In the end he was heard saying, It s true, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. (Luke 4:24)

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1 Imagine: Connection Luke 4:14-21 Back Home Again A few years back I was invited to speak at the 50 th anniversary celebration of my home church, Buechel United Methodist on Hikes Lane. We spent time reminiscing as well as looking to the future. I remember being well-received that day, even though most of the people in attendance knew me as Little Tommy Grieb. I have never been able to outgrow that for some who knew me back when. I have always been a little cautious about going back to my home church. You never know how things will work out, particularly given Christ s experience of preaching in his own hometown. For Christ, the reception he received upon going home wasn t so friendly. In the end the people there were ready to throw him off the highest hill in town. In the end he was heard saying, It s true, no prophet is accepted in his hometown. (Luke 4:24) The Spirit of the Lord Is upon Me Jesus had been itinerating in and around Galilee for about a year when he finally made his way home. At first the reception was pretty warm. The people gathered expectantly to hear what he had to say. After all, they had heard great things about him. In their minds, Jesus was a hometown boy made good. Upon everyone gathering at the local synagogue, Jesus started off by reading scripture. When it came to worship, that s the way things were done back then. They always started by reading scripture. We don t know whether Jesus chose the passage he read or whether it was the passage for the day. Regardless, it fit him to a T. The passage was from Isaiah 61:1-2. I m sure there was a good deal of anticipation when Jesus stood to read. It was the practice back in those days that those who read always stood. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he read. God has anointed me to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. God has sent me to proclaim the season of God s favor.

2 A Clear Identity After he read, Jesus gave the scroll to the attendant, sat down, and began to teach. That s also the way it was done back in those days. Those who taught did so sitting down. Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing, he said. In effect, Jesus laid claim to being the One the prophet Isaiah had spoken of so many years before. In the minds of those who heard Jesus though it was sheer blasphemy for him to claim such a thing about himself. Besides these were homefolk. Most of them had watched Jesus grow up. They had to wonder how the son of Joseph could now claim to be the Son of God. In their minds, it just didn t make sense. I can t begin to imagine what they must have thought. Jesus though was clear. He was clear about his identity. He knew exactly who he was. For all intents and purposes Jesus claimed to be the Messiah. For centuries the Jews understood that the one Isaiah spoke about in Isaiah 61:1-2 was none other than the Suffering Servant who would come on the Lord s behalf. Charting the Course for Ministry What Jesus did that day was chart the direction of his ministry and, by so doing, charted the direction of our ministry. We follow in his footsteps Christ s message was a word of hope. Hear the words again. They talk of good news to the poor, release for the captives, sight to the blind, and liberty to those oppressed. These were the things Jesus was all about and are the very things he wants us to be about as well. What Jesus taught that day was a word about supporting the least, last, and lost of this world. Let s admit it, there s just something in us that causes us to pull for the underdog. We do that in sports all the time. A movie where the underdog prevails warms our hearts. It is one thing to pull for the underdog it s another to get involved. In charting the direction of our ministry, Jesus wants us to do as he did. Jesus met with the poor and dispossessed. He brought release to those who were held captivate by their sin. He helped those who were blind to the error of their ways. He supported those who were weighed down.

3 Jesus was neither afraid nor hesitant to meet with sinners and tax collectors. He simply wanted people to know they were loved and that the grace he offered had the potential to turn their lives around. Reaching Out as Christ Did We talked a good deal last week about the balanced life of up, in, and out. Out is a key component of what Jesus expects. In fact, our efforts at being out reflect a relationship with Christ that is strong and vibrant in every way. The two go hand in hand. Reaching out to the least, last, and lost of this world is not something we keep at arm s length. We don t engage only when convenient or when we feel like it. Our every desire is to be in relationship with those around us, all the while being careful not to limit the scope of who we interact with. Reaching out as Christ did demands that we move outside our comfort zones. I have a good friend in Lexington who has a deep burden for the homeless. In fact, that burden is so great that a few years ago he pulled away from his fulltime job as a Pharmacist and began working part-time so he d have more flexibility to be present in the lives of those who are homeless. He and his family have struck up a lot of really neat relationships. They help find people work. They open up their home for Bible study and fellowship. They invite people to church and will offer rides to insure they get there. They ve gotten others involved as well. Their ministry has really grown. There is nothing arm s length about what they do. Talk about connecting with their community. I am both challenged and inspired by what they do. Robert and Leslie are regular folk, just like you and me, who take seriously the notion of bringing good news to the poor, release for the captives, sight to the blind, and liberty to those oppressed. In his book Called to Worship, Vernon Whaley writes, True worship embraces love for the people of God demonstrated through service. Our worship of God cannot be isolated from the real world or trapped inside the walls of our secret place. It must impact us to reach out to and at times confront the culture around us. Called to Worship by Vernon Whaley True worshippers exhibit a Christ-like behavior that touches the lives of others in service. When we truly worship the Lord, we are transformed into his likeness and become people who reach out and serve others. Serving in the face of injustice, reaching out to those who are hurting, and looking to help where needed is Kingdom work.

4 Faith and Deeds I have always been challenged by what s written in James 2: It s that great passage where we learn about the relationship between a strong and sure faith and deeds of compassion and love. What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, Go in peace; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. (James 2:14-18) A strong and sure faith is always followed by deeds of compassion and love. When You Did It to One of the Least of These In Matthew 25, Jesus talked pointedly in the Parable of The Sheep and the Goats about offering food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, and clothes to those who don t have anything to wear. And in so doing, said, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:40) I so want to serve in this way. I have always tried to help out as I can. You never know when you might be in the very presence of Christ. I remember a fellow coming into my office one day at St. Paul with fairly bloody feet wearing a pair of shoes that had long since worn out. I thought about how I could help and immediately remembered the stack of running shoes I had at home. We got in the car in search of just the right pair. The sense of relief on the man s face when he found just the right fit was payment enough. I figured I saw the face of Jesus that day. I do try to help out as I can, but I fail so much more than I care to admit. People in need always seem to call or come by at the wrong time and it s in that moment that I remember whenever you do it to one of the least of these, you do it to me. It s all too easy, isn t it, to look right through somebody. It s all too easy to ignore them and go our own way. God forbid.

5 When did you last see the face of Jesus? Who are the people we re leaving out? If you and I aren t looking for ways to connect with the least, last, and lost of this world, then we re essentially saying that it s okay to do that. Jesus would say otherwise. What about You? And so the questions come in regard to such things: How are you living out Isaiah 61? Are you an agent of good news to the poor? Are you offering the sweet release of the gospel to those imprisoned by their sin? Are you a beacon of light to those who can t see their way forward? Is yours a message of grace and freedom to those who are otherwise oppressed? How you answer stands as barometer of how well you are connecting as Jesus connected. Good news to the poor, release for the captives, sight to the blind, and liberty to those oppressed this was what Jesus was all about and it is what he wants us to be about as well. Let s Imagine Let s imagine every one of us living out the divine call of Christ to connect with the least, last, and lost of this world. Let s imagine every one of us offering good news to the poor, a hopeful word to those in prison, help to those who can t see straight, and release to those who are weighed down. Let s imagine living out what it means to be a Christian out there. Christ s message of hope is our message as well. It is good news for all people.