A Specific Invitation (Isaiah 55:1-9)

 🖤Valentine’s Day was coming up. It was my last year of elementary school, the last year when students typically bring Valentines for everyone in the class. 

I had an idea, which I thought would be hilarious: I knew that I needed to write on each card the name of the person I was giving it to; but what if I sealed the card up in the envelope, but on the envelope, just wrote, “whosit.” Every envelope would say “whosit.”

It would work, because if I wrote the name on the card clearly enough, I could just see the name through the thin paper of the envelope, and still deliver the right card to the right person. Everyone would wonder how I did it. 

The plan worked perfectly. My classmates laughed, and wondered how I did it. However, the long-term effects were minimal, as it did not quite improve my social standing the way I hoped that it would. 

I share this with you because I knew, even as a kid, that a Valentine had to have someone’s name on it. 

You can’t just send a Valentine or an invitation and not put someone’s name on it. You can’t write, “Dear Valentine, whoever you are…” No! 

Same with an invitation. If you’re inviting someone to a party, you don’t say, “You’re invited! I want you there… whoever you are…”

Valentines and invitations need to be specific.

⚫In today’s scripture, the prophet is issuing an invitation. And the prophet is specific about who is being invited.

The invitation is given specifically to those who are thirsty, to those who are hungry, to those who have no money.

The prophet could have just said, “Come, everyone! Whoever you are! Come, eat and drink! All are welcome!”

But no; the prophet directed the invitation to specific groups of people. “Come, you who are thirsty; come, you who are hungry; come, you who have no money.”

In the next chapter, Isaiah extends another invitation; and, again, the prophet is specific about who it is that is being invited. 

In chapter 56 Isaiah says: “to the eunuchs…I will give a monument and a name, an everlasting name… and to the foreigners…I will bring you in, and make you joyful in my house of prayer; for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”

You might be familiar with that last part, the part about God’s house of prayer being a house of prayer for all peoples; but maybe you never realized that this statement of welcome was addressed specifically to eunuchs and foreigners.

It’s a specific invitation, addressed to specific people, for one very specific reason.

See: eunuchs and foreigners had long been excluded from the temple. In fact, Deuteronomy 23 specifically mentions eunuchs and foreigners as being prohibited from the assembly of the Lord.

And in all the generations since, up to Isaiah’s time, eunuchs and foreigners had been singled out for exclusion and persecution. They had been denied the right to enter the sanctuary and worship, and to take their place among God’s people.

Because they had been denied their rights and had been specifically excluded, Isaiah felt the need to specifically include them, and specifically invite them and welcome them, by name, into the house of the Lord.

It’s the same with those who are thirsty, those who are hungry, those who have no money. Isaiah knew that they were victims of injustice legislated by kings, something that went against God's desire for humanity; so Isaiah knew it was important to specifically include them, invite them, and welcome them by name.

So in Isaiah’s vision of a world that follows God’s ways, the thirsty, the hungry, and the poor—and foreigners and eunuchs—receive a specific invitation and welcome, to receive their share of God’s abundance.

The invitation, the promise, and the welcome are given specifically to those who have been historically prevented from receiving these gifts and blessings.

Isaiah knew that it was important to invite them, specifically, by name.

⚫Many generations later, there was a disciple of Jesus named Philip, who was traveling through the wilderness from Jerusalem to Gaza. On his way, he encountered a man who—get this!—was both a eunuch and a foreigner! He was a eunuch from Ethiopia!

Philip knew this man was a foreigner, because he was riding in a chariot, and the chariot had on it symbols of Candace, the queen of Ethiopia. 

And Philip knew this man was a eunuch, because—well, I’m not sure. But eunuchs often presented themselves as androgynous; genderqueer; nonbinary. If they were castrated early enough in life, their voice and appearance would be affected. And maybe there was insignia on him that indicated he was a eunuch. (Maybe it was the earrings we see in this, I’m sure, highly accurate image!)

And—get this—this eunuch from Ethiopia was reading from the book of Isaiah; and when he and Philip met on that road, the eunuch asked Philip to help him understand what he was reading.

And then, he asked Philip if he could be baptized!

Well, Philip knew that baptism was, among other things, a way of welcoming people into the fellowship of believers. 

And Philip also knew that eunuchs, and foreigners, had traditionally been excluded from the fellowship of believers.

Yet Philip decided to baptize him anyway, and welcome him into the church.

And this story appears in Acts, chapter 8, because Luke, the author of Acts, wanted foreigners to know that they were specifically invited and welcome, and Luke wanted eunuchs to know that they also were specifically invited and welcome.

For Luke, just saying “all are welcome” wasn’t enough. Luke included this story, because Luke knew that groups that had been traditionally excluded needed a specific invitation, to let them know that, YES, the welcome included even them.

In fact, this was so important that Luke dedicated half a chapter to this story, a story that specifically emphasizes how eunuchs and foreigners were to be welcomed and included among the people of God.

Luke knew that an invitation that was both bold and specific was needed.

⚫Then we have the radical welcome offered by the apostle Paul. Throughout Paul’s writings, we see a specific invitation given to the Gentiles, and specific instructions given to the Jews on how they are to welcome and include Gentiles. 

Many of the Jews who were followers of Jesus weren’t sure about welcoming Gentiles. They harbored prejudices against the Gentiles, and thought that the Gentiles needed to become Jews first before they could become followers of Jesus.

So Paul goes to great lengths to instruct his fellow Jews on how the Gentiles should be welcomed. In the book of Galatians, Paul even goes so far as to say that, in our baptism, we are no longer Jew or Gentile, but we are all one in Christ Jesus.

Paul also specifically mentions women and slaves, two other groups of people who hadn’t been fully included among God’s people. In other words, Paul specifically affirms Gentiles, and specifically affirms women, and specifically affirms slaves, as people who are a part of the fellowship of believers.

All these biblical writers—Isaiah, Luke, and Paul—felt it was important to be specific about who they were welcoming into the church, inviting them by name.

I could go on. The book of Ruth, for example—that whole book was written to show how Moabites, a group that had been historically excluded, were to be included and welcome among God’s people. 

And Jesus—Jesus specifically mentioned Samaritans, to cite one example; he specifically mentions Samaritans and lifts them up precisely because they were so hated and persecuted against by the Jews. 

Prejudice against Samaritans was incredibly strong, and so Jesus knew they needed to be welcomed and affirmed by name. Just saying “all are good, all are welcome,” isn’t specific enough. Those who had been persecuted and condemned for far too long needed to be mentioned by name. They needed a specific invitation.

⚫So it’s clear that scripture calls on us to issue invitations that are specific, and to offer a welcome that is specific. Identifying oppressed people by name, saying “we especially welcome you,” is important.

That’s why FCC and many other congregations have declared themselves to be “Open and Affirming.” It’s why we are specific in mentioning the LGBTQIA+ community —the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, asexual community— when we talk about the welcome we offer. 

Just saying “all are welcome” isn’t enough. We need to be specific in our invitation, mentioning by name those who have, in the past, been excluded, and who are still excluded in many places today.

In fact, this is even more important in 2025, now that hate against the queer community, and against those who are transgender in particular, is on the rise. 

Transgender rights are threatened. Not even just threatened; they are already being taken away. My cousin got a new passport a few weeks ago, but the government refused to honor his gender identity, and marked him as a female on his passport. Because that doesn’t match his identity and doesn’t match any other form of ID he has, he now cannot leave the country. The right to travel has been taken from him.

When rights are being taken away, when groups are being excluded and persecuted, it’s more important than ever to be specific in our invitation.

When I start each worship service by mentioning my pronouns, I’m not doing it to be political. But I know that among transgender people, and especially among transgender youth, rates of depression, suicide and destructive self-medication are astronomical. 

However, having even one affirming adult in their life can reduce the risk of suicide for a young transgender person by 40 percent.

So, it’s not about politics. It’s about saving lives. When we are specific in our invitation, we are saving lives. 

I admit, years ago, when I first started getting to know some transgender people, I was uncomfortable. As I got to know them, my discomfort faded. But even back when I was first starting to learn, I knew that my discomfort was a small price to pay for saving people’s lives.

A few blocks from my home, there is a church with a sign out front that says, “Black Lives Matter.” There’s another example of extending a specific invitation. 

Why can’t they just say, “all lives matter?” Why do they need to single out Black lives?

I hope that, by now, the answer to that is clear. Black lives have historically not mattered in this country. Black lives have too often not been affirmed, or welcomed, or celebrated. 

In many ways, that’s still true today.

So it’s important to extend a specific invitation to those who have been denied invitations in the past.

Imagine if, when Jesus left the 99 sheep to go find and save the one that was lost, that the other 99 started complaining, and saying: “Why are you going after that one lost sheep? What about the other 99? Don’t we matter, Jesus?”

Obviously, all the sheep matter to Jesus. But the one that was lost needed some extra attention, so that he could be safely brought back into the flock.

We here at FCC are still growing, still learning. (I’m still growing and learning.) We’ll always be learning and growing. We don’t get everything right all the time. We make mistakes, and we fall short at extending a sincere and specific welcome in all the ways that God calls us to.

Since Lent is a season of repentance, let us repent of those mistakes: our failure to welcome, our failure to be specific…

and let us commit to growing, and learning…

Let us commit to following the example set by Jesus and by the prophets and by the entire witness of the gospel, to do the best we can at welcoming the world to the Lord's Table; to improving the welcome we offer; and to being specific in that welcome whenever we can.

Delight in Good Food (Isaiah 55)

 We continue to hold in prayer the people of Ukraine. Several million people have left the country as refugees. Several million more have become displaced within Ukraine. It’s hard for me - and maybe for you, too - to imagine the scale of the disruption to normal life: the uncertainty, the terror.

Week of Compassion - which we support every year with a special offering in February - and Global Ministries - which is supported by our giving to the Disciples Mission Fund - are doing what they can to help those refugees and others affected. 

They are working in partnership with other ministries and relief organizations to do whatever can be done. Through these ministries and their ecumenical partners, our church is on the ground in Ukraine, establishing mobile hospitals, and working to provide spiritual and psychological support. Aid is being distributed, and transportation for refugees is being arranged.

This is our church at work. Your prayers and your support for Bixby Knolls Christian Church help make this possible. Through this ministry, you are there, providing help and comfort to those in need.

I saw this image last week. It’s a fruit stand in Odessa, a city in Ukraine. I’m told that the sign says that the vendor has left his fruit stand in order to volunteer with the Ukrainian military, and that the fruit stand is now a self-serve fruit stand; and the sign also says that anyone without enough money is welcome to take fruit without paying.

Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.

It’s always remarkable when you’re able to glimpse God’s kingdom of shalom, the kingdom of justice, the kingdom of peace, in the very midst of the brokenness of the world.

And the fruit all looks pretty good, doesn’t it? Fresh apples, and maybe some pears in the back (I can’t tell); crisp and sweet…

I like to slice my apples and spread some natural creamy peanut butter on the slices. Apple slices are also good with a little yogurt and honey, and some people like a slice of sharp cheddar on their apple slices.

Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.

Now, I know: these are strange words to hear in the middle of Lent. In Lent we often choose to give up something, to remind us of Christ’s sacrifice, and many people choose to give up some sort of food, like wine or chocolate or red meat - something really good. 

Yet the lectionary reading from Isaiah tells us to eat what is good, to delight in eating rich food.

This is part of Isaiah’s vision. Inspired by the Spirit, anointed by God, Isaiah had a vision of a kingdom of peace, a kingdom of shalom, a kingdom where every person, regardless of how rich or poor they were, is able to eat good food and not go hungry. 

The other prophets also all shared this vision. And it was an alternative vision to the vision set forth by the leaders in their time.

Remember: although the Old Testament prophets lived in different time periods, one thing they all had in common is that they all lived in times when economic policy was skewed in favor of the rich, and against the poor. The gap between the “haves” and the “have-nots” was huge.

In the different periods in which the prophets were active, the rich were getting richer and richer; while the poor, burdened by debt and oppressed by economic policy, didn’t even have enough to eat. If they owned land, they lost it; they sold it or had it seized in order to pay their debts. And for the many who still couldn’t pay their debts, they were forced into slavery, or forced to watch their children be sold into slavery.

This would not be the case if the rulers ruled with justice. This would not be the case if the rulers followed God’s teachings. Those teachings put a limit on debt, and called for all debts to be forgiven and all land returned to its original owner after a set time. Those teachings instructed that the nation’s economic wealth was to be shared with the poor, so that no one would go hungry. 

Because the state of the nation is not good, unless it is good for everyone.

At times, some of the rulers of Israel and Judah did follow God’s teachings, or at least came close to it. And in those times, because there was justice, there were no prophets. They weren’t needed.

But in those other times, when the rulers ignored God’s teachings, and justice was not implemented, and the poor were forgotten, neglected, or taken advantage of, God called on the prophets. Isaiah, Amos, Hosea, Jonah, and Micah in the 8th century BCE; Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Obadiah, Nahum, Habakkuk, and Zephaniah at the end of the 7th century; Haggai, Zechariah, Joel, and Malachi at the end of the 6th century.

God called on these prophets to speak to the nations, to proclaim Jubilee, the forgiveness of debts, and to convince the kings and rulers to restore justice, so that the poor could have food to eat, and that they could enjoy it in freedom.

This is the vision of Isaiah in today’s scripture.

And Jesus continued to put that vision before the people. In fact, that vision is even a part of the prayer he taught his disciples, the Lord’s Prayer. 

When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors,” he was envisioning the ancient practice of Jubilee, when debts are indeed forgiven, when people’s lives are restored, and they are able to live lives of wholeness, lives of abundance. 

The wealth of the nation, which their labor helped produce, is shared, so that none go hungry. Even those who are poor, who cannot afford to pay, are at least able to eat of the good food that the land produces.

Only when the nations shape their economies this way will there be shalom. Only when they practice justice like this will there be peace.

Yet, as we heard in last week’s scripture, the people often don’t do what is necessary for peace. And Jesus weeps. Jesus laments over Jerusalem in Luke chapter 13; and again, in the 19th chapter of Luke, Jesus weeps again, and says:  “If only you had recognized the things that make for peace!”

And if Jesus was weeping then, I’m pretty sure that Jesus is weeping today. Because at no time in recent history, has economic policy been so skewed in favor of the rich, and so against the poor.

In the United States, since the 1950s, through both Republican and Democratic administrations, the burden on the poor has become harder and harder to bear, while the wealthy receive more and more favors and tax breaks. The greed that exists today among the wealthiest citizens and wealthiest corporations is obscene. 

Many major corporations, from grocery store chains to Big Oil, are raising their prices, even though their own costs have not gone up. They’re making record profits, and are also giving big raises to their CEOs and stockholders; yet they deprive their workers of a living wage.

In the past three weeks, the price of oil has dropped by $30 per barrel. Yet gas prices continue to rise. Oil companies are taking advantage of the war in Ukraine to keep prices high, even though their own costs have gone down. 

That is sin. It is perhaps the most mentioned sin in all of scripture: the sin of making the poor pay more, suffer more, while the rich grow richer and richer.

The most mentioned sin in all of scripture: depriving the poor of justice.

This is not God’s will. This is not the vision of the prophets. This is not the way of Jesus.

But the vision of the prophets is not dead. The way of Jesus is still alive. And we are the ones who can invite the world to join us on that way, the ones to keep the vision of the prophets in people’s minds and hearts, to remind the world that this is what God commands; that this is the way to peace.

Indeed, that is our calling. Just as the prophets were called, so too are we. Their vision is now our vision. Their hope now dwells among us and within us. 

As long as there are people in the world who are faithful to God and faithful to Jesus, that vision will not die.

Which is why I think it is perfectly appropriate that we have a scripture about eating good food, and delighting ourselves in rich food, during Lent. We should delight in eating good food during Lent, as long as we work to build a society in which all people can delight in rich food, and enjoy what is good together.

And if we should give up anything for Lent, we should give up the lie that the rich deserve their obscene wealth because they work hard for it; and we should give up the lie that poor workers don’t deserve a living wage; and we should give up the lie that rising prices are due to inflation, when really it’s corporate greed causing prices to go up.

And if we should give up anything for Lent, we should give up our level of comfort and complacency with an economy that so drastically oppresses the poor. 

And if we should give up anything for Lent, we should give up our refusal to recognize just what it is that makes for peace in our world. 

And together, we should work for a world where everyone has a seat at the table; where every person is welcome at the feast. 

There is abundance for all, if we learn to share. That is the gospel truth. This world is a world of abundance, a world of blessing. God has bestowed upon humanity so many gifts - everything we need to not just survive, but thrive. 

So every person should be able to eat the good stuff, and delight in rich food.

Poetic Satisfaction (Isaiah 55)

In English, poetry has sounds that rhyme
Conveying thoughts in ways that are sublime
In Biblical Hebrew, it’s the ideas that rhyme
In the ancient language, it’s a cadence of thought
Often, in ancient Hebrew, one line of poetry will make a statement, and then the next line will say basically the same thing, but with different words. One line will of poetry will say something, and the next line will repeat that idea, in slightly different form.
Which is why I say that the ideas rhyme, even if the sounds of the words don’t.
An example from Psalm 24:
The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it
The world and its inhabitants too
Because God is the one who established it on the seas
God set it firmly on the waters.
Do you see how the ideas are repeated? Do you see how the thoughts are duplicated?
The first line talks about the earth; the second line talks about the world. Different word, but the same thing.
The first line says the earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.
The second line says all the inhabitants too. “Everything in it” would certainly include “all the inhabitants.” There is redundancy. There is repetition of ideas.
That’s how it is in Hebrew poetry.
The third line: “Because God is the one who established it on the seas…” That idea is repeated in the fourth line: “God set it firmly on the waters.”
In Biblical Hebrew, it’s the ideas that rhyme.
In the ancient language, it’s a cadence of thought.
Many of the prayers and blessings of the Bible are written in poetry. Last week, in worship, we heard the blessing Isaac gave to his son Jacob. (He meant to give it to Esau, but was tricked into giving it to Jacob.)
A part of that blessing went like this:
Let peoples serve you,
  and nations bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
  and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Do you see and hear the repetition of ideas in that? “Let peoples serve you; let nations bow down to you.” Those two lines say basically the same thing! “Be lord over your brothers; may your mother’s sons bow down to you.” Those two lines say basically the same thing!
Different words, perhaps with a slight change in nuance from the first line to the second, but basically, the same idea. A rhyming of ideas.
Today’s scripture is from Isaiah 55. Isaiah is a book of prophecy, and nearly the entire book is written in poetry.
Check this out:
“Everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come buy and eat…”
The idea there is repeated in the next line:
“Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
Do you see it? The first line tells those without money to buy, and the second line says tells them to buy things without price.
Let’s go on to the next two lines…
“Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread… and your labor for that which does not satisfy?”
And this… This is where it gets interesting. This is where understanding Hebrew poetry can help us better understand the meaning behind it.
Look at these two lines. These two lines of poetry are structured in a very similar way. They both ask, Why do you do [something] for that which does not fill your hunger or leave you satisfied?
And the two somethings are: spending your money, and spending your labor.
If we understand that Hebrew poetry repeats ideas, then we can see that spending your money and spending your labor are paired up; and based on our knowledge of how Hebrew poetry works, we know that these two words are intended by the poet to represent similar, if not identical, ideas.
But spending our money, and spending our labor… are these really similar or identical ideas?
We often talk about giving to the church, and we often distinguish between giving our money and giving our time. Everyone is capable of giving both money and time, although some might be capable of giving greater amounts of money, while others might be capable of giving greater amounts of time.
And the way we talk about these things makes it sound as if giving money and giving time are two very different things.
But Isaiah uses them in this poem as if they are equivalent; Isaiah repeats them; Isaiah rhymes their meanings, as if they mean the same or practically the same thing…
We know these two ideas are meant to be rhymed in meaning because nearly every other line in this chapter has meanings that rhyme. Reading on, we see that, in verse 3, it says: “Incline your ear,” and then, in the next line, “listen.” The same idea, repeated.
And look at verse 6, which says, “Seek the LORD while he may be found,” and then repeats that idea by saying, “call upon him while he is near.”
Here, in verse 2, “spending money” and “spending labor” are used in a rhyming sort of way.
Clearly, in Isaiah’s mind, spending money and spending labor are paired up as equivalents, two ideas that mean the same thing.
In Isaiah’s mind, the two ideas rhyme perfectly. Spending money and spending one’s labor are the same.
They’re the same, because they both represent a person’s life-energy.
Let’s say a person gives one hour of labor to a cause; and let’s say a second person goes to work and works for one hour, and earns 10 dollars, and then gives those ten dollars to that same cause.
The first person’s hour of labor, and the second person’s ten dollars, are the same, because they both represent one hour of life-energy.
In a similar way, let’s say a person who earns $50 dollars an hour donates fifty dollars; and a second person who earns $10 an hour donates ten dollars. The first person’s $50 and the second person’s $10 are the same, because they both represent one hour of life-energy.
And both are equal to one hour of labor.
The way Isaiah rhymes the ideas of spending money and spending labor is helpful in other ways. Let’s say you need a new computer, so you go to the store where you find one computer on sale for 400 dollars, and another computer on sale for 800 dollars.
The 800 dollar computer is obviously nicer, but is it worth the extra cost?
Well, let’s say you earn 25 dollars an hour. To buy the 400 dollar computer, you would have to work 12 hours, because 12 hours times $25/hour equals 400 dollars. 12 hours - or, 1 ½ days, if you work 8 hours a day.
To buy the 800 dollar computer, you would have to work 24 hours.
So to help you decide which computer to buy, you can ask yourself: is the 800 dollar computer worth 24 hours of my life-energy? Or can I be happy with the 400 dollar computer, which only requires me to sacrifice 12 hours of my life-energy?
Or, maybe you’d decide that even 12 hours of your life-energy isn’t worth a new computer, and you decide to keep using the old computer you have at home for another couple of years.
Then again, maybe you’d decide that 24 hours of your life is no big deal to own a nice computer; heck, you’d be willing to sacrifice 48 work hours - which is six 8-hour work days - in order to get the really really nice computer that costs $1600!
Whatever you decide, you will have been helped in your decision-making process by understanding the relationship between labor and money.
But Isaiah doesn’t just want you to understand the relationship between labor and money; Isaiah wants you to use that understanding to help you make wise choices.
Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in rich food.
And what is it that satisfies? What is it that is good? What is the rich food in which you can take delight?
That which satisfies, that which brings you delight, is certainly worth you spending your life-energy for…
Sociologists and psychologists have noted how the happiness that comes with new purchases begins to fade mere moments after the purchase is made. New clothes, new toys, even that new computer you want… a new phone, a new car… The level of happiness starts to drop almost immediately after purchasing.
But that’s not true for everything. If you make an investment for the future, you feel good, and that good feeling lasts. It lasts because, as time goes by, you see the results of your investment.
Every week, you give to the church. The money you give represents many hours of life-energy, many hours of labor. And through the ministry of this church, lives are changed. The hungry are fed. People experiencing life struggles are shown support. Young people know that they are loved, and their faith develops here as well as at church camp.
In so many ways, the money given to the church is multiplied… and the satisfaction of those who give is also multiplied.
This is hard to understand when you’re young. I used to think that people who said such things were just saying them because they wanted my money.
But now I know: it’s true. You can multiply your satisfaction when you give to the church.
I should point out that I kind of have a reputation of being the stingy one in my family. I don’t like to spend money.
Except, that’s not quite true. I love to spend money on things that matter. On things that bring deep, lasting satisfaction.  
But it’s true, I do hate to spend money on things that don’t matter. On things that won’t bring lasting satisfaction. On things that we will enjoy today, and throw away tomorrow.
God wants us to find deep satisfaction and lasting joy. Did you catch that in today’s reading? God wants us to experience deep satisfaction. God wants us to experience joy. God wants us to find experiences in which we can take delight. Those words - “satisfaction” and “delight” - are right there in the scripture.
But not if it’s cheap satisfaction. And not if it’s at the expense of my neighbor’s lasting satisfaction and joy.
The true, deep, lasting satisfaction only comes when we are able to devote our life-energy to things that bring a shared satisfaction. A satisfaction that comes to our neighbor as well as to us.
The pursuit of cheap, self-centered satisfaction is a root cause of many problems we have today, including inhumane working and living conditions throughout much of the world, as well as the huge amounts of trash we create daily. Plastic is polluting our land and the ocean. Fish and sea creatures in even the deepest, most remote parts of the ocean have been discovered with plastic in their bodies.  We live in a throwaway society, and a throwaway society is incapable of bringing us lasting satisfaction and joy.
But if we can pursue a deep, lasting satisfaction, this will be a wise and worthy use of our life-energy. If we can pursue the things that really matter, we will receive the wine and milk Isaiah talks about, in which we and our neighbors can take delight. We will eat what is good, and delight ourselves in rich food.