Anyone who reads a lot knows that the first thing to read in
any book isn’t page one. It’s the introduction. I say that because the
introduction gives you the author’s perspective of the book as a whole; and
that’s information that you otherwise wouldn’t ever know. For example, I’m
right in the middle of reading Battle Cry
of Freedom, a Pulitzer Prize winning one-volume history of the Civil War.
In his introduction, the author explains that he is less interested in the “where
and when” of the war than he is in “why and how” it came about and proceeded in
the way that it did. It explains why, after reading the first 150 pages, I’m
still learning about the conflict in the Nebraska Territory, and Abraham
Lincoln hasn’t even been elected president yet! If I hadn’t read the
introduction, I would probably be confused and frustrated at the slow pace of
the book. As it is, I understand why the author has taken pains to discuss the
political and social climate prior to the war.
The story that you just heard from the Gospel of Luke (Luke
4:14-21) is Jesus’ introduction to his own ministry. In Luke’s gospel, when
Jesus makes these comments in his hometown synagogue, he hasn’t yet called any
disciples, healed any lepers, or even told any parables. On the contrary, he
has been baptized and spent 40 days in the wilderness – but that’s all. This
speech is Jesus’ introduction to himself as the Messiah and to what the focus
of his ministry will be. This text can tell us a lot if we read it as Jesus’
introduction to his ministry. For example, his choice of Bible text is important.
Jesus is given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah by one of the synagogue
leaders; but he chooses the particular text himself. Now, Jesus could have
chosen lots of different texts in Isaiah to introduce his ministry. Isaiah
speaks quite a bit about the Messiah.
For instance, Jesus could have chosen to read Isaiah 61:6.
That verse goes like this: “You will be called ‘priests of the Lord;’ you will
be named ‘ministers of our God.’ You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in
their riches you will boast.” This text glorifies the people of Israel,
promising them fame, favor, and wealth. The Jews certainly expected the Messiah
to do that for them. But Jesus didn’t choose that text.
Or Jesus could have chosen Isaiah 66:15. This verse warns of
God’s judgment upon those who reject him. “Look, the Lord is coming with fire,
and his chariots are like a whirlwind. He will bring down his anger with fury,
and his rebuke with flames of fire.” God surely would punish unbelievers when
the Messiah came! But Jesus didn’t choose that text, either.
Instead, he chose Isaiah 61:1-2. “The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has
sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight to the
blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
It reminds us of Mary’s Magnificat, the song that Jesus’ mother sang while he
was still in her womb (Luke 1:52-53). “He has brought down rulers from their
thrones, but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good
things, but has sent the rich away empty.”
Jesus’ choice of this particular text as an introduction to
his ministry tells everyone that he isn’t concerned with either patting people
on the back or knocking them upside the head. Jesus’ focus as the Messiah is
with liberating people and making them whole. That’s what the Gospels talk
about, over and over and over again – how Jesus liberated people from diseases
and demons and social customs, and made them whole in body and mind and spirit.
He did it 2,000 years ago, and he does the very same things for us today.
That’s a good thing to remember that on this day when we
install officers in our congregation for the coming year. Our job as followers
of Jesus Christ is to be doing the very same things – healing and unloosing and
lifting up and accepting and encouraging. And those church officers who will be
installed in just a few minutes are the ones who are going to lead us in that
work. Do we always do our work well? No. Do we always make good decisions? No. Do
we sometimes have the wrong priorities? Of course. After all, we’re only human.
But we do the very best we can to imitate Jesus in our life as Nashville United
Church of Christ.
Now, sometimes people misunderstand how we’re supposed to go
about doing that. Are we supposed to neglect ourselves and concentrate
exclusively on other people? Of course not! Before we can minister to other
people, we need to be a strong, healthy congregation.
We’re just like passengers in an airplane. What does the
attendant tell us before every take-off? “In the unlikely event that we lose
cabin pressure, activate your oxygen mask and put it on yourself before
attempting to help anyone else.” We can’t help anyone else if we’re not taking
care of ourselves!
That means that we have to take care of our own facilities even
as we help others live safely in affordable housing. It means that we care for
members of our own congregation even as we help others who are suffering. It
means that we are intentional about joining in fellowship as we celebrate the gift
of the Spirit in our midst and pray for the Spirit in the lives of others. Following
Jesus as a UCC congregation isn’t an either/or that means we have to choose
between caring for ourselves and caring for others. On the contrary, it means
finding an appropriate balance as we both care for ourselves and reach out to
others. And it means constant prayer, discernment, and correction with the guidance
of the Spirit.
Freedom for the prisoners, the recovery of sight to the
blind, release for the oppressed, and proclaiming God’s favor to all. That’s
what we’re supposed to be doing as disciples of Jesus Christ. Those are our
jobs whether we’re congregational leaders or just folks who sit in a pew on
Sunday mornings. That’s what Jesus said his job was as the Messiah; and he
expects us to do the same. Our fathers and mothers who came before us here at
Nashville followed Jesus as faithfully as they could. May God grant that we are
as faithful as they were.
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