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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Today's Frontline Devotion January 20, 2007 God's Grace |
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Frontline Devotion for Saturday January 20, 2007 by Gary Shaffer
Luke 4: 16-21 " He went up to Nazareth, where
he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as
was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was
handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news
to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery
of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the
Lord's favor.'
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The
eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying
to them, 'Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.'
Jesus comes home and in a rather dramatic way his ministry is brought back to the place of his youth - to "where he had been brought up". And things really do not go very well. Although the verses that we read here are relatively calm the real drama is revealed in a few verses that follow immediately after. "All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips" (verse 22) is closely followed by "All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this" (verse 29) and they elect to drive him out of town.
I am fascinated by these verses, I am inspired by these verses, I am challenged by these verses and in the end I am convicted by these verses. There are some very simple and very powerful insights that I glean from these few verses. The first is that Jesus worshipped regularly. And even though we know that he frequently disagreed and confronted the religious teachers, he was a regular attendee at worship. I need to be reminded of this more now than at any other time in my life.
And then there is the nature of his life changing ministry. The words that he reads in the synagogue from Isaiah are a simple declaration of God's call and Jesus' ministry: preaching the good news to and serving the poor; working to bring freedom to the imprisoned; releasing the oppressed; healing the infirmed; and proclaiming the year of the Lord - our liberation and salvation.
Yes, I find this declaration of Jesus ministry fascinating, inspiring, challenging and in the end convicting. If I think about my life, my personal ministry, God's claim on my vocation and how I have responded, I am afraid that I can not say that in any real way I am serving the poor, speaking for the imprisoned and oppressed or truly trying to bring healing to the infirmed. And I am certainly not quick to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor - our liberation from sin and all of sin's consequences. These simple verses convict me and I am again reminded of my need for God's overwhelming grace.
Gracious God in all my busyness, please claim my heart and mind that I can be sincere and devoted to the needs of the poor, the imprisoned and the oppressed. Use me to offer comfort and healing to the sick and infirmed and fill me with your spirit so that I am more mindful of the needs of others and less focused on myself. Remind me again Lord that I am baptized and that your Spirit is upon me. Amen
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All are welcome to join and share in our Devotional Ministry on the "Frontlines" of the world. Frontline Devotions are sent via email daily. Sign up by clicking on the box to the left. Pastor Dave welcomes feedback. Contact him at pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org. |
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