Loading...I had a strong desire to focus on the first letter from Paul to the Corinthians today, particularly because the message is this: we need one another to be the body of Christ. And as this is the day we are having our Annual Meeting, I really want you all to look around at one another and recognize that this place wouldn’t be what it is without every single one of you. And remind you that there is room for us to welcome even more into this branch of the Jesus Movement.
But as the week wore on, after the prayer service at the National Cathedral, and thinking about the basic message Jesus gave the world nearly every time he spoke, it seems more fitting to preach on this, the first recorded sermon he gave.
To summarize, Jesus comes to his hometown, and everyone is abuzz with his presence. He seems to have become the hometown hero, a celebrity of sorts, who comes home to an adoring crowd who recognizes he has put their little community on the map. And he goes where he is most familiar, most comfortable and always welcome: he goes to his place of worship and does what is expected of him. He reads from scripture, sits down and begins a conversation about what the words he just read mean to them on this day and at this time.
The scripture is from Isaiah, chapter 61 and says:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Sounds a little like what we do here, doesn’t it? Jesus quoted scripture and then explained what the scripture said. However, he had the authority to proclaim that the scripture had been fulfilled in their hearing. He proclaimed, that not only was he anointed by the Spirit, he had a purpose.
That purpose?
First, to bring the Good News of God’s love to the poor. You may wonder, what does he mean by “the poor?” It could be any of us, at any time, as we hear in the Beatitudes. Poor in spirit, financial resources, knowledge, nutrition, or even in the capacity to love. Jesus was sent to remind each of us that we are beloved children of our Creator all the time, but perhaps especially when we feel the most frightened, lost, threatened, abandoned, or forgotten.
Next, to proclaim release to the captives. Is that about being released from prison or from being held hostage? It is likely about being released from the thoughts, feelings, or beliefs that separate people from the love of God. Sometimes we find ourselves held captive by harmful things, people, attitudes, behaviors, or habits. We need Jesus to help us become free of anything that separates us from the abundant love of God.
Then, to recover the sight to the blind. Again, is this literal blindness, or is it those scales that prevent us from seeing how people in the world suffer? Are we so entwined in our own lives that we cannot see the magnitude of pain and fear others may know so acutely? I know there are times I need to pay more attention to the obstacles others encounter in their lives. I have learned over time that I have lived a more privileged life than many, and I know that it has created certain biases within me. I am confident, as a student in the current Sacred Ground group, I will be better able to see more clearly the things I need to address within myself to be more conscious of how I see the world.
Next. To let the oppressed go free. Many of us struggle with the idea of oppression because we think of it as a word associated with racism or poverty, and while those are accurate, we might find that our life experiences, our social locations, our histories, and our contexts oppress us. We might realize our personal, internal oppression lies in our inability to show mercy or kindness to others in great need. When we can let go of the things that hold us back from freely loving as Jesus commands, we too become free.
Finally, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. In other words, to announce the year of Jubilee. What does that mean today? According to the Jubilee website, I quote: ‘“Jubilee” is the name given to a particular year; the name comes from the instrument used to mark its launch. In this case, the instrument in question is the yobel, the ram's horn, used to proclaim the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This (Jewish) holiday occurs every year, but it takes on special significance when it marks the beginning of a Jubilee year. We can find an early indication of it in the Bible: a Jubilee year was to be marked every 50 years, since this would be an “extra” year, one which would happen every seven weeks of seven years, i.e., every 49 years (cf. Leviticus 25:8-13). Even though it wasn’t easy to organise, it was intended to be marked as a time to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation, and involved the forgiveness of debts, the return of misappropriated land, and a fallow period for the fields.’[1]
The article goes on to quote from today’s Gospel. This year, 2025, according to the Catholic Church is a year of Jubilee. I think it is realistic to expect that Jesus wants us to take time to evaluate how we live as his followers. Being in right relationship with God may feel like a personal endeavor, but I wonder if it could be the recognition of how we, as a people, express God’s expectations to the world at large.
At the end of his recitation of this portion from Isaiah, Jesus sits down and tells all those present that the time has come and that he is the one who is going to show everyone how it all works.
You may be wondering, is this all Jesus said? Did they discuss the reading? So, what happens next? Did Jesus help them understand that it was up to them to truly begin, if they hadn’t already, to do what God commanded?
Or were they offended? Spoiler alert. They were offended.
Here’s what comes next in the story:
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months and there was a severe famine over all the land, 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many with a skin disease in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”
28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.
They were NOT pleased. And I get it. It’s a bit disturbing when we realize Jesus came into this world to help us understand that we just might be a little too self-centered, thinking our own circumstances make us experts on how others should act, live, work, or love. No one wants to be told they aren’t doing it right.
Yet sometimes we need to be reminded to take a look at ourselves. Because sometimes, we might need to change something to make ourselves a little more compassionate, kind, loving, or merciful so that we can live into the baptismal covenants we make so that we can live with one another in the beloved community God so desires for us.
And now, we come full circle, back to community. Back to the letter from Paul to the Corinthians.
We need one another. Not just to make a church, but to make a meaningful life that truly recognizes the belovedness of all of God’s children. Those we know, those we don’t, those we know but don’t like all that much. God loves us all. Truly. You cannot look into the eyes of anyone God does not love.
Jesus spent his ministry giving us examples to help us see that no one should be left out or run out. He consistently helps bring those who have been shunned: the widows, the orphans, the immigrants, the sick, the friendless, the needy, back into the communities from which they came. He challenges the powers that be to care for the least of these.
He knows that we do better when we care for one another in community.
We strive to live in recognition of these facts, as Episcopalians, as Christians, that every life has dignity and deserves respect, mercy, kindness, justice, and love.
I pray that we can take these words from Isaiah, as spoken and modeled by Jesus, and continue the work of living the Gospel of love. Amen.
[1] https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en/giubileo-2025/segni-del-giubileo.html Retrieved 1/24/25 at 3:00 p.m.
