Embrace Christ’s Mission
January 24th 2016
I’d like to share with you from Luke 4: 14-21
The Beginning of the Galilean Ministry
14 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.
The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
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.” This astounded them!
Let us look
at the message of this scripture a
little closer.
Last
week, from the Gospel of John, the wedding at Cana was cited as the first of
seven signs the community of John used to decide that Jesus was divine.
This
week, from the Gospel of Luke, we hear an announcement about Jesus’ public
ministry.
This
passage follows Jesus’ baptism and his temptation in the wilderness. It was
after those two key life events that Jesus returned to Galilee “filled with the
power of the Spirit” (v. 14). Though the passage began with news of his
expected return and praise from those he was teaching in nearby synagogues, the
reading is followed by an attempt to throw him off a cliff!
What
do you suppose that was all about? Our focus this morning is verses 14–21, but
the context of the verses is important.
Jesus' claim that
"today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing" placed
both listeners and readers in the position of having to make a choice. No
fence-sitting was possible. Jesus' teaching was not some ethical instruction
detached from his person. He indicated he was the promise of God. He was
the Messiah! Either he brought God’s promise of the end times and a drastic change
in that day’s world, or he did not.
The crowd does
reflect on the claim; they are amazed and perplexed simultaneously. They spoke
well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.
They recognized a persuasive speaker in their midst, but his pedigree gave them pause. “Isn't this Joseph's son?”
they asked. How could he be the promised one of God?
Knowing their
thoughts, Jesus responded. In the Gospels, when someone thinks and then Jesus
speaks, his words usually carry rebuke.
Jesus replied in
three ways. First, he cited a proverb that indicated they wanted him to prove
it. "Show me" was their basic response to his claim.
Miracles or
signs…, as powerful a testimony as they were to Jesus’ reputation, in the end
never convince one who does not want to listen and accept. People must be
willing to hear the message and receive it before they will see anything as
God's work and their own part in it. Jesus’ message was a challenge to the
status quo.
Second, Jesus
quoted the proverb that a prophet is often not honored in his own hometown.
This remark revealed Jesus' understanding of Old Testament history. He knew how
repeatedly God's messengers were rejected. God's message was often met with
rejection. The proverb also served as a prediction that for many in Israel
Jesus' ministry would fit into this tragic mold.
Third, Jesus
recalls the history of Israel in the period of Elijah and Elisha (1 Kings
17--18; 2 Kings 5:1-14). The history lesson is a warning. That period was a low
point in the nation's life, when rejection of God was at an all-time high and
idolatry and unfaithfulness ran rampant. So God moved his works of mercy
outside the nation into Gentile regions, as only a widow in Sidon and Naaman
the Syrian experienced God's healing. This exchange revealed the basic
challenge of Jesus' ministry: the choice he presented carried high stakes.
The crowd did not
seize the opportunity. Rather, Jesus' warning angered them. The suggestion that
Gentiles might be blessed while Israel reaps nothing left them fuming. Such
displeasure at the accountability implicit in the gospel message is echoed in other
scripture and the crowd knew that.
Many respond
similarly today when they realize that the gospel is a matter of "take it and
act on it or you will be responsible for the consequences of your decision."
Jesus departed
and slipped through the crowd, despite the crowd's efforts to seize him and throw
him over a cliff.
People can try to
turn their back on Jesus’s message and even
do away with him, as this crowd tried to
do but his message and challenge always will be remaining in their midst.
The
challenge for our congregation is to look with fresh eyes at what may be the
most often repeated scripture passage in Community of Christ.
Jesus’
declaration in verses 18–19 is at the heart of our understanding of our
mission. How can the message this week be an epiphany (seeing or understanding
something in a new way) for us ?
Let
us read it again with new eyes:
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.”
Jesus
must have been well-known and well-respected as news of his return spread
rapidly. People gathered in the synagogues to hear him speak…and they were
pleased. After he finished reading, all eyes were on him. He must have been a
favorite son in the villages near his home.
Still,
they thought, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” “Can this man who grew up among us be the
Messiah?”
We
learn from his time in the wilderness and his bold declaration in the synagogue
that his goal was not to please others but to fulfill God’s call in his life.
Jesus
commonly went to the synagogue. He was evidently familiar with reading
scripture and letting God speak through the words on the scrolls.
After his
baptism and his sojourn in the wilderness, Jesus was clear that he had been
called by God for a specific purpose.
Of
all the options, the most likely is that Judaism taught that Messiah should
only engage in certain types of self-proclamation. Perhaps also there is
concern that the title Messiah would be understood with too political a force
and bring the Romans down on them in force.
Note:
there was a strong connection between Jesus’ baptism, his time alone in the
wilderness, and God’s call through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The
same may be true for us.
Jesus
adapted the well-known prophetic passage of Isaiah 61 and heard God calling him
through it. Sacred writings shaped Jesus’ life and they are gifts to us to help
us shape our lives.
We
must keep pushing our understanding of mission up against this announcement by
Jesus of his own call. After all, the church proclaims “Jesus’ mission is our
mission”.
From our Doctrine and
Covenants 162:7a
There are many lives
waiting to hear the redeeming words of the gospel, or to be lifted from
hopelessness by the hands of loving servants. But they will be lost to you
without the generous response of disciples who share from their own bounty that
others may know the joys of the kingdom. —
God
gives and loves graciously and generously! We know that all we are and all we
have are gifts from God. As followers of Jesus, our whole-life commitment is in
response to God's wonderful generosity. Being generous is about aligning our
priorities with God's priorities, aligning our hearts with God's heart.
What
is our response as disciples of Jesus? In simple terms, we are called to
respond with thankfulness and share with others as generously as God has shared
with us. The following six spiritual practices of A Disciple’s Generous
Response guide us in managing and sharing our resources:
Be Generous
God
gifts each person with boundless grace and unending love. Our response to that
love and grace is to serve others and let generosity become part of our nature.
Be Dependable
God's
unconditional love for each of us is expressed through the life and ministry of
Jesus Christ. When we faithfully respond to that ministry we become accountable
to one another, God, and ourselves.
Manage Your Money
Managing
the money we have, no matter the amount, expresses our desire to love and help
God, neighbors, ourselves, and the world. When we focus our giving on
God's purposes, our hearts become more aligned with God's heart.
Share Joyfully
Tithing
is a gift of thanksgiving to God and the church in response to God's generous
gifts to us. When we share our tithes, the church can spread joy, hope, love,
and peace around the world so others can experience God's generosity, too.
Save Wisely
Saving
is a way to prepare for the future. It gives us the chance to extend our love
and create a better tomorrow for our families, friends, the church's mission,
and the world.
Spend Carefully
Responsibly
spending is a commitment to live a healthy, happy life together with God and
others. The teachings of Jesus challenge us to make lifestyle choices that are
often countercultural.
When
we consider the ways that each principle applies to our lives, we respond
faithfully and begin to discover our true capacity for giving.
The promise in our
Doctrine and Covenants 163:9 is clear: "Eternal joy and peace await those
who grow in grace and generosity that flows from compassionate hearts without
thought of return." We invite you to join us on this journey!
Let
us read again the Mission Statement of Jesus with even newer eyes:
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.”
If Jesus’ mission is our mission, when
and how have we responded to the call to preach good news, to announce pardon
and recovery of sight, to set the burdened free, to proclaim, that this is
God’s year to act…through us?
There are at least two ways we can
implement this challenge. We can attempt to tithe 10% of our income as the recent
Herald article suggests is the new norm for the church and to further the
worldwide mission of the church and we can work in our own communities
to implement that mission in our own communities where there is much need.
We have attempted to do that as a community as
much as we can with the size of our congregation. But we can also do more as individuals by
volunteering where volunteers are needed and by contributing to worthy
community projects .
Included with your bulletins, are
copies of the Mission Prayer the World Church
has provided for us to carry with us in our billfolds and purses to
refer to each day.
And last of all let us each ask
ourselves where God has called us as
individuals to go that we have not yet gone?
