Third Sunday after The Epiphany

Third Sunday after The Epiphany

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

Nehemiah was a prophet of the reform and reconstruction Israel after their return from exile. His words were about the rebuilding of the city, the faith, and spiritual revival of the people of Israel back to the faith of Yahweh. The basis of his reform was the Torah. The priest Ezra brought out the Torah and read it to the people. Ezra read it to the people from cover to cover, a process that lasted all day and festival was established around the event – The Feast of Booths. The people’s response was worship of the Lord followed by feasting. After the grueling exile, Nehemiah was leading the people back to worship and reform in the ways of the Lord.

Reform and renewal is also at the center of Paul’s letter the Corinthians. Paul writes to the church that has been fractured in moral issues, they were fractured in social class issues; they were being fractured in leadership issues. Paul’s reforming word to them is about the unity that is created in the church, the body of Christ, through the binding force of the Holy Spirit. Christ and the Spirit have created a body of many parts, each of which hold a particular function and builds upon the rest. God has done something new, in that this body is not constituted by the Torah laws but by the Spirit of the Lord himself. Factions must be broken down because where the spirit dwells there is unity. No one is to be left out because in Christ Jesus each possessed of the Spirit bears the unique gifts of the Spirit which all work together to build, strengthen, and support the whole body of Christ.

Reform and renewal is at the center of each of these lessons, a message that is completely relevant for our church in this location. God is always renewing his church. God is constantly calling us to look our ways of operating and our ways doing business, and even constantly reminding us to observe the business that we’re doing to be sure that we are on the track of God’s will for the world. Are we involved in God’s business, or some business of our own? Whose agenda is on the table, God’s or ours?

The gospel lesson for today from Luke places Jesus in the synagogues about to preach his first sermon. He addresses the people and leaders of the synagogue with God’s agenda. Filled with the Spirit straight from the river Jordan where he was baptized Jesus reads from the prophet Isaiah, from one of the Servant Songs of Isaiah that spelled out the agenda. Look at the points: the spirit’s anointing is present, good news (gospel) is to be preached to the poor, release is to be delivered to those who are captive, sight is to be given to the blind, those who are oppressed are to go set free, and God’s favor is to be proclaimed. This is God’s agenda.

What separated this sermon from all others is the final message that the fulfillment of God’s agenda was at hand. Jesus’ words, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” brought down the house. The people had been waiting for the fulfillment to come. They had been waiting for revelation of God’s servant, the fulfiller of the promise to appear, and Jesus announced boldly that it came “today.”

God’s word has been handed down. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians addresses the community in which God has chosen to act in these days. The body of Christ is present in our day and age to be the present instruments of God’s agenda. It is a necessary question, What are we doing to bring about God’s agenda? Are we wording on fulfilling God’s agenda in our life time?

Friday, January 19, 2007