A Bit of Hope

 

PERHAPS THERE MAY COME A TIME WHERE WE CAN SAY

NEITHER GAY NOR STRAIGHT

THIRD SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY

 

TODAY

IS THE THIRD SUNDAY

AFTER THE EPIPHANY.

EPIPHANY IS A GREEK WORD,

WHICH AT ITS ROOT

MEANS TO SHOW.

EPIPHANY IS ALSO

THAT TIME IN THE CHURCH YEAR

FROM CHRISTMAS

TO BEGINNING OF LENT.

AS IT APPLIES TO THE LIFE OF JESUS

IT TREATS OF THOSE EVENTS

WHEN CHRIST

WAS BEGINNING TO SHOW

HIS KINGSHIP

AND HIS DIVINITY.

ON JANUARY SIXTH

WE HAD THE FEAST

OF THE EPIPHANY ITSELF

WHEN THE WISEMEN

FOLLOWING A STAR

CAME TO SEE HIM.

ON JANUARY SEVENTH

WE HAD THE BAPTISM OF JESUS

WHEN GOD THE FATHER

DECLARED

THAT JESUS WAS HIS SON.

ON JANUARY FOURTEENTH

WE HAD THE WEDDING AT CANA

WHERE JESUS TURNED WATER INTO WINE.

AND TODAY WE REMEMBER

WHEN JESUS

PREACHED FOR THE FIRST TIME

IN HIS HOMETOWN NAZARETH.

LET ME TELL YOU A STORY.

MOST OF IT IS TRUE.

THE REST IS A PARABLE.

JESUS TOLD PARABLES.

THEY WERE

AND ARE

STORIES TO TEACH A LESSON.

JESUS

FILLED WITH THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT

WAS PREACHING IN GALILEE.

GOING FROM VILLAGE TO VILLAGE.

AND THE PEOPLE FELT HOPE

AND JOY

IN HIS MESSAGE

BUT THE RULERS OF THE SYNAGOGUE

AND THE WEALTHY AND IMPORTANT

FELT THREATENED

HE WAS NOW IN NAZARETH

AND HE AND HIS MOTHER

WERE WALKING TO THE SYNAGOGUE.

AT THE DOOR THEY PARTED.

MARY WENT TO SIT WITH THE WOMEN

BECAUSE THE SYNAGOGUE WAS SEGREGATED.

AT THE CENTER OF THE SYNAGOGUE SAT

ALL THE IMPORTANT MEN OF THE VILLAGE.

AROUND THEM SAT

THE OTHER MEN OF THE VILLAGE.

THE WOMEN WERE IGNORED

THEY WERE NOT IMPORTANT.

IN FACT THE JEWISH LEADERS SAID

THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER

FOR THE BIBLE TO BE BURNED

RATHER THAN BE TAUGHT TO A WOMAN.

THIS WAS THE WORLD JESUS LIVED IN

AND HE DID NOT LIKE IT.

HE ALSO DID NOT LIKE THE PRAYER

THAT JEWISH MEN SAID DAILY.

THEY SAID

BLESSED BE GOD

THAT HE HAS NOT MADE ME

A GENTILE.

BLESSED BE GOD

THAT HE HAS NOT MADE ME

A WOMAN.

BLESSED BE GOD

THAT HE HAS NOT MADE ME

A SLAVE.

THIS ALSO BOTHERED JESUS.

IT WAS NOT THE WORLD

THAT HE

OR HIS FATHER WANTED.

LATER PAUL

IN GALATIANS

WOULD ANSWER THAT PRAYER

WITH A NEW ONE

THAT REFLECTED WHAT JESUS THOUGHT

WHEN HE WROTE

AS MANY OF YOU

AS WERE BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST

HAVE CLOTHED YOURSELVES

WITH CHRIST.

THEREFORE

THERE IS NO LONGER

JEW OR GREEK,

THERE IS NO LONGER

SLAVE OR FREE,

THERE IS NO LONGER

MALE AND FEMALE;

FOR ALL OF YOU

ARE ONE IN CHRIST JESUS.

BUT THAT PRAYER WAS WRITTEN

AFTER JESUS HAD LIVED AND DIED.

BUT TODAY IN OUR STORY

JESUS IS BEGINNING HIS JOURNEY.

AS HE LOOKS AT THE ASSEMBLY

HE IS SADDENED

THAT THEY HAVE WANDERED

SO FAR FROM HIS FATHER'S DREAM.

HE OPENS THE SCRIPTURES

AND READING FROM ISAIAH

HE DECLARES IN A STRONG VOICE

THE NEW/OLD VISION OF THE FATHER

FOR HIS PEOPLE.

TODAY HE SAYS

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME.

HE HAS APPOINTED ME.

HE HAS APPOINTED ME

TO BRING GOOD NEWS

TO THE POOR.

HE HAS APPOINTED ME

TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY TO CAPTIVES

HE HAS APPOINTED ME

TO TELL THE BLIND

THAT THEY SHALL SEE.

TO TELL THE DOWNTRODDEN

THEIR BURDEN IS LIFTED

AND TO TELL

ALL PEOPLE

THAT THE TIME FOR GOD'S BLESSINGS

IS NOW.

JESUS CLOSES THE BOOK.

LOOKS AT ALL THE IMPORTANT PEOPLE,

LOOKS AT ALL THE NOT SO IMPORTANT PEOPLE

LOOKS AT HIS MOTHER

AND ALL THE OTHER WOMEN

WHO DID NOT COUNT

AND SAYS

TODAY

THIS SCRIPTURE HAS BEEN FULFILLED

IN YOUR HEARING

MEANING THAT THE TIME FOR CHANGE

WAS NOW

AND FOR THAT REASON

JESUS WAS PREACHING.

I HOPE MY SERMON

IS BETTER RECEIVED

THAN JESUS' WAS

BECAUSE WHEN JESUS WAS FINISHED

HE WAS CHASED OUT OF TOWN.

BUT THAT'S NEXT WEEK SERMON

SO TUNE IN.

BUT THE RICH MEN AND THE IMPORTANT MEN

AND THE LEADERS OF THE SYNAGOGUE

THOUGHT

WHY WORRY ABOUT THOSE WHO ARE WITHOUT.

ABOUT THOSE WHO COUNT FOR NOTHING.

THE OTHER MEN WONDERED

WHY THE FUSS,

LIFE IS GOING ON OK FOR ME.

IT TOOK PAUL

AGAIN IN TODAY'S LESSON

TO PUT WORDS TO JESUS' DREAM

WHEN HE WRITES IN CORINTHIANS.

THAT THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY

IS LIKE A BODY,

MANY PARTS

ONE BODY.

AND THAT THAT

BODY IS THE BODY OF CHRIST.

AS PAUL WRITES

FOR IN ONE SPIRIT

WE WERE ALL BAPTIZED

INTO ONE BODY.

NO MORE JEW OR GREEK,

SLAVE OR FREE

BUT ONE BODY.

AND IN THAT BODY

IF ONE PART SUFFERS

THE WHOLE BODY SUFFERS.

JUST AS IF

ONE PART OF THE BODY IS HONORED

THE WHOLE BODY IS HONORED.

WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR.

THIS IS JESUS' DREAM

THAT WE CARE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR

AS IF HE WERE CHRIST.

THAT WE CARE FOR OUR NEIGHBOR

BECAUSE HE IS ONE WITH US

IN CHRIST'S BODY.

SO JESUS LOOKING AT THE WORLD

THROUGH OUR EYES

AND SEEING

THAT IT IS NOT THE WORLD

THAT HIS FATHER

OR HE WANTS.

ASKS US TO SAY WITH HIM

AS HE SAID IN NAZARETH ON THAT DAY.

THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON US.

HE HAS APPOINTED US.

HE HAS APPOINTED US

TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.

HE HAS APPOINTED US

TO PROCLAIM LIBERTY

TO CAPTIVES

HE HAS APPOINTED US

TO TELL THE BLIND

THAT THEY SHALL SEE.

TO TELL THE DOWNTRODDEN

THEIR BURDEN IS LIFTED

TO TELL ALL PEOPLE

THAT THE TIME

FOR GOD'S BLESSINGS

IS NOW. SO I ASK YOU

(PUT IN NAME)

WILL YOU HELP JESUS

TO MAKE THE WORLD

THE WAY HE WANTS IT

RESPONSE

I WILL AND I ASK GOD TO HELP ME.

 

 

 

FRANK A VOLLMER