To start out with an example of how we all have our gifts that differ from one another, let me share what our son, Ky, has posted on his Facebook page
Our Favre-ther, who aren't in Mississippi hallowed be thy name. Thy bowl will come, it will be won, In Miami as it is in the Dome. Give us this Sunday, Our weekly win. Give us touchdown passes, but do not let others pass against us. Lead us not into frustration, but deliver us to the Super Bowl. For thine........ is the......... MVP, the best of the NFC, and the glory of the Purple People Eaters now and forever. Amen
Neh 8:1-3,5-6,8-10; Ps 19; 1Cor 12:12-31a, Luke 4:14-21
Now Let us pray! Ps. 19:14Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.
Today's Gospel takes place immediately following Jesus temptation in the desert.He returns to his hometown where he was raised.People found out that he returned and the word went out that he was in the area.When he came to Nazareth, where he grew up, Jesus went to the synagogue as he always did on the sabbath.He stood up to read much like we do here, someone bought him the word, he found his place and he read his mission statement for his ministry. You could say his inaugural address.
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,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Jesus fully human, the Rabbi came to worship as he did every Sabbath, as he was accustomed.Here this is Jesus, fully human and fully God! And he still knew the importance of attending worship each Sabbath.“Thou shall keep Holy the Lord’s Day” is a commandment.But Jesus was God, he could have been out fishing and enjoying God’s great creation, he could have slept in, he certainly didn’t need a sermon ; Jesus was the sermon!”
So Jesus came to the synagogue as he did every Sabbath.It was expected that he was to read the scroll, or Torah, as it is called even today. He did so and he sat down in the Teacher’s chair and people all were looking at him with anticipation and he says "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."They spoke well of him - and were amazed at the gracious words he shared.
Often we read this as a command from Jesus that we are measured to if we are in fact living up to Jesus inaugural address - that we are to be DOING all these things.But that isn't what Jesus is saying to you and me. This a word of Grace to the hearers then and to us now! This is Jesus proclamation to Us. We are the poor, the captives, the blind, the oppressed.Jesus has come to bring us Good News.To release us, to heal us, to lift us from our burdens.
Just as Jesus went to the synagogue each Sabbath, so to does the Body of Christ need to gather each Sunday to re-member.
During the week as we minister to those God places in our lives;as we serve as the Body of Christ; we find ourselves pulled in many directions.We hear the news of the people of Haiti and wonder what we can do.We have children that bring us joy, and need our love and help.We work and find our hours are cut or supplies are low, or – a co-worker needs your listening ear.You find out your neighbor is in need of help – and you reach out.During the week we are pulled in many directions.
Jesus gives us the Good News, that the Spirit of the Lord is upon the CHURCH!We are the anointed Body of Christ.We come to remember that Jesus is with us to bring good news to the poor and on Sunday morning we are reminded that Jesus is here for us when we are poor.We come together on Sunday to re-member that Jesus came to release us from what we are held captive to all week when we are reaching out to others.We come together to re-member that Jesus opens our eyes to what we may be blind.
We come together on Sunday morning to re-member – for New Salem is the Body of Christ.Some of us are the feet and are able to drive, some of us are the hands and are able to give the gift of time to get many things done, some are the eyes whose eyes have been opened to social justice issues, some of us are the ears who listen to others who need the gift of compassion.We are all different parts of the Body of Christ and we find that during the week, sometimes we forget that we are not in this alone.Sometimes we forget that we, by ourselves are not meant to be all things to all people and exhaust ourselves trying to be.
We need Sunday mornings for us to re-member that together we are the Body of Christ.I love the Sundays we have communion, for we gather to share of the bread and the wine of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.We re-member and we become once again, the Body of Christ made whole when we gather together.
Yes, Jesus has come
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon us,
because he has anointed us
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent us to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
19to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
On Sundays we re-member that Jesus indeed is with us, and together – our gifts when together, not by ourselves, are the Body of Christ.
Yes we are all very different, we are made to be different by design – and this is what makes us the Body of Christ.
