Scripture/Sermon of the Day

14 Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

“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,

20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

I. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus starts his ministry in chapter four, after he is baptized by John and then tempted by the devil. The devil tempted Jesus with money and power. “I will give you the world, if you will work for me,” the devil told Jesus.

A week ago we remembered the birth of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.. He had many gifts, but especially, he could speak in public with incredible power — and he was tempted to use these to have a long and comfortable life. He had offers to teach at a university and he loved the idea of doing that. Smoking a pipe, wearing tweed jackets, soaking up praise from grateful students who would attend his lectures. It was a dream he didn’t follow.

IT SOUNDS CRAZY, but a lot of people hated King when he asked them to love each other and recognize the dignity of every human being! It’s crazy, but people will turn into MANIACAL LUNATICS WHEN THEY ARE ASKED TO LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

I talked about this at Bible Study and in my dome report for February — but it still amazes me. To describe it — it doesn’t sound like a big deal. A minister preached a sermon about love and unity. She asked that mercy be shown to people who are lesbian, gay, transgender — and to people in this country who don’t have documentation. Some have lived here their whole lives — and they’re afraid now of being deported. These people — who don’t have advocates in powerful places — are afraid. So the minister asked the president and people in congress to have mercy on them. Be kind. Help them.

She said: “The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members off our churches and mosques, synagogues and temples. I ask you to have mercy, Mr. President, on those in our communities whose children fear that their parents will be taken away. And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land.”

V. The minister was bishop of the Washington diocese of the Episcopal Church, Mariann Budde. For asking — actually — she was begging — for mercy for poor, powerless, vulnerable and desperate people, many people are asking that Rev. Budde be fired from her position. The president wants an apology from her — and he wants an apology from the Episcopal Church. An apology because she begged for mercy and love for people who are afraid.

VI. In the passage Jesus read in the synagogue, he delivered a similar message. He said God will help, and show mercy to, and liberate those oppressed, the blind, the imprisoned and the poor. The crowd loved it! Jesus should have stopped there.

People were cheering, clapping, yelling, “Bravo Jesus!” But he had to open his mouth and say God loves all of us, gays, lesbians — foreigners too. Everything got real quiet. Jesus should have quit while he was ahead. Come next week and I’ll tell yo what happened to him.