True Offerings

I just finished reading Isaiah 58 for my class on Wednesday, and I am struck by the similarities of Israel and our modern churches. The prophet is called upon to make known the transgressions of the people. So, Yahweh brings it right to the people, revealing the hypocrisy of their offerings (Sabbath/fasting) in relation to the way they treat the oppressed and the poor around them. In the end God calls for the true "fasting" that he longs for...to end the oppression, to break the yokes of bondage, and to share the bread with the hungry. I have been thinking of the discussion I had with Wess Daniels earlier, regarding the Communion table and how it was modeled for us in Christ. I truly want to find a way to share a common table with my neighbors, my family, my friends, the homeless, the stranger, and the outcast. I am wondering how that is possible in a world where I work full time, study in school, and typically come home exhausted. I am not making excuses, but I am looking for encouraging dialogue and for people to potentially express interest in doing the same thing. As of now, all I can do is pray for Abba to make this a possibility in the lives of those around me. I love the way God calls us to live a life that is beyond ourselves, to pick up our crosses and to follow him. If this life was about me, I would be utterly disappointed.