Reluctant Student

In a few days we will see the inauguration of a new President. (Not a Political Sermon)

President elect Biden will be sworn in and will give a speech on what he plans to do for the county. After the speech there will be people on both sides of political spectrum weighing in on the speech in negative and positive ways.

Then those who listened to the speech and the commentary will pick a side if they have not already and will make their voices known. Some will be positive and talk about the greatness of the speech and some will call what was outlined the worst possible direction for the country.

This is just a fact…In fact even though the rhetoric is much more adversarial today this is what has happened in every transfer of power since GW.

The question is what causes people to make whatever decision they are going to make? The truth is People tend to make life decisions based on the standards that have been set in their communities and the standards of those people that they live life with. Friends, relatives, golf buddies, book club friends, you name the group....

While people do ultimately make these decisions themselves the decisions do not materialize in a vacuum.

The same thing holds true for how we decide to interpret scripture. Yes ultimately we will make the choice of what we believe and how we believe it but these decisions never materialize in a vacuum.

The people we gather and worship with have something to do with it as well…but the real influence comes from those we are willing to allow to challenge our thinking, and understanding.

When I first started my spiritual journey I believed a lot of things not becuase I had some spiritual experience nor had I done much in the way of real bible study…I believed things because people I loved told me and I trusted them.

As I have grown in my faith I have moved from simply trusting what I have been told to serious study and even allowing caring dissenting voices in my life so I can with the help of Holy Spirit choose how to live my life.

I do not allow the loudest voice in the crowd to persuade me I listen to people who are on the same journey with me and care about me not their own agenda.

In so doing I have been able to repent decision and thoughts I have had not becuase I outgrew them but becuase I was ignorant of what things really ment. Today there seems to be opposition to allowing God to change our minds as we grow in our faith.

There are essentials of faith that will never change…but that does not mean we should settle for a reductionist view of faith.

Our passage is often called Jesus inaugural sermon. It was not his firsts sermon…but it was the first sermon where he introduced himself as the fulfilment of Isiah’s words.... This should have been a time of great rejoicing lets see if it is?

Luke 4:14-30

New Living Translation Chapter 4

14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

18 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon me,

for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,

that the blind will see,

that the oppressed will be set free,

19 and that the time of the LORD’s favor has come.”

20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

22 Everyone spoke well of him and was amazed by the gracious words that came from his lips. “How can this be?” they asked. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”

23 Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24 But I tell you the truth, no prophet is accepted in his own hometown.

25 “Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. 26 Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. 27 And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.”

28 When they heard this, the people in the synagogue were furious. 29 Jumping up, they mobbed him and forced him to the edge of the hill on which the town was built. They intended to push him over the cliff, 30 but he passed right through the crowd and went on his way.

Well that escalated quickly

I mean it started out like any other Sabbath. Jesus was in Synagogue…read the scrolls handed them back and said basically your wait is over…this is fulfilled I am the one called to bring good news…

Jesus spoke with grace and people were impressed but not convinced.

They were confused…They knew Jesus from a boy…they knew his father....Jesus was a local boy makes good but Messiah? It did not add up....so Jesus stirs the pot....

I know some of you are going to demand a sign that this is true…do a miracle so we will believe? No you won’t....It has never worked that way…even Elijah and Elisha did miracles for the foreigners instead of the Israelites…not becuase they didn’t want to but becuase God knew it would never be enough...

In other words no matter what I say you will not believe me becuase you are not willing to give up your familiarity with me or your idea of what the messiah will look like becuase it is do different from what someone told you and what your community has reinforced as truth.

This was insulting enough to enraged his hometown to the point they wanted to throw him off a cliff....but as we see in scripture no one followed through…Jesus just walked through the crowd and took the good news to to the poor, and the captives healed the blind and the oppressed were set free.

I cannot help when I read this passage but feel a touch of sadness for Galilee…They had bought into the lie that nothing good could come from it even though it was not true.

Instead of accepting one of their own as messiah they joined the crowd of those that would eventually crucify Jesus for no other reason than they just would not let Jesus set them free with the good news and instead held onto the lie.

We Need people that we trust to help us see the lies we believe about ourselves and God.

This is the aspect of a Church that has been sorely lacking even pre-covid. Not becuase we do not want it but becuase we are so afraid to be wrong that we would rather live in an echo chamber that allows us to believe a lie instead of challenge us to live into a bold new future.

One of our values as a local church says: It is in relationship and conversation with other believers that we figure out how to walk the way of Jesus in every day life. We believe Small groups meet to care for one another and talk about how to apply the Good News in our daily lives.

When we are focused on Spiritual growth instead of defining a secular culture we win. This means approaching every issue we face no matte how convinced we may be that we are right open to allowing God to change our belief…

This does not mean we were wrong to believe what we believed…it means that it may be wrong for the moment we are in. This is why it is so important to surround yourself with people that have your best interest at heart not just our ego.

Lincoln chose to surround himself with the strongest people despite three of them opposing his nomination for President. He asked political rivals, all with views different than his own on certain topics, to join him for the good of the nation.

Abrahams Lincoln chose 3 of his staunches rivals to serve in his cabinet…not as a purely political calculation but becuase even though they disagreed with him Abraham Lincoln believed they has the best interest of the Country at heart

If we really want to live God’s will it would be good to follow Lincoln’s lead and let others who see the world differently speak into our lives.

This along with an intentional search for wisdom from God will get you and I through whatever is thrown at us in 2021 and beyond.

There is precedent in scripture for this. Jesus chose his disciples this way. Peter hardly ever agreed with Jesus, in fact most of Jesus teaching to the disciples centered around un-teaching them what they had embraced as truth that was in fact misinformation.

We are not to be afraid of differing opinion but test it by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, reason, our experience and the experience of others and yes tradition.

Action…Continue to be a part of a small group. Even if it is online and you hate on line. Look for ways to allow the people you worship with that are on the same journey as you and care for you help you sort out all the messiness we are now in.

Luke 22:14-23

14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you. 21 But the hand of him who is going to betray me is with mine on the table. 22 The Son of Man will go as it has been decreed. But woe to that man who betrays him!” 23 They began to question among themselves which of them it might be who would do this.

Communion: Jesus was gathered with people who thought differently…even someone who would betray him…yet he still offered himself to them freely…Even though Judas would betray him