Last week, we heard about Paul, who was enraged against the followers of Jesus. Later in his life, his own people would become enraged at Paul and would even try to kill him. Well, today it's the people in Jesus' home town who are enraged, apparently just because Jesus points out to them what's in the Scriptures. Of course, there's more to it than that. They've heard about what Jesus did at Capernaum. They figure that he should do even better things in Nazareth - you know - special favours for the home town! They want Jesus to do whatever they tell him to, but of course Jesus doesn't look to them for his direction. Instead, Jesus knows who he is and what his mission is, and he's going to act accordingly.

They had hoped to be part of the "in" group with Jesus - kind of like special status because the Messiah grew up in "our" town. However, Jesus didn't come to minister to the "in" group. He came to minister to the poor, the captives, the blind and the oppressed (Lk. 4:18). He came to minister to the outsiders - to those who would be considered by most to be unacceptable.

Jesus communicates this aspect of his mission to the people using examples from their own Scriptures. He tells about how God's grace extended to a widow living in Sidon during the time of Elijah - a Gentile woman, not an Israelite! Then he tells about how God's grace was made known to a man from Syria during the time of Elisha - once again, a Gentile, and not a Jew (Lk. 4:25-27). Of course, the people of Nazareth are not impressed! After all, what's the use of being a Jew and of following all those commandments if God's just going to go off and share his grace with the Gentiles? What's the use of living in Jesus' home town if he's just going to go off and share the good news with everybody else? And so, they become so angry that they try to kill Jesus. However, God is the one in control, and Jesus still has work to do, and so he simply passes through the crowd and goes on his way.

It kind of makes me wonder how many of these same attitudes we still carry with us today. Are we just fine with God's grace, as long as it's for us and not for other, less desirable people? Do we want to be part of God's "in" group and keep other people on the outside? Do we say with the people of Nazareth, "I know what I believe. Don't confuse me with the Scriptures!"? Or, are we open to allowing God to be God, and to lead us according to God's will, and not our own?

This last question is important, because most of us would prefer that God take his orders from us. We want God to act according to what we expect. We want to impose our own needs and desires upon God's church. We want God to affirm that we are the respectable ones - the good ones - the blessed ones. We want God to answer our prayers according to what we believe to be best for us. Well, I'm sorry if this is disappointing for you, but God doesn't operate that way. God is Creator of all and above all and expects us to place ourselves under God's rule, and not the other way around!

I've come across some interesting reflections lately on what this might mean for congregations. One person asks the question as to whether congregations exist primarily for their own members or for the people outside the walls of the church (Brian Stoffregen - http://www.crossmarks.com/brian/luke4x21.htm ). He continues by reflecting on how many times people in congregations say that they need to look after their own members first. Then, the question is asked - What if a church council were to meet with their main concern being to discern the purposes of God? How would this meeting be different from a meeting where the main concern is to take care of our members and our building?

As it happens, these questions relate perfectly to some ideas that are shared in a book by Kelly Fryer (Reclaiming the "L" Word: Renewing the Church from Its Lutheran Core). She writes about a study that was done over a 10 year period in the ELCA which asked the question as to what things vibrant, growing churches have in common. The results indicated that there was only one factor that was a good predictor of whether a church grew or not. It didn't matter what style of worship was used or how often they knocked on doors inviting people to come to church. It didn't even matter whether people liked the pastor's sermons or not. Instead, the one factor that mattered was having a clear vision of where God wants the congregation to go and a willingness to do whatever it takes to follow that vision (pp. 12-13). In other words, they know who they are and where they are going and are open to whatever change is necessary in order to get there.

It sounds a little bit like Jesus, who knew who he was and what his mission was and was open to doing whatever was necessary in order to carry out God's will. It also makes sense, for aren't we called to follow Jesus and to imitate him, whether as individuals or as a congregation? And so, the challenge for us is to know who we are and what God is calling us to do, and to be open to the power of the Holy Spirit in order to make it happen.

The Scriptures, in fact, are full of statements regarding who God says that we are and what God is calling us to do. As for who we are, we are God's precious creation, redeemed by Jesus Christ, and set apart for service by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are baptized children of God, members of the body of Christ, and recipients of God's gracious gift of salvation. As such, we do have a calling.

We are called to baptize, teach and make disciples for Jesus Christ (Mt. 28:19-20). We are called to imitate Jesus in lives of loving service (Jn. 14:12). We are called to be the body of Christ in the world, taking our direction from Jesus, the head, and using the gifts that we have been given by the Spirit in order to share God's love with the world (cf. 1 Cor. 12). We are called to bring healing in the name of Jesus and to share the good news of the kingdom of God (Mt. 10:7-8). We are called to live our lives in love - loving God above all else, and loving our neighbours as ourselves (Mt. 22:36-39). This is our calling, not only as individuals, but as a congregation.

The question that is raised both by today's gospel and by some of our reflections on that gospel is if we have the willingness to do whatever it takes in order to carry out this mission. Are we open to what the Scriptures have to say to us and to the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives? Are we open to changing the way that we do things if it means better being able to follow God's call? Are we open to sharing the good news of Jesus Christ and of God's grace with all people, and not just with the people with whom we are comfortable?

The question was raised earlier as to whether congregations exist for their own members or for the people outside the walls of the church. Perhaps it's not an "either/or" question, but a "both/and" question. In fact our own mission statement captures very well the need to gather together and to go out into the world in order to answer God's call. "Our mission is to build a caring community in Christ." Why? - So that we can be healed and nurtured in order to embody the love of God in daily life. We come together to be healed and nurtured through Word and Sacrament in order that we might go out into the world, carrying the love of God with us in order to share it with others. Then, we come back together again, bringing others with us who will also become part of that caring community, in order to widen the circle of people who are carrying the love of God to the world.

It is a weekly rhythm of being healed and nurtured and strengthened in order to answer God's call to be Christ in our world. It is God who has made us who we are, who has called us to come and follow Jesus, and who has given us all the gifts that are needed, which come from the Holy Spirit. May we be able to rejoice in who we are, to follow in faith and in love, and to be renewed and empowered by the Spirit of Christ at work within us. Amen. So be it.

Epiphany 4(C) Luke 4:21-30 February 1, 2004 St. Luke's Zion Lutheran Church

? 2004 Lynn Hutchison All Rights Reserved