Epiphany 4C – RCL
January 31, 2016
Today’s gospel
reading is a continuation from last week.
Last week we read of Jesus going into his hometown Synagogue in
Nazareth, reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah that "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, to proclaim the year of the Lord's
favor." And then with all eyes upon
him he begins his first sermon in his home church saying “today this scripture
has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Everyone
was amazed. Jesus spoke with
authority. Their hometown boy was indeed
doing well. But Jesus did not stop
there. Jesus said more.
We hear the crowd question
"isn't this the carpenters son? And
Jesus indeed was the son of Joseph in
the eyes of the town’s people – he is the local boy. The people had heard about the signs and
miracles that Jesus was doing in his adopted hometown of Capernaum on the
shores of the Sea of Galilee. They
wanted to be set free. Certainly they were captives. They were living under Roman rule. They wanted to be healed. They wanted to witness the miracles and
healing themselves. But Jesus tells them
that he has come to set everyone free – not just them. They were not going to get any special
treatment from Jesus. Then Jesus quotes
from two instances of prophets healing outsiders when many insiders also needed
healing. Jesus is telling them that they are not going to get a special show
from the hometown kid. Jesus did not
come to release just them – or even to release them first. Jesus came to do more. Jesus came to heal the whole world. To heal both Jews and gentiles.
The admiration
and awe from the first part of the sermon suddenly turned to anger and the
crowds drove Jesus out of town and were ready to throw him off a cliff. Now I have to tell you that as a preacher
standing up here it makes me wonder if I will say something that will make you
all want to throw me off a cliff – thankfully most of Sacramento is quite flat!
Just two weeks ago I worshiped in an Anglican church in Nazareth. After church our pilgrim group visited a
synagogue church from the first century. A place that certainly could have been
where this all played out. And we saw
the hill and the precipice on what was the edge of town in Jesus’ day where the
crowds wanted to kill him. A day that
certainly foreshadowed Jesus eventual crucifixion as he continued to upset the
powers of his day.
Nazareth is a
hilly city – hillier than I had imagined.
It is also still full of divisions – as is all of the Holy Land – a land
where Christians, Jews and Muslims all have holy sites. It is a place where I experienced amazing
thin places where the veil between our world and the world of Love that is the
dream of our God was close at hand.
I experienced places that brought tears to my
eyes. Tears because of the presence of
the Holy but also tears because division and captivity still exists in the Holy
Land. Tears because there are children
being killed and abandoned. Tears that
Palestinians, Jews, Muslims and Christians are not at peace with each
other. Tears that power is still
oppressing people.
But there is
also joy in the holy land. There are
amazing people working for peace in the Holy Land. Organizations like Parents
Circle work to bring peace at a grass roots level. Parents Circle is made up of parents who have
had children killed in the ongoing violence of occupation. But instead of wanting revenge for the death
of their children they come together to advocate for peace.
There are people
who take care of abandoned children in the Crèche Ministry in Bethlehem. A ministry where children are cared for with
love. A place where unwed mothers and
women who have been assaulted can safely give birth. There are people who care deeply for the
outsider and the poor and the sick.
There are still people working to bring Isaiah’s prophecy and Jesus’
work to fulfillment.
Ruth Anne Reese
from Luther Seminary said, “Perhaps the most disturbing part of this passage is
that Jesus does not do any miracles in his hometown. Why should they not
receive a little benefit from Jesus’ ministry? Yet this very sense of being
disturbed can be a helpful pointer for our own preaching and teaching. Do we
feel entitled to the work of Jesus among us? Do we think that Jesus should do
ministry for the church first? Or, do we share with Jesus his concern for the
marginalized and vulnerable and for those beyond the boundaries of our local
congregation?”[1]
In our own country-
indeed in our own communities we have similar tensions. We have people who want safety at all costs.
We have people who want to literally build walls to keep other people out. Who claim that they are the anointed ones and
have favor with God yet they oppress their fellow human beings because of race,
gender-identity, sexuality or socio-economic status. Our heated political rhetoric during the
election cycle is bringing out the worst in people. Unfortunately we too can be like the people
in the synagogue – one moment thrilled with what Jesus is saying to us and the
next moment angry that we are not his favorites.
Our call as
Jesus people is not to oppress people.
Our call is to identify those places that need healing. To open our hearts to the suffering around us
and to work to change the power that oppresses.
I am thankful
that this congregation gets it! You have
a history of working to bring good news to the poor. To feed the hungry, to cloth those who have
little. St. Matthews is now opening up
the campus to the winter sanctuary program to house those who have no place to
go. Letting people sleep and find safety
in this holy space. You all are willing
to share your church space with the other.
To provide a place of warmth and safety during the cold and wet nights of
winter.
That is our call
as followers of Christ. We are called to
open our hearts to the marginalized. We
are called to tell truth to power. We
are called to help bring God’s dream of Love for all of creation into reality
here and now. A love that is for
everyone. Not just those who we think
are worthy. In fact we are called to
walk right up to the edge of that cliff with Jesus with the recognition that
people might want to throw us off too.
And then we too are to walk on and continue to do the ministries that we
are called to do as we help bring the reign of God’s love to our hurting and
hurt filled world.
No comments:
Post a Comment