Welcoming The Prophet

Luke 4:21-30

Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 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.’” And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 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; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 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. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.

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The Gospel of Luke is the only Gospel to bring us inside the temple. Matthew and Mark offer a glimpse of what happens, and John omits this scene entirely. Inside, Jesus reveals the purpose of his ministry, and it doesn't rouse any enthused reaction from those who gathered and listened. On the contrary, those who listened to Jesus became enraged, "Why aren't you helping us first! Your hometown needs you! Why are you going off to help others who we deem as outsiders?" Would we recognize a modern-day Jesus? Probably not; we'd most likely react like the temple-goers, questioning Jesus' motives and reasoning. What if that was the case? What if we couldn't recognize Jesus? I believe it's okay if we don't see or believe at first, as it creates a space for learning and understanding. 

A church once asked itself what it would look like for them to open up their facilities to the community; it was well-intentioned but ended up a failed endeavor. A foreign language church asked if they could use the church's chapel and fellowship room, however church leaders were hesitant and denied their request because they didn't want their food to leave behind any lingering odors. The church also installed security cameras because some were concerned that AA and NA attendees were stealing items from the church (groups where their neighbors and friends went to seek healing). And visions for attracting new members were insular; the focus was not on how they could go out and meet people where they were; it was instead focused on how new people could become more like them. Almost all of their ideas ran contrary to Jesus's message in our reading for this morning. 

The church I'm referencing is not one church in particular. Instead, it is an amalgamation of churches made of followers of Jesus who struggled to hear and experience the promise Jesus had fulfilled in their midst. The expectation was that if their worship was meaningful, and if their music was inspiring, and if the sermons were impactful (not too long if they were Presbyterian), God would bless them, and their church would become a center for people to come. Of course, we know this isn't true, even if we keep trying the same things over and over again, believing that it is, and Jesus himself even says, "A prophet is not accepted in their hometown." If we are looking to form communities of similar things, then we aren't looking for prophets, the "outsiders" who show us a bold new vision of where Christ is taking us. We cannot turn these prophets away; we must welcome them in and allow their witness to breathe a new spirit. 

I originally wrote today's message with our congregational meeting in mind. Yet, it was postponed until next week due to the storm yesterday. However, I would still like to share some thoughts on how we as a church and as individuals might respond to promises that Christ has and is fulfilling in our midst so that we might recognize a modern-day Jesus moving among us: 

Prayer

Do you wonder what the prayer life was like for those temple-goers who went to hear Jesus? I do; I wonder what they prayed for, how they prayed, whether I'm praying enough or hard enough, sometimes I wonder if I am praying for the right things. What about you? Without making a judgment call on the crowd who had gathered, I wonder if they were praying for the "right thing." It appears that they weren't because they get mad when Jesus refuses to do what they want him to do. And if we find that our prayer life is filled with these ups and downs (getting our hopes up and then finding disappointment), then we might need to adjust our senses. For Jesus could be here right now, answering those prayers differently in a form we didn't consider. This year I invite us to continue praying and paying attention to how God is guiding us. 

Action 

Scripture teaches us that our prayers are a part of our spiritual lives and a call to action. I know that in most churches like ours, everyone has done some role in one form or another. [Star Trek Reference the Q.] Even so, that does not stop us from getting back up and putting our prayers and faith into action, and being led by God to a place that leads outside of our "home." Whether it is serving as a Ruling Elder or Deacon, a team member on one of our various committees, or bringing ideas to the table and offering ways to make them a reality, all of this is turning our professions of faith into actionable things. Now, we will get things wrong or bungle stuff along the way. That isn't a reason, though, to stop. The greatest gift of the gospel is not divine anger; it is divine grace. And in this divine grace, Jesus allows us to try again. Even in our reading for today, Jesus could have issued a divine command of wrath, yet instead passes through them and continues on his way. 

Mission

I hope she doesn't mind me saying, but I would not blame our Ruling Elder for Mission for feeling like I sold them a false bill of goods when I asked if they would consider serving on Session, but you, unfortunately, can't predict when a pandemic will hit. Missions is a good example of where we can follow Jesus out of the comforts of our "hometown" and bring the hope of the gospel out into the world. But it takes more than one  Ruling Elder, Session, and pastor to make this call a reality. So, as we hear this teaching of Jesus, how might you be called to serve or be part of a team here at church that organizes those service opportunities? If you have a heart or are curious, our Ruling Elder for Mission and I would be happy to talk with you.