The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me
Sermon Text for Jan. 21:
Luke 4:14-21
He was nervous. Palms sweating. Heart beating wildly. His mouth was dry. Would his friends listen to him? Would they recognize the changes he had gone through in the last several weeks? How could he convince them that he was different?
The leader of the synagogue called him forward and gave him a copy of the scroll of Isaiah and he opened it to the place where it said, “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 he Lord’s favor.”
And suddenly he knew without a doubt that these words applied to him. He was the anointed one. That is what the Father meant when he said, “You are my Son, my beloved. With you I am well pleased.” He was the one whose very life was good news to the poor. His mission in life was to set free the captives and the oppressed. He would proclaim the year of Jubilee when all debts would be absolved and land would return to the original owners. So that no one in Israel would be without a birthright.
He handed the scroll back to the attendant and sat down on “Moses’ seat”, the place where the preachers sat. “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” he said. All of the people in the synagogue were amazed. He might be a bit audacious, but this home town boy had made good.
A few years ago I was in Nazareth with an international group and we went to a place known as the synagogue church. Like most buildings in the Holy Land the walls of the synagogue church had been knocked down and rebuilt several times. Even the untrained eye can see the different methods of masonry. But the floor was a first century floor made of a dark gray slate. This was probably the floor on which Jesus stood when he read from the scroll of Isaiah, and I found myself deeply moved.
I have long believed that this passage from Luke is Jesus’ mission statement, his declaration to the world of who he is and what he is about. And that means that this verse is the mission statement for the Church. These words have haunted me throughout my ministry. How is Jesus, how is the church good news for the poor? What captives are we to set free? Is all of this to happen strictly in the spiritual realm, or was Jesus talking about something that applies in the here and now?
The synagogue church is not very large and while my colleagues sat along the cool stone benches built out from the walls, I felt a strange compulsion to stand on each and every one of the floor tiles. I had to stand where Jesus stood. It was as if I might make a spiritual connection if I could just stand where Jesus stood. As I moved from tile to tile, the words echoed in my mind, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” “He has anointed me. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. To set to captives and the oppressed free.” And in that moment I knew that in this verse Jesus defined the scope of his ministry. It is what he came to do. It is what the church, as his body is called to do. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, these words lay claim to some part of my life, and yours.
Listen to the words of Isaiah, and imagine Jesus speaking them to you, and to Presbyterian Church of the Covenant.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” What is that like for you?
“He has anointed me.” If the words have any meaning they must apply to us.
“He has anointed me.” He has anointed my church.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me." I am anointed. Now I know the church’s mission. To set the captives free, to break the chains that bind the oppressed, to help the sightless see.
These words tell us why Jesus came, and why you are here. Take this verse and make it your own. Live by these words and by the power of God’s Spirit, make a miracle happen together.
Copyright © 2007 by Dwight R. Blackstock
Luke 4:14-21
He was nervous. Palms sweating. Heart beating wildly. His mouth was dry. Would his friends listen to him? Would they recognize the changes he had gone through in the last several weeks? How could he convince them that he was different?
The leader of the synagogue called him forward and gave him a copy of the scroll of Isaiah and he opened it to the place where it said, “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 he Lord’s favor.”
And suddenly he knew without a doubt that these words applied to him. He was the anointed one. That is what the Father meant when he said, “You are my Son, my beloved. With you I am well pleased.” He was the one whose very life was good news to the poor. His mission in life was to set free the captives and the oppressed. He would proclaim the year of Jubilee when all debts would be absolved and land would return to the original owners. So that no one in Israel would be without a birthright.
He handed the scroll back to the attendant and sat down on “Moses’ seat”, the place where the preachers sat. “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing,” he said. All of the people in the synagogue were amazed. He might be a bit audacious, but this home town boy had made good.
A few years ago I was in Nazareth with an international group and we went to a place known as the synagogue church. Like most buildings in the Holy Land the walls of the synagogue church had been knocked down and rebuilt several times. Even the untrained eye can see the different methods of masonry. But the floor was a first century floor made of a dark gray slate. This was probably the floor on which Jesus stood when he read from the scroll of Isaiah, and I found myself deeply moved.
I have long believed that this passage from Luke is Jesus’ mission statement, his declaration to the world of who he is and what he is about. And that means that this verse is the mission statement for the Church. These words have haunted me throughout my ministry. How is Jesus, how is the church good news for the poor? What captives are we to set free? Is all of this to happen strictly in the spiritual realm, or was Jesus talking about something that applies in the here and now?
The synagogue church is not very large and while my colleagues sat along the cool stone benches built out from the walls, I felt a strange compulsion to stand on each and every one of the floor tiles. I had to stand where Jesus stood. It was as if I might make a spiritual connection if I could just stand where Jesus stood. As I moved from tile to tile, the words echoed in my mind, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” “He has anointed me. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. To set to captives and the oppressed free.” And in that moment I knew that in this verse Jesus defined the scope of his ministry. It is what he came to do. It is what the church, as his body is called to do. And by the power of the Holy Spirit, these words lay claim to some part of my life, and yours.
Listen to the words of Isaiah, and imagine Jesus speaking them to you, and to Presbyterian Church of the Covenant.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” What is that like for you?
“He has anointed me.” If the words have any meaning they must apply to us.
“He has anointed me.” He has anointed my church.
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me." I am anointed. Now I know the church’s mission. To set the captives free, to break the chains that bind the oppressed, to help the sightless see.
These words tell us why Jesus came, and why you are here. Take this verse and make it your own. Live by these words and by the power of God’s Spirit, make a miracle happen together.
Copyright © 2007 by Dwight R. Blackstock
posted by Dwight Blackstock | 7:16 AM
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