I'm a junkie, Charlotte. I'm always gonna be a junkie. I ain't never gonna be no fine, upstanding citizen. But then I thought, just pay it forward anyway. Kid tried to help me. Okay, it didn't work. Still, I'm trying to help you. Maybe you'll jump. I don't know. But I tried, right? But let me tell you one thing. I woke up one morning and somebody gave me a chance. Just outta nowhere. It was like a miracle. Now, how do you know that won't happen to you tomorrow?"

     That's the kind of hope that we bring when we work to overcome oppression and injustice. Our social and personal problems are difficult. They're rarely fixed easily. But giving people a chance, providing them with resources to have a better life, creates a ripple effect of freedom, hope, and new life.

     And the idea of paying it forward really fits into our faith, doesn't it. After all, it's been said that evangelism, the work of sharing our faith in Christ with others, is one beggar telling another beggar where to find nourishment and safety.

     Isaiah also teaches us about the effects on our lives when we work for justice:

II. OUR LIVES ARE FILLED AND NOURISHED WHEN WE WORK FOR JUSTICE

     I love to hear the imagery in Isaiah's writing about the effects on our lives when we care about the needs of the hungry, the poor, and the oppressed. Did you notice his word pictures when we read the scripture? The words are especially appropriate for us here in Tucson.

     "The Lord will guide you always;" Isaiah says, "he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

     Do you have a garden? If you do, you know how challenging it can be to grow flowers, vegetables, and herbs in our desert climate. A few weeks ago, I was doing some work in the yard and I turned off the irrigation system. Later that afternoon, I walked past the garden and I noticed that the tomatoes and the okra looked terrible. Their leaves were drooping and the stalks looked weak. I turned the irrigation system back on, and clean, clear water rushed into the garden. Just a few hours later, the plants had perked back up. They stood tall and lush, with the stalks replenished and the leaves shiny.

     Isaiah is telling us that our lives are like that. When we focus inward, when we are most concerned about our own happiness, and security, and prosperity, we begin to shrivel up. We become weak and brittle.

     But, when we "pay it forward" - when we share God's gifts of love and forgiveness - our lives are renewed. God's love and power rush into our lives like clean, clear water and renew us.

     As we watched the video clip, did you watch the expression on the homeless man's face as he realized that he could help the woman on the bridge? New life came into his face. Have you ever had an experience like that? We experience that kind joy at Primavera every day as we watch people who've given up hope find new success. And, in spite of the long hours and hard work, it always makes me feel stronger.

     If you're feeling burned out with life, if you feel like you've been beaten down and weak, maybe you need to think about sharing God's message of hope with those who are hopeless. It's better than any exercise regimen or vitamin plan for renewing your strength.

     Isaiah teaches us that the rewards of justice go beyond freedom for the oppressed and vitality for the faithful:

III. OUR COMMUNITIES BENEFIT WHEN WE WORK FOR JUSTICE

     As I read the scripture for this week, I had to stop and blink when I read the last verse: "Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins, and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings."

     Why did this verse surprise me? Well, that's exactly what we do at Primavera Builders. Our crews of homeless men and women work on abandoned houses, learning construction skills. When they're finished, the beautifully restored houses are sold to low-income families who never dreamed that they could own a home.

     For example, right now our crews are hard at work restoring a home in Barrio Anita, just north of downtown. The house dates back to 1905, and it had been abandoned for a number of years. When I first walked through the boarded up shell, we found evidence that it was being used for drugs and prostitution. The age-old foundations are being raised up, the broken walls are being restored. And later this fall, a young couple will move into their very first home. But that's not all. We'll also build two new homes behind the house. And we'll restore the burned out adobe that sits next door. A whole street of dwellings will come to life with new hope.

     Isaiah was telling us that the rewards of justice don't just have an impact on those who were oppressed, or poor, or hungry. The rewards of justice don't just bring strength to faithful workers. Justice brings a new vitality and health to our entire community. Our neighborhoods and cities are better places to live when fairness and equal treatment are available to everyone.

     As we noted earlier, Isaiah was outspoken about the governmental policies of his day. He didn't hesitate to speak out when the king or his council were making laws that were hurtful to the people. Should we behave any differently? Don't we have important things to say to our leaders about the policies of our city, our state, our nation? Isaiah understood that the health of Judah as a nation depended on justice. And we are called to bring the same perspective as contemporary Christians.
 

     Maybe you're here today because you're facing brokenness, and hurt, and pain in your life. God meets us here each Sunday to love us, to forgive us, to nourish us. Through Christ, we experience new life and hope. We invite you to claim God's love this morning.

     For all of us, God's call beckons us to work for justice. Not for salvation. Not for some kind of monetary reward. God calls us to care for the oppressed because they - like us - deserve a second chance. Because we'll live fuller, more meaningful lives. And because our communities will thrive.

     The prophet Micah posed the following question: What does the LORD require of you? Micah answered: To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

     May that be our path in the week to come.