Rejected at Home

~~~ 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 ~~~ Psalm 119 ~~~ Luke 4:16-30 ~~~

They rose up, drove him out of the town...

Jesus came home, went to synagogue as was the custom,

 read from the Isaiah scroll, amazed and infuriated 

the elders so much they were enraged.

They were so angry that he would dare put himself in a category

 with the great prophet Elijah that they tried to push 

him off the edge of the cliff.

Clearly they were not ready to hear him publicly 

identify with the words he read.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me...

Imagine putting yourself in the synagogue hearing

this young local boy making such claims before the whole assembly.

I might have also had reservations.

I remember when I returned home after a year away at college;

I really thought I knew so much.

I wanted to share my new found knowledge, 

but there was resistance.

No, my family did not run me out of the house

 or think of pushing me down the stairs, but there was resistance.

Jesus met with resistance from the very beginning, 

but he did not let that stop him.

Jesus had the wisdom given to him from God. Jesus knew 

the prophet Isaiah was speaking of him.

The 'anointed one' was in the midst and they rejected him 

as someone who was speaking out of line.

They never even heard the rest of the prophecy concerning the poor.

...to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

In effect Jesus is saying to the men of Nazareth, 

you missed your chance for to see the workings of God among you.

It takes the wisdom of the Spirit before we can learn to 

care about the poor, the captives, the blind, and the oppressed.

Even then it is not so easy or convenient to take action.

We live in a world where taking action can put one in great danger.

We live in a world that has forgotten who put us here.

We live in a world where most think they deserve everything.

We have forgotten.

We are the poor.

We are the captives.

We are the blind.

We are the oppressed.

We are poor because we are not rich in the spirit of God.

We are captives of our own desires to the 

exclusion of God's plan for us.

We are the blind because we do not see all 

that is possible for us to become.

We are the oppressed because we live surrounded in fear.

Jesus may have fled his hometown 

but his message of love kept them thinking.

The elders did not like what they heard from Jesus.

I can imagine many days later they were still sitting

 around discussing what had happened.

What about us?

We must pray for greater wisdom from the Holy Spirit.

It will then be possible for us to have abundance, 

freedom, restored vision, and to be released. 

May we be Blessed with true wisdom

that can only come from the Holy Spirit.

~~~Peace~~~

Take Off Your Sunglasses

 ~~~ Isaiah 58:1-9a ~~~ Psalm 51 ~~~ Matthew 9: 14-15 ~~~

Have you ever noticed that whenever a person does not want to be recognized the first thing they put on is sunglasses. Celebrities are often seen being hurriedly whisked away into their waiting limo wearing sunglasses. The darkness of the tinted lens, while providing protection from harmful UV light, also hides your eyes. Eyes hidden behind these lens cannot be seen by others.

I believe your eyes are the windows into your soul, as some writers have previously stated. If your eyes are shielded from the sight of others what could that imply?

I would offer a connection between sunglasses and the words from the Isaiah reading today.

Those fasting with heads downcast covered in ashes wearing their penitential sackcloth are in fact wearing sunglasses. Their view of their world is dark, introverted and self centered. They are only looking down seeing nothing but the dirt and mud in their path. They do not look out. They do not see others. They do not make any attempt at eye contact. Eye contact at this point might be uncomfortable.

I personally dislike talking with someone wearing sunglasses precisely because I cannot see their eyes. Our eyes are so very expressive. You can tell if a person is joyful or sad by looking into their eyes. Some time ago I created a YouTube video titled Eye Gazing. It is simply suggesting that you spend time gazing into the eyes of Jesus. Meditating on his loving gaze can bring deep peace to your soul.

Today Isaiah is saying hey guys take off those dark glasses. Open your eyes. Look up and you will see what really matters to God. "What is the purpose having your eyes fixed on the ground?" asks, Jesus. Therefore, if what you are doing is ineffective I am not even going to acknowledge your actions.  

Jesus enters the scene saying, 'take off the sunglasses' and you will be able to see what I see. If you take off those dark glasses you will see those who are in most need of your attention. You know the ones you try to ignore by bowing down looking at the dirt and shading your eyes.

Look around and you will see those whom God cares most about...the oppressed, the hungry, the poor, naked, and the homeless to name a few. When you look up at these faces and into these eyes, my friends, find compassion in your heart. Take action on their behalf. Get up from your introverted ash covered penitential pieties and do something for those in need. Do something to help your brothers and sisters who are  suffering. There are opportunities all around if you but open your eyes and look.

When you reach out to those less fortunate you come to realize how blessed you are. You come to understand that hiding behind your sunglasses is not all that pleasing to God.

The Lord says, if you help those in need; when you call on me to come to your aid I will say, "Here I am!

You may find it surprising, but helping the less fortunate in our community does have a gold lining.

In the act of reaching out to help another your own burdens are lifted.

God will say to you, "Here I am1"

 So during this Lent I invite you to take off your sunglasses...

see where you can help another person in need.

 Join the psalmist...Let your sacrifice be a contrite and humble heart.