THE WEEKLY WORD...
“[Jesus] stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
‘The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’
…Then he began to say to them, ‘Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.’”
(Luke 4:16-19, 21, NRSV)
Dear Church Hill Faith Family,
Compassionate embrace of those persons who were relegated to the margins of society was a hallmark of Jesus’ earthly ministry. To those who were rejected by the world, Jesus extended to them grace. He safeguarded their inherent dignity as beloved children of God. He healed them of disease of body, mind, and spirit. The mission of Jesus was a mission centered on the needs of the poor, the oppressed, the sick, the prisoner. If it isn’t good news to the least of these, it isn’t the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The question which each of us must answer is: “are we willing to make Jesus’ mission our own?”. Are we willing to sacrifice some of our comfort and privilege to lift up those who the world has dragged down? Are we willing to put our good reputation at risk to stand in solidarity with those who have been scorned or ignored by society? Thankfully, God does not expect us to make Jesus’ mission our own through sheer force of will. The same Spirit which empowered Jesus in His earthly ministry empowers us and gives us the strength we need to follow Jesus’ example in making the love of God real for the least of these.
In Christ,
Pastor Nicholas
