Nehemiah 8:1-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:16-30

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

There’s nothing more endearing to us than the thought of home. It’s the one place that we know is safe, comfortable, and welcoming. Home is meant to be the place where you will be welcomed all the time with open arms. We all look forward to going home to family and friends because we know we’ll have a friendly welcome, emotional support, and (if we need) even a shoulder to cry on. Yes, home is meant to be our safe space where we can go no matter whatever we do.

But there’s a weird paradox about home also, particularly about families. Those that know us the best can be either the most supportive or the most critical. When you know someone for a long time (particularly when it’s siblings), we know all the good and bad things together. This creates such situations where we only get the extremes. We can use all the bad things as ammunition, or we can look at all the good things so as to overlook the bad. 

In our Gospel lesson, Jesus returns home to see his family and goes to preach in the synagogue “as was his custom” (Luke 4:16). Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,” Luke 4:18-19. This is the proclamation of the year of Jubilee. It was the restoration of all that people had lost. It was an incredible thing and reason for much rejoicing!

However, home and family can be a strange meeting. As he speaks before those who know him the best, he finds a not-so-warm welcome. “And they said, ‘Is not this Joseph’s son?” Luke 4:22. This boy that we’ve seen from birth, who does he think he is to say such a thing to us? Indeed, these people, this family who knew Jesus the best were the most blind to their own need. For Jesus fulfilled the words of Isaiah by preaching to them and to us. We’re the ones who are poor. We’re the ones who are captives and blind and oppressed.

God sent Jesus for this particular reason... “to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor,” Luke 4:19. Jesus was anointed at his baptism by the Spirit so that he may proclaim to all people the favor of God! This is God’s favor, to set free those who are bound to sin, to heal all those who are afflicted in body and soul, to give liberty to all those oppressed by even death! God’s favor is to give us Jesus who will go to the cross to die for us. “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Physician, heal yourself,’ Luke 4:23. So they did, with Jesus on the cross. They told him to heal himself of his wounds and come down. But it was the Lord’s favor and desire that Jesus should be crushed for us. Now, Jesus sends out others to proclaim this same message... the Lord’s favor for you. And this is God’s favor... to forgive you your sins and to grant you faith which leads to eternal life!

Pastor Sorenson

Prayer:

Almighty and everlasting God, mercifully look upon our infirmities and stretch forth the hand of Your majesty to heal and defend us; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen!