Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

We are living in a time when being the church is not easy.  Quite frankly, being the church is increasingly difficult and, across the board, we find more and more people leaving the church.  As faith communities, we are having to learn some new ways of being together.  We truly need to seek out and re-ground as people of faith because our lives are filled with countless distractions.  The church, along with multiple public institutions, is experiencing a massive shift within culture.  That shift affects participation on many levels and there are likely multiple reasons for this shift.  It is as though we are living at a pivot point in time.  We know some of the ways we have done things aren’t working as they used to, but we are not yet sure what the next thing will look like.  Certain events in our lives also create these shifts or pivot points in time.  These are moments that divide time, a point from which things will never be the same again.  And, quite frankly, such moments often create a sense of fear and moving forward often seems risky.  However, such times of change can beckon us to a deeper place in life, a place where we are called to live more faithfully, a place where we truly begin to get beyond ourselves, let go of our self-centeredness and live for others.

In our first reading today, we find the prophet Isaiah had one of these pivotal moments, a moment that defined the rest of his life.  He was in the temple and he experienced something so life changing it was as though he was born anew.  For Isaiah, that pivotal moment came when he had a vision in which he saw God in such grandeur and glory, that the hem of God’s garment filled the entire temple.  Just think about it.  Isaiah saw God as so transcendent, glorious and enormous that only the hem of God’s garment could be seen.  Imagine how much more could not be seen.  For Isaiah, that moment of experiencing God’s presence and grandeur, God’s regal brilliance and transcendence, was a moment of call, a decisive moment that defined the rest of his life. 

In that moment, Isaiah began to see that God is inexpressibly bigger than our human minds can even begin to imagine.  Witnessing the glory of God and feeling engulfed in the song of holiness praising God, Isaiah found himself feeling lost, unclean and unworthy.  As he confessed his inadequacy, his lips were touched with a burning coal.  And, in that moment God spoke, touched Isaiah’s lips with purifying fire, and the grace of God’s holiness and the healing power of God’s presence removed Isaiah’s guilt.  Isaiah was forever changed.  Having been healed, Isaiah hears God’s need for some help.  How startling!  God, the ominous, robe-clad, glorious one needs something!  Isaiah raises his hand and humbly utters the words, “Here am I, send me.”

This was a pivot point in Isaiah’s life, an experience after which nothing would ever again be the same.  This life changing, call experience is not only found in our first reading.  It is also seen in today’s gospel passage from Luke.  Peter and his colleagues are at the water’s edge, feeling discouraged as they clean their fishing nets.  Having worked all night long and having caught nothing, they are experiencing much fatigue.  In the depth of that dismal experience, Jesus enters the scene and Peter has an encounter that is pivotal and life-changing. 

Jesus has been teaching and healing across Judea and he now comes face to face with Peter and the other fishermen in their discouragement.  To better address the pressing throng of people that have gathered around him, Jesus improvises and commandeers Peter’s boat.  He tells Peter to row out into deep waters.  Jesus is no fisherman, but most people who have spent any time near fishing towns along the Sea of Galilee would know that you don’t catch anything worth catching when you play it safe in shallow waters.  So, Peter does as Jesus instructs and, to his great surprise, finds unexpected abundance.  Peter then feels his unworthiness, he falls to his knees at Jesus’ feet and says, “Go away from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man!”  Jesus proclaims a word of grace as he tells Peter, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 

And, in that grace-filled moment, suddenly and without warning, Peter found himself at the most critical crossroad of his life.  He could continue with what was comfortable and remain a fisherman, or he could risk it all on the promises of this compelling prophet.  He could remain in his own village and keep his same friends, or he could walk away from it all, leaving the comfortable bubble in which he had been living, and step into a new future.  He could stick with the predictable or he could move into the deep waters of the unknown.  Is it any wonder Luke tells us that Peter was afraid?  He was afraid of making the wrong decision. He could continue his routine and eek out a living or he could shoot the moon.  As we know, he chose to follow Jesus, and his life was never again the same.

I grew up imagining that when Jesus issued an invitation to the twelve disciples he intended to have as his inner circle, each one enthusiastically replied, “Yes, of course I will follow you!”  However, today I doubt it.  If Jesus led by persuasion and not force, if he challenged but did not coerce, I wonder how many other people were extended invitations but replied, “No thanks.  My life may not be perfect, but I’m not desperate for a change.  The promise of a richer life is enticing, but where’s the guarantee?  I’m afraid to let loose of the security and the predictability of my routine for something unfamiliar.  Granted, Jesus, you make it sound rewarding, but how can I be sure?”   I wonder how many people said, “Thanks, but no thanks.”   In fact, three of the gospels tell the story of a wealthy young ruler who was invited to become a follower of Jesus but turned around and walked away.  I wonder how many others declined the invitation.

Over the past twenty centuries, how many people have stood at that crossroad?   How many have taken the life-changing risk of turning to God, letting go of playing it safe in the shallow waters and instead follow Jesus to the places where he leads?   And, how many have instead chosen to just play it safe?   How many of us have really committed to following Christ, but at important junctures we have veered off course?  Following Jesus entails adopting his agenda, which to some people sounds threatening or even scary.  However, when we adopt Jesus’ agenda, it does not mean giving up fun for something boring; giving up excitement for dreariness or spontaneity for rigidity.  It means looking outward rather than inward; it means following his way rather than responding to selfish impulses.  It means going to the places where Jesus goes, living for others and not safely staying within the confines of a church building or the safety bubble in which you live!

I once saw a cartoon in the New Yorker that showed two attractive people sitting at a table in a coffee shop.   The man is saying to the woman, “I’ve tried a lot of strategies, and I’ve discovered that being completely self-serving is the strategy that works best for me.”  There is an “It’s all about me” way of thinking that permeates our society today.  Regrettably, it fails to see that self-centeredness cuts you off from others, limits your vision and restricts your possibilities.  Self-centeredness is blind to the rewards that ensue from making a sacrifice for another and really loving all others.  It does not understand the genuine well-being that emerges from being grateful to God for the blessings of life.   It never experiences the power of forgiveness and transformation.  It cannot fathom the satisfaction that is derived from making a commitment to something greater than yourself. 

We live in an age where most people shy away from commitments.  Yet, people long for a better marriage, hunger for stronger friendships, ache for a purpose in their lives and pray for a sense of harmony with God – all of which only derive from making commitments. Like Peter, are you afraid of the changes that might ensue if you fully commit to following Christ wherever he leads?  I challenge you to risk and move out more deeply into the grace-filled waters of a life of faith.  You will experience a life of deep meaning, life that really, truly matters, and life will never again be the same.

This is a special music presentation of Without Love by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir with soloist Ursula Blasmacher on viola.

This is a special music presentation of Without Love by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir with soloist Ursula Blasmacher on viola.

If you remember last week’s gospel reading which Rich so powerfully proclaimed, Jesus had gone to his hometown synagogue and read words from the great prophet Isaiah, saying:  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, to preach good news to the poor."  Well, today, we get the rest of the story.  After reading from Isaiah, Jesus sat down.  The people’s eyes were fixed on him, and he said, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."  The first public word spoken by Jesus himself in Luke's gospel is the word "today."  That word is a favorite of Luke's.  It appears twelve times in Luke's gospel.  "Today" conveys a real sense of immediacy.  Furthermore, Jesus unabashedly says the words of Isaiah are "fulfilled in your hearing."  Hearing Jesus' words, connecting them with the fulfillment of scripture and seeing Jesus' ministry of "release" on behalf of the poor – all of this Jesus claims is taking place right now, today, in and through him as he lives out the love of God for all people. 

Well, initially, the people who are present react positively to Jesus’ words.  They are proud of their hometown son.  They are so impressed that Luke tells us, “"All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth." Jesus is, well, bigger than Jesus, the Jesus they had always known.  He is a huge success, becoming a star!  But then, Jesus spells out an important aspect of his mission as he revisits other points in Israel's history when God had sent prophets.  Jesus reminds the people that the prophets of Israel were sent to care for, heal, and empower outsiders – those Gentiles who were considered “other,” as well as Jews!  Well, it is an understatement to say the people now react adversely to Jesus’ words.  This is an inconvenient truth they do not want to hear, and Luke tells us, "All in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff."  They intended to kill him!

Jesus, the hometown hero whom they had eagerly welcomed back, speaks some very profound words, but they are words the people do not want to hear.  It is as though Jesus intentionally attempts to provoke and anger them.  He intentionally engages them as he seems to say, “I am not here to make you famous.  I am like the great Old Testament prophet, Elijah, who didn’t get fed during a sustained period of drought in his homeland of Israel, but instead went outside of Israel to Sidon.”  Jesus is really pushing their buttons.  The people of Nazareth knew Sidon all right.  It was in the neighboring country.  They knew their history and they also remembered Elisha, Elijah’s successor, didn’t cure anyone locally but he cured a man, a sworn enemy of Israel, a person from the despised country of Syria!  Jesus is proclaiming that the scope of God’s mercy and God’s love goes beyond his community of Nazareth.  Indeed, God’s love and God’s kingdom even includes foreigners, those they considered enemies. 

This was simply shocking!   They thought Jesus should save his miracles and teachings for them and not the people they regarded as human trash.  Jesus confronts them, reads their hearts and exposes the darkness of their own souls.  He challenges them and says, “There is no exclusive club for my message.  I am for all people everywhere.”  

What can we say?  Jesus' manner of life – his teaching, his healing, his prophetic ministry – posed a profound challenge to his community. Jesus’ words provoked people and made them look at themselves.  And that meant they would have to let go of their prejudice, not feel threatened, and look at outsiders and others in a different way.  His words meant that maybe they even had to embrace outsiders and those they considered “other”! 

That is always what happens when we hear Jesus’ words.  We are confronted with a challenge.  Do we simply react and feel threatened?  Or, do we thoughtfully respond and allow Jesus’ words to not only challenge us, but change us and transform us?  Yes, Jesus pushes buttons and Jesus pushes boundaries.  In fact, Jesus destroys our imposed boundaries of race, ethnicity, creed, color, country of origin, sexual orientation, you name it.  He is all about inclusion and extravagant love.  And, in this boundary pushing Jesus, we meet a God who loves and lifts up those who would be torn down by society.  His heart is with those who suffer.  He cares about those who are hurting, who are helpless, who are brokenhearted, and who are in bondage. 

Just as Jesus confronted his hometown congregation, Jesus confronts us.  When someone is different or doesn’t meet our expectations, how do we treat them?  Do we accept and welcome them for who they are, or do we reject them because they are different, because they don’t belong?  The truth is, Jesus reads the hearts of faith communities just as he reads our very own hearts.  How do we as the church respond?  Where do we see the church behaving like the congregation in that synagogue?  Where do we see any group suffering from a toxic case of in-group loyalties?  Any group that considers itself to be favored can behave in this way, from a congregation to a nation.  When we are confronted by Jesus’ message, do we react out of prejudice or do we respond out of Christian love? 

Just as Jesus spoke the truth and challenged his hometown folk to love, he continues to challenge us by speaking the truth and challenging us to love.  And, loving others is the most challenging aspect of Jesus’ message.  Love is always challenging because it takes us out of our comfort zones and calls us to action.  Love is a challenge because it requires us to care for those who are different from us, those who disagree with us, and even those we do not like.  Love requires that we cross our self-imposed boundaries and live for others.  Jesus called his hometown folk to come out of their self-imposed tomb of Nazareth and come forth to their true home, the love that is found in the very heart of God.  And there lies the real challenge – such love takes us directly to the cross.

Yes, “the rest of the story” is that Jesus’ hometown folk reacted to Jesus’ call to love by pushing him out of town.  They tried to push him up on a hill and over a cliff.  And, eventually, he was pushed out on to a hill and crucified.  Oh, the call to love is not easy.  It tends to rub us the wrong way and we are challenged by it on a daily basis.  The love of God is so big it challenges our thinking, our way of living, forces us to go to new places and calls us to get beyond ourselves and think of others in a whole new way.  And, the love and grace of God is so radical that it always takes us to the cross, the place where we find we are so deeply loved that we become changed!

The words of Jesus are words spoken to each of us today and they are fulfilled in our hearing.  There is definite immediacy in his words today, right now in our culture and right now in this present moment.  Jesus’ words challenge us as he tells us to embrace the outsiders.  Now, I know some will hear this message and perceive it as political.  This is not political, folks.  My friends, this is the gospel and it is the gospel good news.  This is all about love, the kind of love God has for us and for all people, the kind of love we are called to live. 

Let us pray:  Gracious and loving God.  Keep challenging us.  Keep pushing our buttons.  Keep provoking us to love!  Amen.

If you remember last week’s gospel reading which Rich so powerfully proclaimed, Jesus had gone to his hometown synagogue and read words from the great prophet Isaiah, saying:  "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, to preach good news to the poor."  Well, today, we get the rest of the story.  After reading from Isaiah, Jesus sat down.  The people’s eyes were fixed on him, and he said, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."  The first public word spoken by Jesus himself in Luke's gospel is the word "today."  That word is a favorite of Luke's.  It appears twelve times in Luke's gospel.  "Today" conveys a real sense of immediacy.  Furthermore, Jesus unabashedly says the words of Isaiah are "fulfilled in your hearing."  Hearing Jesus' words, connecting them with the fulfillment of scripture and seeing Jesus' ministry of "release" on behalf of the poor – all of this Jesus claims is taking place right now, today, in and through him as he lives out the love of God for all people. 

Well, initially, the people who are present react positively to Jesus’ words.  They are proud of their hometown son.  They are so impressed that Luke tells us, “"All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth." Jesus is, well, bigger than Jesus, the Jesus they had always known.  He is a huge success, becoming a star!  But then, Jesus spells out an important aspect of his mission as he revisits other points in Israel's history when God had sent prophets.  Jesus reminds the people that the prophets of Israel were sent to care for, heal, and empower outsiders – those Gentiles who were considered “other,” as well as Jews!  Well, it is an understatement to say the people now react adversely to Jesus’ words.  This is an inconvenient truth they do not want to hear, and Luke tells us, "All in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff."  They intended to kill him!

Jesus, the hometown hero whom they had eagerly welcomed back, speaks some very profound words, but they are words the people do not want to hear.  It is as though Jesus intentionally attempts to provoke and anger them.  He intentionally engages them as he seems to say, “I am not here to make you famous.  I am like the great Old Testament prophet, Elijah, who didn’t get fed during a sustained period of drought in his homeland of Israel, but instead went outside of Israel to Sidon.”  Jesus is really pushing their buttons.  The people of Nazareth knew Sidon all right.  It was in the neighboring country.  They knew their history and they also remembered Elisha, Elijah’s successor, didn’t cure anyone locally but he cured a man, a sworn enemy of Israel, a person from the despised country of Syria!  Jesus is proclaiming that the scope of God’s mercy and God’s love goes beyond his community of Nazareth.  Indeed, God’s love and God’s kingdom even includes foreigners, those they considered enemies. 

This was simply shocking!   They thought Jesus should save his miracles and teachings for them and not the people they regarded as human trash.  Jesus confronts them, reads their hearts and exposes the darkness of their own souls.  He challenges them and says, “There is no exclusive club for my message.  I am for all people everywhere.”  

What can we say?  Jesus' manner of life – his teaching, his healing, his prophetic ministry – posed a profound challenge to his community. Jesus’ words provoked people and made them look at themselves.  And that meant they would have to let go of their prejudice, not feel threatened, and look at outsiders and others in a different way.  His words meant that maybe they even had to embrace outsiders and those they considered “other”! 

That is always what happens when we hear Jesus’ words.  We are confronted with a challenge.  Do we simply react and feel threatened?  Or, do we thoughtfully respond and allow Jesus’ words to not only challenge us, but change us and transform us?  Yes, Jesus pushes buttons and Jesus pushes boundaries.  In fact, Jesus destroys our imposed boundaries of race, ethnicity, creed, color, country of origin, sexual orientation, you name it.  He is all about inclusion and extravagant love.  And, in this boundary pushing Jesus, we meet a God who loves and lifts up those who would be torn down by society.  His heart is with those who suffer.  He cares about those who are hurting, who are helpless, who are brokenhearted, and who are in bondage. 

Just as Jesus confronted his hometown congregation, Jesus confronts us.  When someone is different or doesn’t meet our expectations, how do we treat them?  Do we accept and welcome them for who they are, or do we reject them because they are different, because they don’t belong?  The truth is, Jesus reads the hearts of faith communities just as he reads our very own hearts.  How do we as the church respond?  Where do we see the church behaving like the congregation in that synagogue?  Where do we see any group suffering from a toxic case of in-group loyalties?  Any group that considers itself to be favored can behave in this way, from a congregation to a nation.  When we are confronted by Jesus’ message, do we react out of prejudice or do we respond out of Christian love? 

Just as Jesus spoke the truth and challenged his hometown folk to love, he continues to challenge us by speaking the truth and challenging us to love.  And, loving others is the most challenging aspect of Jesus’ message.  Love is always challenging because it takes us out of our comfort zones and calls us to action.  Love is a challenge because it requires us to care for those who are different from us, those who disagree with us, and even those we do not like.  Love requires that we cross our self-imposed boundaries and live for others.  Jesus called his hometown folk to come out of their self-imposed tomb of Nazareth and come forth to their true home, the love that is found in the very heart of God.  And there lies the real challenge – such love takes us directly to the cross.

Yes, “the rest of the story” is that Jesus’ hometown folk reacted to Jesus’ call to love by pushing him out of town.  They tried to push him up on a hill and over a cliff.  And, eventually, he was pushed out on to a hill and crucified.  Oh, the call to love is not easy.  It tends to rub us the wrong way and we are challenged by it on a daily basis.  The love of God is so big it challenges our thinking, our way of living, forces us to go to new places and calls us to get beyond ourselves and think of others in a whole new way.  And, the love and grace of God is so radical that it always takes us to the cross, the place where we find we are so deeply loved that we become changed!

The words of Jesus are words spoken to each of us today and they are fulfilled in our hearing.  There is definite immediacy in his words today, right now in our culture and right now in this present moment.  Jesus’ words challenge us as he tells us to embrace the outsiders.  Now, I know some will hear this message and perceive it as political.  This is not political, folks.  My friends, this is the gospel and it is the gospel good news.  This is all about love, the kind of love God has for us and for all people, the kind of love we are called to live. 

Let us pray:  Gracious and loving God.  Keep challenging us.  Keep pushing our buttons.  Keep provoking us to love!  Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God and Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Please pray with me. Lord, we are named as your children and we ask that you be with us now. Open our minds and hearts so that your word may be made clearer to us. Help us to hear the message of love, peace, and unity. Amen.

The second reading today is familiar to many people and looks at how the body of Christ is made up of individuals, yet still is one body. When we are baptized, we are named as a child of God and welcomed into the body of Christ. We do this as a celebration of the unity we have in Christ and that we are fully welcomed and are part of the body of Christ through no action of our own, but through God’s grace.

We don’t question people before they are baptized as to what they will bring to the church, who they are, what plans or goals they have, who they plan on loving, or anything. They are baptized into the body of Christ exactly as they are, a child of God. Since, in our tradition, people are usually baptized as infants, we have no way of knowing what “qualifications” they have or gifts they’ll bring to the church, because it isn’t important. We know that they are part of the body of Christ and that is all that is important and we know that they are a valuable part of the church.

Turning to today’s Gospel, we find Jesus starting to visit synagogues and teaching. Last week we looked at the events that took place just before this, when Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness. Pastor Ryan Chaddick from American Lutheran Church in Burbank, a fellow RIC congregation, where I worshiped last week, gave an interesting perspective on the temptations. So often, we view that passage as the temptation coming from an external devil like being, but based on the root of the word, it can be viewed more as an internal struggle. I found this more relatable as I am often tempted by my own thoughts and doubts. “Am I good enough?” “Am I doing the right thing?” “If I do this, no one would know.”

With our busy world, we often forget that we do need time alone to recharge and clear our minds and thoughts. It can be viewed that is what Jesus did for the 40 days alone in the wilderness. He went to be alone, have a sabbatical if you will, so he could wrestle with the thoughts in his head and clear his mind before starting to visit synagogues and teaching. He wanted to be certain of who he was and his place in the world before coming out into the world. This is shown in today’s gospel by stating that he was filled
with the power of the Spirit.

Jesus is going around the area, visiting synagogues and teaching in them. Word is getting about about Jesus and his popularity starts. Then he goes to his home town where people would have been familiar with him and his parents. Most people probably already had ideas about who Jesus is and what he is all about. He is the son of Mary and Joseph, a good Jewish family. He attends the service, as is normal for their family. He reads a passage from Isaiah, nothing out of the ordinary so far. This was all common in a service. When he sat down, it wasn’t because he was done. It was common after a reading for them to sit down and teach about the passage just read. It was when Jesus said “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” that people probably started wondering, “Who is this Jesus?” “I thought I knew him” “I don’t believe who he says he is” Coming out as someone that doesn’t fit into other’s preconceived ideas of who you are can be very challenging. And as we’ll find out as this story continues next week, spoiler alert, it doesn’t end that well for Jesus either.

While it may seem that Jesus is simply saying that he will bring good news to the poor, release captives, give sight to the blind, and let the oppressed go free; there is a lot more going on in this passage. It is thought that the reference to the “year of the Lord’s favor” is referring to the Jubilee Year.

In Pastor Roy Harrisville’s commentary on this Gospel, he states: “The Jubilee Year was to have occurred every fifty years in Israel when the land was to lay fallow, all debts forgiven, and all slaves freed. However, Jeremiah 34:14 suggests that the Jubilee Year had not been followed and that when King Zedekiah did try to institute the practice, it was circumvented by the people. Confusion abounds as to whether or not the practice was ever truly instituted. Yet, the Jubilee Year has influenced such practices as the statute of limitations in our day.”

Pastor Harrisville continues, “Such pronouncements of authoritative [generosity] by kings and rulers had been commonplace among the ancients. The Caesars were often portrayed as grand liberators and generous benefactors. For Jesus to read this message from Isaiah and proclaim its fulfillment is therefore an indictment of all politicians who claim to bring release and freedom. True freedom does not consist in money and possessions or in the ability to do as one pleases.

Americans are used to the idea of freedom as license to do as one wishes. Jesus, however, understands freedom differently. It is a release from captivity to death, the will of others, and the will of the self. Jesus will preach the freedom of slavery to God's will and service to the neighbor (Luke 22:24-27). Such a definition of freedom can only be grasped from the way Jesus will fulfill the words of Isaiah's prophecy.”
(http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=502)

Wow. Not only is Jesus saying that the freeing of people is being fulfilled in him, by saying this he is claiming more power and authority than the government. He is starting to turn the world upside down from how people have known it for years. That power and authority come from God and that is where true freedom comes from.

Just as Jesus wrestled with who he was and took the brave step to come out as a messenger of God’s radical power of freedom and forgiveness, we, as individuals, often face similar challenges, especially those people who go against the norm.

Whether we do it on purpose or not, like it or not, we often form snap judgments about other people and who we think they should be. In our society this often starts with very young children. As soon as children are born, we assign a gender to them. “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” are often the first words spoken after a child is born, or now even before they are born. We have gender reveal parties for these unborn people. Based on that alone, society starts to make many decisions based on that. The color pink, flowers, frilly dresses for girls. The color blue, cars and trucks, and rugged pants and shirts for boys. Whether we mean it or not, we start making decisions about who these newborns are before they get a chance.

For the most part this turns out fine, however, for some, it creates many challenges for them in life. Especially as we continue with the assumptions as they get older. Society often talks about how girls will bring home boys someday or boys will find the right girl. When offering career suggestions we might even give different lists to people based on our assumption of their gender instead of based on their skills or interests. All this time, we are building up an image of who we think the person is, just like the people in Jesus’s hometown had in their minds built up an image of who they thought he was.

This then makes it hard for people to be their true selves, and if they differ from what society has determined they should be, they have the difficult process of coming out and having to state who they really are. They have to go against the cultural norms that have been built up around them so they can be true to themselves.

During the time leading up to coming out, we wrestle with who we really are. Am I right in who I am or is society right? We can feel like we are in the wilderness alone being tempted to become something we aren’t. Some are strong and make it through the temptations like Jesus did and end up being filled with the Holy Spirit and being sure of who we are and have the strength to step into the world and come out as our true selves. Unfortunately, many can’t make it through the temptations and succumb and end up living a life not based on who they really are, but who others think they are. Or worse, they might not survive the struggle and end up taking their own life so they don’t have to struggle anymore.

And this is where we as Christians, and fellow children of God come in. We are called to recognize all people, ALL people, for who they are - children of God. Named by God as their children and loved for the special and unique person they are. This is why we are an RIC congregation - we took a stand in this crazy world to say to our community, God’s love is for all, we are not here to judge you based on what makes you unique, we aren’t here to make you fit into an image of who we think you should be. We are here solely to share God’s love with you and journey together to better understand God’s and Jesus’s teachings and how this world should be - full of grace, love, peace, and harmony.

We have all been named by God as God’s children. We belong in the body of Christ. As we heard in the 2nd reading, all parts of the body of Christ are needed. We need hands and feet, eyes and ears. We need teachers and leaders and learners and healers. None of us are complete without everyone else. Not only is being part of the body important, the role we play can change over time and remains just as important.

Sometimes people get around by means other than walking with their legs and feet. When people lose one sense, often other senses become stronger. People themselves can change as they grow and learn more and their personality and wants in life change. For example, someone might start out as a church musician and be fully part of the body of Christ using those skills, and then later decide to become a pastor and still be fully part of the body of Christ in a slightly different way. No matter who we are today, or become tomorrow, we are fully important as children of God in the body of Christ.

We, as different and unique children of God, have to remember that while we are all different in so many diverse ways, we are all still so much alike. How many here have ever laughed? Ever cried? Ever have hope for something? Ever have any fear? Ever smile? Yes, I was just at Disneyland and my favorite ride brings me to tears, since it reminds me that all in this world are God’s children, no matter our differences, because our differences are very small compared to what we share. As the words to the famous song go:

It's a world of laughter, a world of tears, It's a world of hopes and a world of fears,
There's so much that we share, that its time we're aware, It’s a small world after all.
There is just one moon, and one golden sun. And a smile means friendship to everyone.
Though the mountains divide and the oceans are wide. It’s a small world after all.

So as we reflect on Jesus and how through his life he constantly challenged the world and had to come out to people as someone they weren’t expecting, we remember that people around us have the same struggle. Society makes assumptions about people and expects certain things, and when people don’t fit the societal norms, they have to come out themselves to be who they are and fully free. Our call as an RIC congregation is to work to not put labels or preconceived ideas on people and simply accept everyone for who they are. Accept them for who God named them to be. Accept them as Children of God and share God’s endless grace, love, and blessings with them.

May our hearts and minds be opened and fling the church doors open wide. Let us make room enough for everyone inside. For we know in God there is welcome and we all belong. Help us proclaim that welcome as an RIC congregation. Amen.

Grace to you and peace from God and Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Amen. Please pray with me. Lord, we are named as your children and we ask that you be with us now. Open our minds and hearts so that your word may be made clearer to us. Help us to hear the message of love, peace, and unity. Amen.

The second reading today is familiar to many people and looks at how the body of Christ is made up of individuals, yet still is one body. When we are baptized, we are named as a child of God and welcomed into the body of Christ. We do this as a celebration of the unity we have in Christ and that we are fully welcomed and are part of the body of Christ through no action of our own, but through God’s grace.

We don’t question people before they are baptized as to what they will bring to the church, who they are, what plans or goals they have, who they plan on loving, or anything. They are baptized into the body of Christ exactly as they are, a child of God. Since, in our tradition, people are usually baptized as infants, we have no way of knowing what “qualifications” they have or gifts they’ll bring to the church, because it isn’t important. We know that they are part of the body of Christ and that is all that is important and we know that they are a valuable part of the church.

Turning to today’s Gospel, we find Jesus starting to visit synagogues and teaching. Last week we looked at the events that took place just before this, when Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness. Pastor Ryan Chaddick from American Lutheran Church in Burbank, a fellow RIC congregation, where I worshiped last week, gave an interesting perspective on the temptations. So often, we view that passage as the temptation coming from an external devil like being, but based on the root of the word, it can be viewed more as an internal struggle. I found this more relatable as I am often tempted by my own thoughts and doubts. “Am I good enough?” “Am I doing the right thing?” “If I do this, no one would know.”

With our busy world, we often forget that we do need time alone to recharge and clear our minds and thoughts. It can be viewed that is what Jesus did for the 40 days alone in the wilderness. He went to be alone, have a sabbatical if you will, so he could wrestle with the thoughts in his head and clear his mind before starting to visit synagogues and teaching. He wanted to be certain of who he was and his place in the world before coming out into the world. This is shown in today’s gospel by stating that he was filled with the power of the Spirit.

Jesus is going around the area, visiting synagogues and teaching in them. Word is getting about about Jesus and his popularity starts. Then he goes to his home town where people would have been familiar with him and his parents. Most people probably already had ideas about who Jesus is and what he is all about. He is the son of Mary and Joseph, a good Jewish family. He attends the service, as is normal for their family. He reads a passage from Isaiah, nothing out of the ordinary so far. This was all common in a service. When he sat down, it wasn’t because he was done. It was common after a reading for them to sit down and teach about the passage just read. It was when Jesus said “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” that people probably started wondering, “Who is this Jesus?” “I thought I knew him” “I don’t believe who he says he is” Coming out as someone that doesn’t fit into other’s preconceived ideas of who you are can be very challenging. And as we’ll find out as this story continues next week, spoiler alert, it doesn’t end that well for Jesus either.

While it may seem that Jesus is simply saying that he will bring good news to the poor, release captives, give sight to the blind, and let the oppressed go free; there is a lot more going on in this passage. It is thought that the reference to the “year of the Lord’s favor” is referring to the Jubilee Year.

In Pastor Roy Harrisville’s commentary on this Gospel, he states: “The Jubilee Year was to have occurred every fifty years in Israel when the land was to lay fallow, all debts forgiven, and all slaves freed. However, Jeremiah 34:14 suggests that the Jubilee Year had not been followed and that when King Zedekiah did try to institute the practice, it was circumvented by the people. Confusion abounds as to whether or not the practice was ever truly instituted. Yet, the Jubilee Year has influenced such practices as the statute of limitations in our day.”

Pastor Harrisville continues, “Such pronouncements of authoritative [generosity] by kings and rulers had been commonplace among the ancients. The Caesars were often portrayed as grand liberators and generous benefactors. For Jesus to read this message from Isaiah and proclaim its fulfillment is therefore an indictment of all politicians who claim to bring release and freedom. True freedom does not consist in money and possessions or in the ability to do as one pleases.

Americans are used to the idea of freedom as license to do as one wishes. Jesus, however, understands freedom differently. It is a release from captivity to death, the will of others, and the will of the self. Jesus will preach the freedom of slavery to God's will and service to the neighbor (Luke 22:24-27). Such a definition of freedom can only be grasped from the way Jesus will fulfill the words of Isaiah's prophecy.” (http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=502)

Wow. Not only is Jesus saying that the freeing of people is being fulfilled in him, by saying this he is claiming more power and authority than the government. He is starting to turn the world upside down from how people have known it for years. That power and authority come from God and that is where true freedom comes from.

Just as Jesus wrestled with who he was and took the brave step to come out as a messenger of God’s radical power of freedom and forgiveness, we, as individuals, often face similar challenges, especially those people who go against the norm.

Whether we do it on purpose or not, like it or not, we often form snap judgments about other people and who we think they should be. In our society this often starts with very young children. As soon as children are born, we assign a gender to them. “It’s a boy!” or “It’s a girl!” are often the first words spoken after a child is born, or now even before they are born. We have gender reveal parties for these unborn people. Based on that alone, society starts to make many decisions based on that. The color pink, flowers, frilly dresses for girls. The color blue, cars and trucks, and rugged pants and shirts for boys. Whether we mean it or not, we start making decisions about who these newborns are before they get a chance.

For the most part this turns out fine, however, for some, it creates many challenges for them in life. Especially as we continue with the assumptions as they get older. Society often talks about how girls will bring home boys someday or boys will find the right girl. When offering career suggestions we might even give different lists to people based on our assumption of their gender instead of based on their skills or interests. All this time, we are building up an image of who we think the person is, just like the people in Jesus’s hometown had in their minds built up an image of who they thought he was.

This then makes it hard for people to be their true selves, and if they differ from what society has determined they should be, they have the difficult process of coming out and having to state who they really are. They have to go against the cultural norms that have been built up around them so they can be true to themselves.

During the time leading up to coming out, we wrestle with who we really are. Am I right in who I am or is society right? We can feel like we are in the wilderness alone being tempted to become something we aren’t. Some are strong and make it through the temptations like Jesus did and end up being filled with the Holy Spirit and being sure of who we are and have the strength to step into the world and come out as our true selves. Unfortunately, many can’t make it through the temptations and succumb and end up living a life not based on who they really are, but who others think they are. Or worse, they might not survive the struggle and end up taking their own life so they don’t have to struggle anymore.

And this is where we as Christians, and fellow children of God come in. We are called to recognize all people, ALL people, for who they are - children of God. Named by God as their children and loved for the special and unique person they are. This is why we are an RIC congregation - we took a stand in this crazy world to say to our community, God’s love is for all, we are not here to judge you based on what makes you unique, we aren’t here to make you fit into an image of who we think you should be. We are here solely to share God’s love with you and journey together to better understand God’s and Jesus’s teachings and how this world should be - full of grace, love, peace, and harmony.

We have all been named by God as God’s children. We belong in the body of Christ. As we heard in the 2nd reading, all parts of the body of Christ are needed. We need hands and feet, eyes and ears. We need teachers and leaders and learners and healers. None of us are complete without everyone else. Not only is being part of the body important, the role we play can change over time and remains just as important. Sometimes people get around by means other than walking with their legs and feet. When people lose one sense, often other senses become stronger. People themselves can change as they grow and learn more and their personality and wants in life change. For example, someone might start out as a church musician and be fully part of the body of Christ using those skills, and then later decide to become a pastor and still be fully part of the body of Christ in a slightly different way. No matter who we are today, or become tomorrow, we are fully important as children of God in the body of Christ.

We, as different and unique children of God, have to remember that while we are all different in so many diverse ways, we are all still so much alike. How many here have ever laughed? Ever cried? Ever have hope for something? Ever have any fear? Ever smile? Yes, I was just at Disneyland and my favorite ride brings me to tears, since it reminds me that all in this world are God’s children, no matter our differences, because our differences are very small compared to what we share. As the words to the famous song go:

It's a world of laughter, a world of tears, It's a world of hopes and a world of fears, There's so much that we share, that its time we're aware, It’s a small world after all. There is just one moon, and one golden sun. And a smile means friendship to everyone. Though the mountains divide and the oceans are wide. It’s a small world after all.

So as we reflect on Jesus and how through his life he constantly challenged the world and had to come out to people as someone they weren’t expecting, we remember that people around us have the same struggle. Society makes assumptions about people and expects certain things, and when people don’t fit the societal norms, they have to come out themselves to be who they are and fully free. Our call as an RIC congregation is to work to not put labels or preconceived ideas on people and simply accept everyone for who they are. Accept them for who God named them to be. Accept them as Children of God and share God’s endless grace, love, and blessings with them.

May our hearts and minds be opened and fling the church doors open wide. Let us make room enough for everyone inside. For we know in God there is welcome and we all belong. Help us proclaim that welcome as an RIC congregation. Amen.

This is a special musical presentation of Speak, O Lord by the Chance Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. 

This is a special musical presentation of Speak, O Lord by the Chance Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. 

This is a special musical presentation of a violin solo of Bouree by Handel presented by Rachel Ngasala