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Annointed

January 26, 2025 - Rev. Dr. Jan Remer-Osborn

Annointed

Michael K. Marsh, an Episcopal priest and I have a lot in common I found.  We both goof up among other things.  I bet other pastors go through the same stuff, but special thanks to Father Marsh whose ideas supported this sermon today.

Luke 4:14-21 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a

I went home from work one evening last month and told Dave, “I had the best afternoon. I was doing what I enjoyed and trained to do.  “Everything just clicked.” I suspect you’ve had days like that. Things just flow. It just makes sense -  who you are, the emotions and purposes that drive your life, and what you’re doing. When has that happened to you? And what did it show or tell you about yourself and your life?

Then there’s those other times. No flow, everything seems disconnected and out of sync.  This happens to me especially when I am in need of a break, a rest.   I suspect you’ve had times when you find that your mojo just got up and left?  You’re asking yourself, “Is this is really all that there is to life.

And then there’s those other times when we look back on something we’ve said or done and ask ourselves, “Where did that come from? Why the heck did I do that? Is that really who I am and how I want to be?” They are those times when old hurts, long-buried fears, childhood insecurities, or deep-seated patterns take over and possess us before we know it.

When is it that those insecurities crop up, that we hear negative voices saying, “you can’t do this?”  We tend to go off kilter, especially at transition points in our lives. We feel the ground shift beneath our feet, and uncertainty about the future, causes us to fall upon old unhealthy habits of being.

Perhaps, Jesus may be experiencing similar human concerns as he launches himself into his ministry. Think about what’s happened for Jesus. He’s been baptized and he heard a voice say. “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Then he went to the wilderness where for forty days he was tempted and ate nothing.  Could Jesus have experienced any greater contrast?  God, then the devil.  Love, support, affirmation vs evil, temptation, and suffering.  Two polarities.  These polarities have the power to get our attention, can force us into self-reflection, and change our lives.

John the Baptist was murdered, prior to Jesus starting his ministry. 13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.” Matthew 14:  Suffering.  The man who paved the way for Jesus is now dead. How that must have weighed upon him.  Jesus knew early what it was like to grieve and suffer a loss. The prophet John is gone, a major support for Jesus. What a time to begin his mission.

In today’s gospel Jesus has returned to hometown Nazareth, where he worshipped as a child, and to the people who know him. If you have ever done public speaking in front of people you know, especially family, you’ll understand that this is the hardest thing to do. Jesus takes and unrolls the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah and 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.

And then he announces, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Those words from Isaiah and Jesus’ comment on them are the first recorded words of Jesus’ public ministry. With these words, it’s as if Jesus is saying, “This is who I am and what I’m about. These are the values that energize and drive my life. Today I am giving myself to something larger than myself and my own interests.” I came down here for you.

What if that’s our work too? What would that look like in your life today? In what ways have has life shaped you with its pain, suffering, love and joy.

Sunday, January 26, 2025 Jesus is saying again. “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  That means right now.  Now is the day. And what we do or do not do today makes a difference for the lives of our children and grandchildren, the life of the word, and what tomorrow looks like.

Now, today, the Spirit of the Lord is here. Today is the day of anointing. Today is the day to bring good news to the poor. Today is the day to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. Today is the day to let the oppressed go free. Today is the day to proclaim 2025 as the year of the Lord’s favor.  Today is the time to love, to tell the truth,  and to forgive - to end racism, welcome the migrant, feed the hungry, and to reconcile and make peace.

Is Jesus the only one anointed to fulfill the words of scripture? What about you and me? Today, not yesterday and not tomorrow, this day, is the day of fulfillment. There is no other day. I won’t get yesterday back, and I don’t know if I’ll have tomorrow. Today is the day. If not today, when? If not now, is it never?  I pray that this fulfillment begins to happen in your life right now.  It can happen.  Energized by the Holy Spirit.  Thanks be to God, Amen.

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This website is in memory of Richard Snyder.

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