What would the Lord Jesus say to us as he walks with us in Isaiah 1:10 -20? Maybe:

Delight!

God’s delight is in us, not our religion.

From the beginning, in his Son we are his delight:

Good, very good!

We matter, creation matters.

Blood!

Blood is on our hands as we and our nation turn from God;

As we forget the poor and the needy;

As we abuse the stranger, we sin as Sodom and Gomorrah sinned.

Empty words, empty religion, empty actions,

They are a burden to God the Father.

He bears them on the Cross.

We are called to wash ourselves clean:

Blood and water flow from the side of Jesus,

The new Adam, the Church his bride the second Eve, formed by the blood and the water from his side.

Come now! God the Father calls us to reason:

Red! Deep red – the wool is dyed!

Only God can make the wool as white as snow and restore the wool. What is impossible for us is possible with God.

The blood of the cross brings life:

Red to white: death to life.

Come now let us reason together:

Let us eat the good that is the flesh of the Son

And not be eaten by the sword, the sword of this world:

The sword of pride, cruelty and indifference

Listen to the word within: our Lord and our God.

Let us pray.

O Christ our God, who is full of mercy, in turning from you, the stain on our hearts is deep. Only you can restore and wash us clean by the blood of the cross and the water of the word. Help us to turn from every evil and do good. Heal us: save us and our nation, Lord Jesus Christ. Amen