Let us pray: Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Amen.
Here we are, the third Sunday after the Epiphany, in this season of the revealing and manifesting of the divine identity of Jesus. You remember the star, the Magi, the Holy Spirit dove, the voice of God at Jesus’ baptism: “You are my beloved, with you I am well pleased!” the 180 gallons of water turned into fine wine?
Then, after being tempted in the desert, Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit returned to Galilee, the region where he grew up. He’s been teaching in the synagogues in the area and people are talking about him. Today, he arrives in his childhood home, Nazareth, and its sabbath day so he goes to synagogue and volunteers to read. The attendant hands him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, a long scroll, in our bibles it’s 66 chapters long. He finds a specific section and begins to read. Now up to this point we’ve witnessed signs and miracles proclaiming Jesus’ divinity, showing us that he was more than just a wise man, gifted teacher or prophet, but God incarnate! But what was he here to do? Jesus reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah:
“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.”
While this section of scripture from the prophet Isaiah was probably well-known to his listeners, what comes next, Jesus’ mic-drop moment, is what would have utterly shocked and amazed those in the synagogue. After finishing the reading, he rolls the scroll up, hands it to the attendant, and sits down. This was normal practice, stand to read, sit to preach. The eyes of all in the synagogue are fixed on him.
Ok, we’ve heard about our hometown boy, Mary and Joseph’s son, carpenter’s apprentice, let’s see what he’s got.
Jesus gives perhaps the shortest and most powerful sermon ever, one line!
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” BOOM!
Right here and now, this scripture has just been realized. It’s me. THIS, THIS is what I’ve come to do. I’m the one you’ve been hearing about, looking and waiting for for all these years.”
Jesus’ purpose on this earth is laid out, his mission statement is:
To bring good news to the poor. To set people free, to release them from the shackles, real or metaphorical, that bind them. To free them from oppression, from racism, from addiction, from shame, from feelings of worthlessness, and to offer them new life, full, abundant life. Jesus has come to help people see again, to see clearly their value as beloved children of God, to see their neighbors, ALL of their neighbors, as made in God’s image and deserving of honor, dignity, and respect. To help us see through our differences and focus on what we have in common. Jesus has come to proclaim that God’s favor, loving care, and guidance are with us. This was known as a Jubilee year, proclaimed and celebrated every 50 years, a year of celebration, rest, and liberation. A time when debts would be forgiven, slaves would be freed, fields would be allowed to rest and rejuvenate, and people could return to their own land.
Good news. Freedom. Restoration. Forgiveness. Rest, and return. Jesus is here to lift up the lowly and the broken. Jesus has laid out for the people in the synagogue at Nazareth, and us here in this sanctuary today, what he’s all about. And, what we are called to be all about too. Perhaps even more so now, in these times, than ever before, at least in my lifetime.
So, if we really want to follow Jesus, to be Christians in our world today, then this is OUR mission statement too. This is what we are to be about if we seek to follow Jesus. To show with our actions that we care for the least, the last, and the lost, just like Jesus did. This is radical stuff from the radical divine human, Jesus the Christ.
To live like Jesus is to put others first, helping, sharing, making sure we all have enough and that we’re all safe and cared for and loved. It’s all about helping out those in need. Advocating, standing up with those who are being put down and told they are different or other or inferior. It’s about being the Good News of God’s conquering love for EVERYONE, E-V-E-R-Y- ONE!
In Paul’s letter to the Corinthians, we hear: “We are the body of Christ and individually members of it… If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it. In his letter from a Birmingham jail The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. echoes: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly."
Each of us must work and share together in the mission of Jesus: to bring good news to those who need to hear it most, to those who are hurting, scared, lonely, on the margins. To seek and serve Christ in everyone we meet, to work for justice and peace, and to honor the dignity of every human being. To set people free. These promises from our baptismal covenant guide us. Today, Jesus has declared our mission in this world. Let us go forth together, in the power of the Spirit, to bring good news to those who are hurting, afraid, and oppressed. Amen.
