Spiritual Growth :: Sermons

Epiphany 3,  January 24, 2010

The Rev. Kate Ekrem

You know, I was sort of disappointed at the Q&A adult forum last Sunday, despite all of Sabeth’s urging to ask a stumper, nobody asked what the meaning of life was. I mean, people asked good questions and we had a good discussion, but it was more about the life of our congregation. I was sort of hoping for that one since it has a very easy answer, probably you didn’t ask because you already know that the meaning of life, is, of course, love. But I wonder, do we ever think about ,what’s the meaning of my life, your personal purpose in life, what God put you on this earth to do or to be?

A harder question, when it gets more specific. Who to love, and how, and all the ancillary questions.

It seems to me from today’s Gospel that Jesus asked himself the same question – what am I supposed to do with my life, what did God put me on this earth to do. In this Epiphany season most of our Gospel readings are about the very beginning of Jesus’ ministry – his baptism, his first miracle at Cana last week, and this week the first statement of his vision for his ministry. It was at a worship service much like this one, and much like we do someone from the congregation would come forward and read the lesson for the day and then the same person (this was before the days of professional clergy) would give some interpretation or explanation of that lesson.

Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah, where Isaiah says that one day God will come and bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. And Jesus’ commentary on this, is “today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Basically, he says, that is what I’ve been sent by God to do. This was his personal mission statement.

So, let’s look at what he says. Jesus proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor: jubilee year. According to Jewish custom, this was every 50 years or so when all debts are to be cancelled and slaves freed (because debt slavery was mostly what they had), and land return to its original owner. This was based on the theological conviction that all wealth belongs to God, not to people, so it should periodically be redistributed.

How would you react to a Jubilee year? I mean, it might be nice to have your mortgage cancelled, but if all wealth evenly distributed on world-wide basis, it would probably not look good for us in Lexington or even for anyone in the US. The leaders of israle, as it turned out, felt the same way. Even thought this was commanded by scripture in the OT, historians say it probably never really happened. It was an ideal. This is what would happen if God were in charge of our economic system, but for better or worse God’s not.

And to this idea Jesus says, today this has been fulfilled in your hearing. Let’s do it, let’s start it now. Jesus describes a world in which there is good news for the poor, that those who are blind or sick are healed, where there is freedom for everyone. That’s the world, Jesus is saying, he came to make real for us. This is not what his hearers expected, because it’s not religion as we know it. Jesus is not expressing a need to reverence tradition or nostalgia for the past. He’s also not saying, someday God’s kingdom will come in the far future. He’s saying, today. He’s saying, now. (Journey with Jesus)

Our Presiding Bishop chose this passage from Luke’s Gospel as her own purpose statement, her mission statement for her time as Presiding Bishop, especially as she works for the Millennium Development Goals, the United Nation goals to eliminate extreme poverty by 2015. The MDGs have not been in the news all that much since our own economy begain going downhill, but perhaps the current crisis in Haiti is reminding us all how extreme poverty can make a bad situation so very much worse. Now is a very good time to make Jesus’ mission statement our mission statement. To bring good news to the poor and healing to the sick, to help those who are in any kind of captivity, whether its political or economic or spiritual or emotional. Jesus is clear that his ministry is about bringing liberation to all people.

Like our PB, we are already participating in this mission of Jesus in a lot of ways. It doesn’t have to be hard. This week I heard good news for the poor in that we’re going to expand our giving garden this summer and provide even more fresh vegetables for the Lexington Food Pantry and other organizations. Last month many of you were part of the holiday party for Grow Clinic, bringing hope and healing and connection to families with children who are failing to thrive due to health and economic issues. Always our pastoral care team is visiting with and praying for those who are sick. I could go on and on, about Esperanza and El Hogar, but you know what I’m talking about.

Perhaps the seeds of our liberation, from the things that make us less than free, are in taking on this mission for ourselves as well. We aren’t Jesus, certainly, but we are the Body of Christ, God’s hands and hearts in the world. What if this passage from Isaiah is also about us: the spirit of the Lord is upon YOU because God has chosen YOU to bring good news to the poor, to release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and let the oppressed go free,

What if we took this as our personal mission statement, taped it to our bathroom mirror and each day reminded ourselves, today this scripture is being fulfilled. Today God is doing this, how can I take part.

Sometimes I think that what Jesus wanted, more than anything, was for people to be reconciled to each other. Prisoners released and made part of the community again, forgiven no matter what they did. Those who are sick not isolated and alone in nursing home or hospital, but within the community and cared for. No divide between rich and poor but all sharing together. An ideal, maybe. But one that we can move toward TODAY. Jesus saying, let’s do it, people! Today this scripture can be fulfilled in our hearing.

Works consulted included:

Journey with Jesus, “Today is Here”, January 18, 2010 by Sarah Miles

Lectionary Reflections by Sarah Dylan Breuer, January 19, 2004

Lectionary Reflection by Sharron R. Lucas, January 24, 2010