Twentieth-century Catholic writer Flannery O’Connor said, “What
people don’t realize is how much faith costs. They think faith is a big
electric blanket, when of course it is a cross.”
Our faith, our Christianity, our religion…..is a cross…..and on one occasion Jesus reminded us that we are daily called to take up that cross. On this fourth Sunday of Epiphany, the lectionary for 2019 has us looking at Jeremiah and Luke.
"The word of the Lord came to Jeremiah." Tucked
in these words is a wonderful surprise. Surely it is surprising when God's Word
comes to seek us out, especially when we may not be looking for it. When that
word comes, it has a way, as we saw last week, of finding us with a power to
create us anew and set us on our path for a new day. I encouraged you to let
God’s word do this for you last week.
God says to Jeremiah: "I know you ... I consecrated you
... I appointed you." He says these words to you and to me. He says to us
what He has said to people for 1000s of years: we belong; we are loved; we are
given purpose by a God who surrounds us, sustains us, and gives us tasks that
have meaning in God's grand design and providence.
"I know you." Such a word comes as comforting and
encouraging when we seem alone or fumbling for direction. But there is also toughness
in this word. There is no escape, no apology that will deter its focus: "I
am with you" for a purpose. Some days, it is good just to be reminded, so
as to set our feet once again on a steady path.
These words certainly set Jeremiah on a steady path as he
sought to fulfil God’s purpose for his life. May they steady you as you seek to
fulfil God’s purpose for your life. Jesus wanted to fulfil God’s purpose for
His life….even if that meant a cross…..So we move to our Gospel reading from
Luke:
Last week we saw that there was an almost palpable sense of
expectancy among the people of Nazareth in the public appearance of Jesus in
the synagogue that day. Here He is in His hometown and they’ve heard some
amazing things about what He has been doing in Galilee. When he "opens the
scriptures," they recognize his words as ones that are filled with
"grace." So what did they expect from his words? Perhaps they were
hoping for some miraculous display similar to what they had heard He had done
in Capernaum, just up the road. But instead all they get from Jesus is a
pronouncement that He, the local boy, is in fact the good news that they
have been waiting for from God….the fulfilment of everything the prophets have
looked forward to. That’s not what they were expecting. What are your
expectations this morning and are you angry when those expectations aren’t met?
When Jesus speaks of "fulfillment," we sense that expectations and fulfillment are not always harmonious. Jesus was not the Messiah that they expected…He came with a cross, not a sword. Is He the Saviour you are expecting or longing for…….a Saviour with a cross, not an electric blanket. Grace then and now often comes in strange and unexpected ways. We long for glimpses of God's grace...............They did…………………..but in the familiar guise of this "son of Joseph," whom we have watched grow up from infancy? To believe that may be to stretch our belief a bit.
When Jesus speaks of "fulfillment," we sense that expectations and fulfillment are not always harmonious. Jesus was not the Messiah that they expected…He came with a cross, not a sword. Is He the Saviour you are expecting or longing for…….a Saviour with a cross, not an electric blanket. Grace then and now often comes in strange and unexpected ways. We long for glimpses of God's grace...............They did…………………..but in the familiar guise of this "son of Joseph," whom we have watched grow up from infancy? To believe that may be to stretch our belief a bit.
We long deeply for God's grace, but the question remains:
Will we be ready or willing to respond to the direction in which it may lead
us? Our covenant encourages us to do just that.
Things soon took a turn and got downright nasty there in Nazareth on that first day of Jesus' ministry. The people were expectant and excited about the possibilities of grace, but then suddenly that grace became distasteful when it led them in ways that they did not anticipate, and the very people He grew up amongst, become the ones who are the first to try and kill Him.
God's grace often shows up in places we don't expect, in people we don’t like, or it leads us in directions we would rather not go. Our Lord encourages us to recognise and willingly accept this.
Grace is not for the faint of heart or ones who do not like surprises. Christianity, the life with God, is not for the faint of heart or ones who do not like surprises. It invites us to make connections with people whom we would rather like to forget. God's mercy is not captive to our desires or to our limits. If we wish to follow this Jesus, the invitation is always to be ready for surprises. One of the risks of following Jesus is to know that we will not be in control. It takes the transforming power of God's grace to make that happen. It is called salvation or wholeness. And it resides in the promise of God that "to you has been born" precisely such a savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Things soon took a turn and got downright nasty there in Nazareth on that first day of Jesus' ministry. The people were expectant and excited about the possibilities of grace, but then suddenly that grace became distasteful when it led them in ways that they did not anticipate, and the very people He grew up amongst, become the ones who are the first to try and kill Him.
God's grace often shows up in places we don't expect, in people we don’t like, or it leads us in directions we would rather not go. Our Lord encourages us to recognise and willingly accept this.
Grace is not for the faint of heart or ones who do not like surprises. Christianity, the life with God, is not for the faint of heart or ones who do not like surprises. It invites us to make connections with people whom we would rather like to forget. God's mercy is not captive to our desires or to our limits. If we wish to follow this Jesus, the invitation is always to be ready for surprises. One of the risks of following Jesus is to know that we will not be in control. It takes the transforming power of God's grace to make that happen. It is called salvation or wholeness. And it resides in the promise of God that "to you has been born" precisely such a savior, who is Christ the Lord.
I urge you, to come to the Saviour who says, “I know you ...
I consecrated you ... I appointed you”……….come to Him and offer yourself to Him
this morning.
