Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany (3)

Scripture

Jeremiah 1:4–10 NIV

The word of the Lord came to me, saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.” But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord. Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

Luke 4:21–30 NIV

He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked. Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’ ” “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.” All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Sermon

This morning, I want everyone to take a look at the front of the bulletin, at the image and I want to know if you can identify it. If you know what it is, just say it. (take answers). And usually, the picture on the front of the bulletin highlights the sermon series or the idea of the sermon which might make this one a more peculiar image. When I was growing up, one of my favorite movies was Mary Poppins. And if you’ve seen Mary Poppins, you know that she too carried a carpet bag that looked a lot like the one on the cover of today’s bulletin. Now, whether or not you are familiar with the movie, I wanted to show you a scene from Mary Poppins that might help you understand why it’s pictured and what it has to do with today’s sermon. [Show video clip.]

Jane and Michael Banks, the two children Mary Poppins will be a nanny to, are amazed at this simple, small carpet bag which appears to be empty but holds so much stuff. A coatrack, mirror, lamp, and plant, along with who knows what else. Looking at the outside, they can’t see how much stuff is in this magic carpet bag. Now, I know you’ve probably never been called this at church, but today, you are carpet bags. In other words, there is more to you than meets the eye. In fact, there are some things that those sitting around you will never see fully. And there are some things you will never see fully in the people that are surrounding you.

We heard this morning from Paul’s letter to the church in Corinth. What has often been called the “love” chapter. Paul eloquently describes the purest form of love. And the word in Greek he uses is agape, the love of God and the love we are called to have towards each other. And this is one of those things that those sitting around you will never fully see. Unlike our vehicles that have gauges and warning lights that tell us when there are problems or the fluids are low, you and God are the only ones who know the depth of love you have inside.

And we heard from the prophet Jeremiah. And this was God’s call to this young man to preach His word. To stand before the people of God and declare, “Thus saith the Lord.” And Jeremiah is concerned about being accepted as a prophet because of his age and his lack of speaking skills. And yet, Jeremiah is known to us today as “the weeping prophet” because it was with a heart filled with love that he preached a message that called the people of God to repentance.

And we heard from the gospel where we left off last week. Jesus in the synagogue of his own hometown of Nazareth. And Jesus is telling those gathered there how He will be rejected just like Elijah and Elisha were. And in fact, “They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.”