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First Hometown Sermon:  Rejected
Luke 4:21-30

Picture
      Jesus probably enjoyed walking the familiar path toward his hometown synagogue.  His family, and many others he knew, were grateful for the Sabbath and looking forward to worship.  Warm greetings were given to Jesus.  A bit later no one would have been particularly surprised when he was called up to read Scripture; everyone had heard he’d been visiting and teaching in nearby villages.  
     The scroll of Isaiah lay open before Jesus, but he didn’t need to look down to recite the ancient prophecy about a promised Messiah.  Once finished, he sat before the congregation on the bench called Moses’ seat; he was the patriarch who received the 10 commandments directly from God and told His people to obey them. Jesus sat on that seat of spiritual authority as everyone looked at him intently.  He began by saying, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”   
     At first there was bewildered amazement, and some praise given to Jesus, but the mood in the room soon changed.  As people realized the significant claim Jesus made about himself, someone called out, “Isn’t that Joseph’s son?”  That was a loaded question that would have caused nervous silence because the honorable way to address him would have been “Jesus, son of Joseph”. To not use his name, and just reference his father would have been shockingly rude.   There was a purpose behind the hostility.  There had long been rumors that Joseph’s son was illegitimate.  Was he really the son of Joseph, or not?  What was being implied in this public and spiritual setting is that Jesus was a bastard.  It was common knowledge that no “illegitimate” son had the authority to teach, or lead God’s people. 
     This tense moment reminds me of an old Turkish proverb: “If you are about to speak the truth, have one foot in the stirrup!”  Jesus heard the smug challenge and must have seen heads nod in agreement, but He wasn’t drawn in to the petty “hearsay” about his birth - instead he stayed on topic, on his life’s mission.  He did that by telling two stories from the Old Testament that his audience knew well.   
     The first was about the 3½-year drought and famine in Israel.  The people had turned their backs on God and on their prophet Elijah.  God sent Elijah into the pagan land of Sidon, among people who were Israel’s despised enemies. There  were many widows in the region and he was able to take refuge with a poor widow; she ministered to Elijah and was in turn greatly blessed.  This was a very hard passage for God’s people to hear because they knew that their own Jewish widows (and many others) were starving during that same time period.  Jesus intentionally chose this passage about Israel’s prophet leaving his own people, staying with an unclean foreigner, and eating in her pagan home.  Although this was an abrasive story for them to hear, it also foreshadowed the wideness of the coming Kingdom of God.  See chapter 17 of the book of I Kings.
    The second story was about the prophet Elisha.  There were many people afflicted by leprosy in Israel, but God chose to heal Namaan, a military officer from modern-day Syria.  He too was a Gentile, not among God’s chosen ones.  Once again favor was shown to someone seen as outside the boundary of God’s concern, and it was deeply troubling.  ​See chapter 5 of the book of II Kings.
     Flannery O’Connor once said, “The truth doesn’t change according to our ability to stomach it!”  The Israelites couldn’t stomach the truth that the prophets Elijah and Elisha were used by God to show His expansive care and healing.  They felt self-righteous anger as they listened to the true accounts about the pagan widow and the healing given to a diseased foreigner.  They viewed them as reviled enemies and outsiders, but the holy Scriptures made it plain that God saw them (of all people) as insiders, deserving of provision and wholeness.  
    Those who heard Jesus tell these stories in the synagogue were confronted with uncomfortable truths.  They exposed their bloated, blind, self-righteousness, and shone light on their exclusive point of view.  It didn’t sit well to be admonished and reminded that God cares for all, not just them.  His love is expansive.  That’s the barrier-busting Good News Jesus came to deliver: that everyone’s invited into the marvelous kingdom of God!  The path is the same for each one of us.  We need only come to Jesus with humility, seeking truth, then repent and believe.   
      The Israelites had long been given the opportunity to tell the wider world about God.  They were chosen to be light in the darkness, but they had faltered and failed many times. God, who is never deterred, sent His own son, Jesus.  He would be despised like the prophets of old, but the Good News of salvation would spread across the entire world.  In Nazareth, his own townsfolk angrily rejected him.  They tried to push him off a cliff to his death, but he effortlessly passed through the crowd and departed.  Their attempt to silence or stop Jesus failed.   
       Today, now, we are here in the flesh.  What fresh and provocative things might we do?  Isn’t the Spirit of the Lord upon us?  Jesus declared that it was His mission to seek and to save the lost, to free the oppressed and bring forth justice.  And he did these things; he fulfilled more of Isaiah’s prophesies, so they weren’t ink on parchment paper, but were embodied in the flesh.  
      Now, what about us?  I came up with some life application possibilities based on the Isaiah passage Jesus read.  I’ve gleaned some ideas from others, but mostly created my own.  These are ways I long to see justice and righteousness come in this community and in all places. 
    I want the POOR to have free dental care, eyeglasses, hearing aids, and haircuts.   Plus, free public transportation so people can easily get to work, get food, go see their family, and come to church. I want them to be looked in the eye and treated with respect.  I want them offered housing in safe neighborhoods near where you and I live.  And that’s for starters....
     I want CAPTIVES to experience freedom in their hearts - whether they’re prisoners in jail, or prisoners living in their own large and lonely mansions.  I want those whose minds are held captive by past traumas to be healed.  For those held captive by bodies that don’t function well, I want cures through science, and breakthroughs in medicine so the lame walk and the crippled dance!  I want quality healthcare for all, with plentiful, well-compensated trained staff.   I want low-cost prescriptions for all.  
      I want the BLIND to receive sight, literally.  And for any person blind to their own prejudice, self-centeredness, or hatred - I want the scales to fall off so they see the truth and want to change.  For those blind to their potential, or unable to see their worth, I want others in their lives to help them see their value and love them unconditionally.    
     I want the OPPRESSED, who may be in denial, to be set free from the bottle, the needle, the laptop, or video games.  I want all people, but especially those without power or voice, to be protected by unbiased laws.  I want the stigma around mental health to be eradicated, and those who are differently-abled to have broader housing and workplace opportunities.  I want more people and countries willing to shelter refugees who’ve been forced to flee from their unstable homelands. 
     I want those who are OVERWORKED to have free daycare at work, plus wage increases, good benefits, and time off.  I want their jobs protected if they need to care for elderly parents, a newborn, or a seriously ill child.  I want more workplaces to offer flex time and the opportunity to work from home, whenever possible.  I want every worker to have a clean and safe environment to work in.
 
    But here’s what I most want: it’s the Source and Resource that can help a person no matter where they find themselves.  I especially want it for those on the lowest rungs of society, the riffraff and so-called fringe outcasts, the ne’er-do-wells in our communities - you know, “those people” living on the margins, whom too few of us will ever come to really know…. I want them to believe in and experience the LOVE OF GOD.  I want them to enter churches and be joyfully embraced.  I want them to find a friend in Jesus, but also friends here, among us. 
      Jesus has shown us by his example that we need to search for such people.  We need to invite those who are feeling low, unseen, and unworthy here so they can know they have full citizenship in heaven.   When all else in their day-to-day lives is scarce or scary, frustrating or fear-filled, I want them to know Jesus.  So many people are lower than low, feeling isolated, stressed, and unseen… unworthy.   I want everyone to be told, shown, and assured that God sees and cares.   God very much wants to be in their hearts and lives.  That’s why Jesus went the distance, from Heaven to earth. 
       Now, today, we’ve been reminded by the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and by Jesus Christ our Savior, that the kingdom of God is for all.  We’ve also been shown, by their example, that God is counting on us to go to them and be the bridge, the one who can help them connect with and receive from God.  Then comes a call to action for each one of us.  When we see or learn about injustices, will we let God show us how we can help dismantle them?   I want to right those wrongs.   When we see people wrongly judged, or painfully excluded, will we speak up rather than stay silent?  I want to right those wrongs.  There are so many ways God can use us to liberate others, correct injustices, bring dignity, and restore hope.   Today. Now.  May my words not remain inked on this paper but be made incarnate, put into action by us all.    Amen. 

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