I was so naive.
I might have expected language challenges if we had moved to, say, Scotland. But not from a move within the USA. I had supposed we would only have to factor in the New England accent.
From the very beginning of our time in the Boston area, we could not communicate.
We had to learn all-new terminology. A shopping cart was a “carriage.” Sprinkles on ice cream? “Jimmies.” A milkshake was a “frappe,” and a water fountain was a “bubbler.” Those small cardboard cups of ice cream with the little wooden spoon? “Hoodsies.” And don’t get me started on the drama that followed ordering a “double dip” in an ice cream shop when we should have requested two scoops.
While trying to join a new culture, we were getting lost in a battle of words. Something had to change. Many people still approach change with an us-versus-them attitude. But here’s a long-known general truth: When change encounters culture, culture wins. Knowing that truth, we realized we weren’t going to change them. In many ways, we had to allow the culture to change us. And so it didn’t take long for us to fall into the habit of assuming we just didn’t understand—especially when a strange word appeared before us.
We became conditioned.
Hopefully, that explains my initial response when I saw the sign reading: FRIED DOUG. I admit thinking: Who is Doug, and why would anyone want to fry him? But by then, I no longer critically questioned the terms and practices of my new culture. Even if I didn’t understand the what and why, I assumed FRIED DOUG must mean, well, something.
Or must it? My FRIED DOUG clarity came just moments later when the crowd moved aside. As it parted, I could then see all of the sign. There, immediately to the right of “DOUG,” was the letter “H.”
Oh.
FRIED DOUGH made a lot more sense than FRIED DOUG. In my defense, I had never even heard of fried dough. But the true root cause of my misunderstanding was much more subtle. My own habit—my conditioning—had tricked me into believing there was one meaning, when in fact, there was another.
Something similar was happening with God’s people when Isaiah confronted them in this week’s scripture. God rejected their religious practices en masse. In fact, God told them those actions and observances had become a burden, and He had grown weary of bearing them! God rejected their prayers, their gatherings, their festivals—every part of what they did or said as worshippers.
To a religious person, that’s got to sound harsh.
Why would God reject their worship? What had they done to warrant such a reaction? I’m sure they attempted, much as we do, to properly perform each religious practice. Where had they gone wrong?
Answer: They fell into a habit.
Their culture required certain religious practices of them. They had been conditioned to do them, and so ... they did them. Over time, the behaviors that made those religious practices meaningful had fallen away. God said their hands were bloody from doing evil. They could only restore themselves by serving justice, rescuing the oppressed, defending the orphan, and pleading for the widow.
They needed the clarity the prophet Isaiah was providing. Like the “H” in my FRIED DOUG sign, they were missing something essential. Without that missing piece, their worship was worse than meaningless. The object of their worship no longer wanted to hear from them. If they wanted their religion to be acceptable to God, they had to actually do good.
They were going to have to make some serious adjustments. The question is: Do we?
________________________
“Forty Boston Slang Words and Expressions You Should Know”:
https://www.timeout.com/boston/news/40-boston-slang-words-and-expressions-you-should-know-090121
PHOTOS of Daddy’s Fried Dough:
http://www.daddysfrieddough.com/about-us.html
________________________
DaySpring’s Lectionary Breakfast will meet Friday morning on Zoom** and at Our Breakfast Place. We start at 8:00 and enjoy a wonderful time of scripture, prayer, food, and fellowship.
Meet us by the bubbler with Jimmie’s on your frappe.
Blessings,
Steve
**Zoom link (Zoom allows you to mute the camera and the microphone if you don’t wish to be seen or heard.)
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89947678414
SCRIPTURES FOR SUNDAY AND THE COMING WEEK
Find them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/texts/?y=384&z=p&d=68
Print them here:
https://lectionary.library.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdfs/Cx_Proper14.pdf
Isaiah 1:1, 10-20
Psalm 50:1-8, 22-23
Genesis 15:1-6
Psalm 33:12-22
Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16
Luke 12:32-40
Proper 14 (19) (August 10, 2025)
No comments:
Post a Comment