"From the Pulpit" - reflections on the weekly texts, from Pastor Greg at Living Lord Lutheran Church
4 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
"You Can Never Really Predict How Things Will Land"
Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father, and the LORD Jesus Christ.
First things first, though. Notice above how some of the text is center justified? It's that way for a reason. When you see passages in Scripture such as this, it's likely meant to have been sung, or intoned - a song or poem. This "poem" from Isaiah is one such example. And BTW, this is the same thing Mary says in Luke's gospel, when she learns she is pregnant with God's son. How about that?
Maybe you watched some or all of the ceremonies this past week around the inauguration of President Trump. I didn't see it/them, but I was intrigued by an article this past week in the NY Times about Bishop Marianne Budde, the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington, DC. Bishop Budde was the preacher at the interfaith worship service held at the National Cathedral on Mass. Ave in NW Washington, DC. This was her hometown crowd. This church was her home church. She was preaching to a high-powered assembly that day, and I can only imagine what she must have been going through both in preparation of her message, as well as its delivery.
The article talked about how unsettling it all was, and how she had meticulously prepared her message, and more. She had three things she wanted to convey while looking directly at the new President. Things like compassion for the poor, mercy for the tens of thousands of immigrants, both documented and undocumented, in her Diocese, and more. She said she felt compelled to talk about these things, even knowing that the Administration's agenda on this sensitive topic was in direct opposition to her message. But, she said, she had to remain true to the message of the gospel. And so, she delivered her message to those in attendance, and in some way, to the most powerful man on earth. Wow. I can only imagine what she must have been going through.
Anyhow, after the service, she got feedback, both positive, and not so positive. The blowback from the conservative folks was brutal. She endured much criticism and praise. Interviewed later in the week by the Times, describing what she went through, reflecting on her message, she said (and as a preacher of the gospel myself, I can fully relate...), quote, "you can never really predict how things will land." Wow. I feel the same way every time I step into the pulpit - I never really know how things will land.
But looking at this gospel story in Luke - tomorrow's gospel reading, there are lots of similarities with Bishop Budde's experience. Jesus is back in his hometown. When it came time to deliver his message, he takes the Scroll, unrolls it to this particular passage from Isaiah, and reads it aloud. A message of hope for the poor. A message of release for the captives, however we might define that. Recovery of sight to the blind. Freedom for the oppressed. And then, he says, "Today, the Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." Whoa! What just happened, those in attendance must have been thinking.
And Luke's story goes on to say that all who heard it were amazed, and in awe of this hometown Jesus. For about 10 minutes, that is. Until they realized that he was pointing his finger directly at them. The temple leadership. His Jewish community. All for completely missing the point of what God is all about. And it was not about the temple; it was not about adherence to the Law, both of which were central to the Jewish faith then and now.
Jesus is saying that where you see people helping those in need...where you see people working for freedom of captives, however we might define that...wherever you see folks working for the oppressed and more, there, you will see God. God is not in the temple or the book, but in the world. Out there! And in his anointing/baptism, he is sent out into the world. This is his mission field. In the people and places that the temple ignored. In the people and places where no one wanted to engage - in the mess of the world. The story of Jesus is a straight line from manger to cross, with stops along the way. Stops to heal the sick and dying. Stops to dine with sinners. Stops along the way to bring hope, and comfort, and mercy. This is the mission field that Jesus is talking about in this story.
And this mission field is OUR mission field as well. When we feed people in Gifford and elsewhere...when we send our money to help with disaster relief...when we provide clothing and goodies for people who have nothing...when we work for justice and peace in all the earth...there you will find Jesus.
Sisters and brothers in the faith. just like Jesus in his baptism, in our own baptism, we are also anointed to do the exact same things Jesus did. And when we do these things, even though we may not always know the end result of our work, you and I are Messiah for these people - sisters and brothers all. Because, you can never really predict how things will land, can you? Amen.
Comments