Proclaiming Good News! (Luke 4)

14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

There are a lot of similarities between the synagogues of Jesus’ day and our churches. There are of course a lot of differences. 

The synagogue was a place for community gathering. A place to come together for prayer. And a place for learning. These qualities are much the same today for us in our churches. In fact, synagogue originally referred to the assembly. It wasn’t until later the word meant the building. Much like the word church. 

Any male over the age of 13 was expected to become part of the religious community and take his part in its activities. Men were assigned a reading and would speak a short commentary on it. It might be interesting if we still did that on occasion. I wonder what our teenagers would say to us. It might be a good time to listen.
Anyway, Jesus often participated.  He read, spoke and taught at the synagogues regularly and people seemed to be in awe of his wisdom. 

The day of which our gospel reading tells us is a bit different, however. Jesus has been baptized and spent time in the wilderness fasting and praying. The Holy Spirit is active in Jesus. These things change us. And they ignite Jesus’  ministry. 
Jesus is given the scroll of Isaiah to read, specifically this passage.
The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
    to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Processing all that has occurred in his life over the past month or so, perhaps Jesus knew that he knew his time had come. And in the midst of his own community he testifies to what God is doing.

God is proclaiming good news. Good news for all people. Not just the rich, not just the revered,  not just the priests, not just the leaders…but all people. What is that good news?

The prisoner will be set free. These are not just words for those held in a physical jail. These are words for those who are imprisoned by fear, condemnation, addictions, depression, hopelessness. All kinds of prisons were about to be shaken to the core.

Fear is a terrible prison. One dare not move, or speak when fearful.  Or just the opposite, one might not be able to sit quietly and pray when afraid. What is the most repeated commandment in the Bible? It is ‘do not be afraid!’ We are freed to pray and move in the power of God without fear!

Condemnation imprisons us. Others assumptions of us as well as our own assumptions of ourselves. It is hard to stand up straight and speak your truth when you believe you have no value. When you believe you have sinned so greatly you will never have worth. Freed from judgement!

Addictions also come in many forms. My first thought is of course drugs. But we are addicted to many things. Money, Affluence, Reputation, Power, Comfort and so on. Having a new phone every year at the cost of the environment is a form of addiction. Freed from addictions!

The good news is freedom!

The blind will be given sight! Blindness in scripture does not only refer to physical blindness. In fact Jesus often uses those healings to point out the spiritual blindness of the religious leaders and others.

The good news is that sight will be offered to you. (Big question is do we want to see?) We will see God in action, see love in action, see truth in action, see resurrection. We will see God in each other. 

And those that are oppressed will be able to rise up and proclaim what they have seen. They will have the courage to testify of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness and grace. Testify not only in words but in deeds. 
And of course, the poor will be blessed. Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom! They are not disdained, ignored, or hidden away. They are blessed!

Luke records these words  in chapter 6:
“Blessed are you who are poor,
    for yours is the kingdom of God.
21 Blessed are you who hunger now,
    for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
    for you will laugh.
22 Blessed are you when people hate you,
    when they exclude you and insult you
    and reject your name as evil,
        because of the Son of Man.

This is the good news for all except the oppressors, the rich, the hard-hearted that prefer to stay blind. Luke also includes a set woes for these people in chapter 6.

And Jesus declares that he has been anointed to not only declare the good news but to bring the Lord’s favor to all. God’s blessings to all. God’s Spirit to all. 

And people thought that Jesus should just be a good boy and attend to his carpentry. As we know, that is not what happened.

Now here is the thing that really strikes me in this. The same Spirit that anoints Jesus, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit, is also in me. And also in you. Paul tells us that we must choose to follow that precious Spirit of God instead of our own flesh. And if we make that choice, then our mission is the same as Jesus’. To care for the poor, to bless them. To care for the oppressed, physically oppressed, emotionally oppressed, politically oppressed. (Let’s not forget these were the reality in Jesus’ day.) To set free those who labor under condemnation and judgement through forgiveness and acceptance. To show God’s favor to all people. No matter the cost.

I end by quoting Paul’s prayer from the 1st chapter of Ephesians. 
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, 19 and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength 20 he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. 
Amen

Fish, Wine and Grace in Abundance

 On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him. John 2

I am not sure that I have a sermon for you today as much as I have ramblings of places the Spirit has taken my soul recently. I can only pray that as I ramble, you too might find the Spirit touching you in some way.

Each year I like to pick a word for the year. It is a word that I use in my time of centering prayer as well as something I look for in daily life, readings, and interactions with others. This year the word grace has become my guiding word. I find it in the smallest of things. My cup of coffee in the morning is filled with grace. The sun coming in the widow shines with grace. And of course each and every hug embraces me with grace. I could go on and on and on like this. But instead I ask, where do you find grace in your daily life?

Grace seems to speak to me this year because of all the things I see going on around me. My heart is broken over so many of these things. And passion rises up in fury. But the Spirit whispers grace. Grace for others and grace for myself. Grace to acknowledge the hurt and the fears and to embrace them in myself and in others.

I have started reading a passage of Luke in the morning. I believe it was Tuesday morning that I read the story of the huge catch of fish. Perhaps you remember it. Jesus is preaching from Peter’s boat and when he finishes he tells Peter and the others to go out into the deep and cast out their nets. Despite being weary from fishing all night  and catching nothing, Peter does as Jesus tells him. The haul of fish is so immense he calls for all the other boats to come out and help bring in the jackpot!

It’s a wonderful story.

Later that day I checked in with Pastor Bob. While he is getting better it is a process. So we all thought that taking one more Sunday for rest would be wise. 

So in preparation I went to the lectionary wondering if I would get to preach on the great fishing miracle.  Instead I found our reading from John. The wedding at Cana and the gallons and gallons of the finest wine. 

As is my habit, I read the passage and prayed quietly waiting to hear what the Spirit might have for me and perhaps for a sermon. And one word came to me in capital letters and exclamation points. ABUNDANCE!

My very human mind began grappling with the concept of abundance. Abundance of what? And of course I began thinking of things, stuff, sustenance for the body etc. And the Holy Spirit simply said “really?” And while it is true if we could learn to share the blessings of creation with all people there is more than enough for everyone, that wasn’t where the Spirit was going.

And when I picked up my cup of coffee I understood. Grace. An abundance of grace. My spirit felt as if it had been wrapped in a warm blanket as the Spirit answered “yes.” Grace.

So what is grace? What is the difference between grace and mercy? Mercy is not getting what we deserve. Getting caught with your hand in the cookie jar and not being sent to your room. And grace is getting what we don’t deserve. Peace, love, and a fresh cup of morning coffee.  Both grace and mercy are poured out in love. Both are in abundance in God’s Kingdom. But grace is about those everyday blessings, gifts, favors that are so easily missed.

Where can we find grace in the wedding story?

Mary’s heart sees a need and cared that the wedding hosts would be publicly embarrassed by the lack of wine. She finds the grace, love within her own heart, to turn to Jesus for help. She could simply shrug her shoulders and think how sad it all was and do nothing.

Jesus for some reason does not want to do as she asks, and there have been lots of sermons preached on that, but instead he finds the grace within to say yes and helps. He could have left it alone simply saying “not my time, not my problem.”

The servants find enough grace to have the courage to take a ladle to the wine stewart not knowing for certain what they are carrying or how they or the liquid in the ladle will be received. Grace overcomes doubt and fear.

And because each of these individuals not only found grace within themselves but also said yes to giving grace to another, they too received the blessing of knowing the glory of God in their simple service. And there was an abundance! An abundance of grace. An abundance of all that was needed.

Grace when given away returns to the giver. I like to think that when I recognize the grace in my cup of coffee, the sunshine, the hug and I thank God for it, God is also blessed.

There is an abundance of grace to go around. To share. To give away. We can be renewed each day by that grace if we take the moment to recognize and receive it. And share it.

Abundance. God’s kingdom is about abundance. God’s kingdom is about grace. Grace for ourselves and grace to give away to others. Grace comes in many forms. It can be in coffee, wine, a hug. It can be in acceptance. In listening without judgement. In empathy. 

So these are simply the ponderings of my spirit so far this year. I don’t know if they make sense to anyone else. I can only pray that somewhere in them is a blessing for you to receive.

I would like to end with a reading from Ephesians. After which I ask for a moment of silence that we might each sense the Spirit’s grace.

Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

BTW…the word translated as saved, actually means to be made whole.

Amen   (silence)

Luke 3 Jesus and John on the Jordan

10 And the crowds asked him, “What, then, should we do?” 11 In reply he said to them, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none, and whoever has food must do likewise.” 12 Even tax collectors came to be baptized, and they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He said to them, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what should we do?” He said to them, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

15 As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

21 Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved;with you I am well pleased.”  Luke 3

What a beautiful picture Luke paints of John the Baptist and the baptism of Jesus. John stands on the shores of the Jordan River and preaches repentance. Not the kind that tells you to stop smoking or stop swearing, but rather a complete change of the heart and the mind. 

And to whom is John speaking? To a crowd that is beyond diverse. There seems to be amongst the crowd people like tax collectors. They work for the Romans collecting money from their fellow country men while overcharging them in an effort to pad their own pockets. And soldiers. Probably Jewish soldiers working for Herod or Rome. Or maybe, Luke doesn’t say, Roman soldiers. I would agree that that seems less likely but the fact is I wasn’t there! So maybe!

And to this diverse crowd he tells them simply to be good to one another. Be honest. And share what you have. Change how you see the world and one another. For someone is coming who is about to turn the world upside down!

I love the picture of such a diverse group of people coming together looking for God. Looking for something greater than what they know. They come to John to hear the word of God and possibly be touched. 

And in walks Jesus. The Word of God in the flesh! Phew! Let’s pause for a moment to take that in. They come in the midst of their crazy lives to find God’s Word and he shows up. How cool is that?

And I love what Jesus does. He gets in the waters with them and partakes in the same baptism they do. In my mind, it would be like Jesus joining us here and coming forward for communion with the rest of us. He just wants to be one of us involved in the lives we live. And that is the manifestation, the revelation of who God is.

Several years back, in Binghamton NY we had a shooting that shook a rather diverse crowd of people. It was at the American Civic Association where there were many immigrants from different countries, languages, and religions. A couple nights later at the church I served we held a prayer vigil. We had every Monotheistic religion represented at that vigil. Did you catch what I just said? Yes, Christians, Jews and Muslims. All of us looking for God, for something beyond ourselves, something greater than that moment in time. And the presence of God was real. 

Jesus walks in and without words, says I don’t care who you are, if you are looking for God, God shows up! Thanks be to God!

But John warns us that when God shows up stuff is going to happen. He is going to bring his Holy Spirit along and bring change. And oh how we love change!

Sifting the wheat from the chaff. Burning that old chaff and bringing purity.

Some might like to hear fire and brimstone for the other guy at this point. You know, those bad eggs that make the church a stinky place to be. Shake up the church and move them right on out of here God!

That isn’t quite what I have found over the years, however. Usually it’s me that the Holy Spirit wants to shake up and sort out the chaff from within my own heart. Anyone else find that in life?

I have a sign at home that says God sees us as we can be but loves us as we are. 

We see the stalk of wheat and we can almost smell that bread baking in the oven. Is there a better aroma than fresh baked bread? But we know that can’t happen till that hard shell is broken away and the wheat can become something we can work with.

And God knows that about us. Or at least about me. God knows there is a hard shell that must be broken down, shaken off and burned away. God knows that all that trauma and guilt and hurt that life brings only keeps me from becoming what God has created me to be. And God knows that of you too.

In some ways this is a poor analogy because God doesn’t beat us to produce a usable product. That isn’t God’s way. Instead, God walks into the crowd and partakes of baptism alongside us. God walks in our midst and touches our trauma, our wounds, our guilt and heals. God not only touches our trauma but willingly experiences it. 

God knows that we are frail, we are weak, and offers the power of the Holy Spirit for us to take into ourselves to give us strength and hope. The same power, by the way, that raises Jesus from the dead! 

That is God’s way.

Which brings me to something else that Jesus shows us in this story. How to receive the power of the Holy Spirit. How to hear the voice of the God of Love for ourselves.

Participating in the sacraments of the church is important. Obviously Jesus thinks  so. That’s why he is baptized. But it is not all there is. Jesus receives the Holy Spirit when he prays. When he stops and lifts his heart, mind, and soul toward God. 

Last time I was here I talked about my go-to prayer as being centering prayer. It is a time of sitting silently with God. Just being. Just listening. I chat at God throughout the day and oftentimes find that I tend to tell him how he should be running his kingdom. When I want to hear God and sense the power of the spirit I must be still and remember who is God. And it isn’t me.

 (I wish to insert that I use the masculine pronoun because I am simply too lazy to figure out how to use another. ‘They’ would in fact be appropriate since God is 3 in 1 but that just feels awkward.)

It is in prayer that I become aware of the power, the presence of the Holy Spirit coming alive within me. That doesn’t mean the Spirit wasn’t always there but merely that in prayer I become awakened to that power.

And when Jesus prayed the Holy Spirit showed up and the voice of God spoke.

God wants desperately to be in our midst living life alongside of us. No matter who we are or what we do. God wants to change us so that we will become all that he created us to be. The very Image of Love. God wants to speak with us and tell us we are beloved.

These are some of the things I see Luke painting in his picture of Jesus’ baptism. And these same things are intended for us today. That is the Good News.

Emmanuel. God with us. Look for God and God shows up.

Christmas Eve 2024

Why is it that each year we come back to hear this same Christmas story? What is it about this story that warms our hearts? What is it about this story that brings us peace and causes generosity? 

Perhaps it is the song of angels and the light that shines in the darkness that quickens our sense of anticipation. Each year, do we look to the sky in hopes that these same angels will again appear? Do we look to see if a star, a bright star, shines in the night to give us a direction? I confess, I do.

Or maybe it is not the miraculous presence of angels that calls us back here each December 24th as much as it is the ordinary. Perhaps it is that which occurs every day in the world that draws are imaginations. Perhaps it is the birth of a new born child that stirs our hearts to hope.

Who has not held a baby and found a sense of expectation and hope as they look into the face of new life? Who has not found comfort as the newborn lays quietly, at peace in their arms? A newborn baby, tiny, vulnerable, needy catches our breath and our hearts like nothing else can.We hear this story, written two thousand years ago, and we pray that it is true. We pray that out of that moment in time will yet come peace on earth and good will for all of creation. We pray that we might yet believe.

But what do we do with such a story? Where can we go from here? Or do we simply wait for another year before we can hope again?

Some choose to leave this story in the past. A story that seems less than possible. A story that was written two thousand years ago and, except for one night a year, has no possible relevance for us today. Some will return each year, nod at the familiar words and walk away sad that it cannot be so.

Some choose to leave this story for the future. For a time when this Christ Child will return to save, renew the world. Or for a time when the angels usher them into the heaven where that Christ Child now reigns. Some come to hear the story simply to renew the hope, the dream of what is yet to come. 

But what about today? Can we still, even now, even in the midst of all the pressures and demands and worries of today, take the story of a baby born into the world bringing the God of Love near, with us out into our night? Into our world? To our tables, our rooms, our work?

Maybe the challenge is that we too desire this child to rise up and become ruler of the world around us. We want this child to change our neighbors hearts so that they will believe as we do. We want this child to tame the empire around us. We want this child to feed the hungry, topple the tyrants, and beat the swords into plowshares for us. Is this not what the Messiah, the Christ Child, the Prince of Peace is supposed to do?

And when he does not, we are afraid it is all a lie. We are afraid that hope is useless. We are afraid that he is not the one. And we don’t know what to do with him and this Christmas story. And so we go home and pack it all away until next year. 

Perhaps you remember the other part of this story. Two thousand years ago, people did not know what to do with this Jesus. He did not become the messiah they so desperately wanted him to be. And they too looked for ways to pack him away until another one would come to fulfill their expectations, their hopes, their dreams.

But do you know what is really amazing about this God of Love who Jesus manifested? Love, God’s unconditional love, keeps popping up in some of the most unlikely places. It comes looking like the one Mary Magdalene mistook for the gardener. It comes looking like one who waits to serve food to his friends. It comes in through locked doors. It blows in like a mighty wind. It rattles the earth and rolls away large rocks. And it is easy to miss.

This Love can also be bothersome. Let me explain. Bruce and I went away last week on vacation. When we came home, our two cats were very happy to see us. Too happy to see us in fact. Both of them insisted on joining us in bed. Their unconditional love for us tended to displace us from our regular spots. God’s love can be just as inconvenient, always trying to get my attention and move over.

God’s love never wants to leave me where I am. God’s love is always looking to move me closer to a place of loving God, loving my neighbor, loving my enemy. God’s love is always trying to get me to move over a little to make room for more of Jesus in my life. God’s love is always calling me to surrender to God’s way, love.

That’s what the Christmas story wants us to take home with us today. God’s love has moved in. It has set up camp next to us and is not going away. God’s love is nestled in the most unique places. In a feeding trough with the animals. In the garden. In a wedding celebration where the wine has run out. In the words of a Gentile woman asking for the crumbs from under the table. At a well in a town in Samaria with “those people.” 

The miracle of Christmas, the story we long to hear every year, is not a story just for two thousand years ago, nor for some unknown number of years in the future. It is the story we take with us each day we go out into the world. It is the story that tells us, longs for us to watch for it in every face, every activity, every nook and cranny in our world.

It is a story that prays we will allow it to displace us a bit from our comfort, our complacency, our preconceptions, our “it's always been that way”. 

It is, in fact, the story that we hope will somehow change us, so that we too will recognize God’s Love wherever it pops up. And maybe even one day, hear the angels sing in the night.

May it change us this night.