Lenten Devotional – Day 27

Friday, March 20, 2015

Today’s Scripture: Luke 4:16-21

"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." (Luke 4:18-19)

In fact, Christ's image of the Kingdom of God motivated all that He did. (Cannato, Judy, "Field of Compassion," 2010). "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose." (Luke 4:43) Jesus does not preach here-after vision but rather a here-now Kingdom of God where God's will for all of humanity is being realized by the intention of human beings to join with God in co-creativity. Precisely when and how to do that is revealed to us each day. If we are looking for the kind of activities that may be involved, we can read the account in Luke of Jesus in the synagogue in Nazareth when the words of Isaiah were read. (Luke 4:18-21). - by Maryanne Rouse

  One of the most iconic symbols of the United States of America is Philadelphia's Liberty Bell. Even for those in the nation who have never seen the bell, its unsightly crack is known by all who know anything about the bell. The crack, first appeared just after its arrival in Philadelphia in 1752, as it was being rung for the first time. The Whitechapel Foundry in London had delivered a flawed product.

  What was to be done? Sending such a heavy object back across the Atlantic for repair was a daunting proposition. A couple of local foundry men, John Pass and John Stow, repaired the crack and inscribed their own names on its side.

  All was well for the next several decades. The Liberty Bell called the members of the Continental Congress to their meetings and was very likely rung on July 8, 1776, to mark the public reading of the Declaration of Independence. In 1835, as it was being rung to commemorate the death of Chief Justice John Marshall, the crack reappeared. This time, it was not repaired. In 1865, as President Lincoln's body lay in state in Independence Hall, the bell was placed near his head. The verse from Leviticus 25:10 inscribed on its side was visible to the thousands of mourners who filed by: "Proclaim liberty throughout the land and to all the inhabitants thereof."

  Some may think it strange that such a cherished national symbol should be marred by an obvious flaw. Yet, the flaw has now become a part of its character. It is emblematic of the country itself, which is not perfect. As this line from "O Beautiful, For Spacious Skies" attests, we can only turn to God, asking that, by grace, the broken may be made whole: “America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law.”

  Jesus as he concludes his reading of scripture says to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." The time of fulfillment, a time when the poor will receive the good news, a time when the captives can receive Jesus’s message of liberty, a time when the blind will see, a time when freedom comes to the oppressed, and a time to proclaim all that is good which the Lord’s brings us today. A message which some will embrace and welcome the freedom it brings their lives and a message others will reject and stay blind to the ways they are holding their lives captive to the kingdom of the world.

  The message Jesus proclaimed was a message perfect in its conception, but frequently flawed in its reception. Just, like the liberty bell flawed by its crack, it still points us to the desire within human beings to live free, even if we don’t sometimes get it right. We might not always understand Jesus’ words and his calling us to become a citizen in the kingdom of God, but even our flawed faith and understanding can set us free to experience God’s grace and love. God is willing to accept us just the way we presently are, but God also wants us to always each day to strive to become the new creation that Paul tells us to achieve.

  Today’s scripture tells us that Jesus’ habit was to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath. He begins his proclamation of his ministry in the synagogue in his own hometown of Nazareth, a place where he worshipped since his childhood and a place where he was in the habit of worshipping. Based on Jesus’ later preaching and teaching there must have been times he might have found disagreeable what he heard, but he still attended faithfully. The worship and teaching experience may have been less than perfect, but Jesus made it a regular part of his life. Worshipping with God’s people on God’s day was important and a vital part of who Jesus was, as it should be for us. Even a message about God’s world and love with a crack in its side is still a message that God can use, so God can use us as his sent people.

  The arrest of John and Jesus’ appearance in the synagogue marks the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. It is, Jesus proclaims, "the time of fulfillment." Simon, Andrew, James and John respond by abandoning their nets to follow Jesus. How do we respond as Jesus calls to us to deepen our commitment to him? Do we believe that Jesus' work is fulfilled in us as we respond to his call? Do we excuse our lack of involvement because our past experience has a large or small crack in the side or do we allow even an imperfect experience motivate us to become better. We may not need to forsake everything or walk away from our livelihoods as did those first followers. But there is probably something we need to strive to change, a bad habit to defeat, a bad attitude, a bad crowd, something we should turn away from so that we might turn more fully toward Jesus and the kingdom. Lent provide a time to aid us to identify our personal cracks and rout out the bad to make way for the good grow. Then we can bring ourselves to come near to the kingdom of God.

Today’s Lectionary Readings
Morning: Psalms 22; 148
Evening: Psalms 105; 130
Jeremiah 23:1–8
Romans 8:28–39
John 6:52–59