Third Sunday of Epiphany

Texts: Nehemiah 8:1-3, Luke 4:14-21

Before Christ came, Israel was God's chosen people to "flesh out" his word in the world, but they fell short. Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh, and he is perfect. He "fleshed out" the Word of God flawlessly even to the point of death. He is our source and our model for how to obey the commands of God. When he read from Isaiah in the synagogue in Nazareth and he said that the scripture was "fulfilled in their hearing", Jesus was informing all people that God was in their presence. The presence of God empowers the church to do as Jesus does.