Luke 4:16-22

Jesus was not the person many Israelites hoped he would be. Their assumptions and hope for the Messiah did not align completely with the message Jesus proclaimed. He did fulfill the scriptures. He is the son of God. He came with the message of the Kingdom of God. He cared deeply and loved fiercely. As he began his ministry, he returned to his home in Nazareth. There, he was asked to read the scroll of Isaiah. I imagine the crowd there had mixed emotions. Maybe many were excited that he had returned home and read a meaningful part of Isaiah filled with promise. Some might have been apprehensive because of the spreading rumors about Joseph’s son. Jesus reads

“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.”

 He stops. He doesn’t finish the rest of the passage that goes on to promise the Lord’s vengeance. He says that the words have been fulfilled. Instead, he proclaims that good news is for the poor, the inmate, the captive, the differently-abled, the marginalized, the outcast, you, and me. That’s the good news that Jesus brought. We have been reconciled and redeemed. This month as we celebrate love and confront sinfulness in our lives let’s focus on being people that bring good news. Let us proclaim that Jesus is present. Let us be a part of peacemaking and justice. Let us begin our Lenten journey. Let us be the church that shares this message with the world.

Pastor Joy