Luke 4:14-21 (NRSV)
Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
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, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
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. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."
- '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."
Each of the three synoptic Gospels has a particular audience and style. In September we commemorated St. Matthew. In April we commemorated St. Mark. We will commemorate St. John in December. St. John's Gospel is not a synoptic Gospel as it is very different from the other three. Today we commemorate St. Luke.
One major difference between Luke and the other Gospel contributors is that Luke was of Gentile origin. He was someone who shall we say, looked at the situation from the outside in. In addition to the Gospel being attributed to Luke, so is the Book of Acts. Other than Luke having been a physician, one thing we know, his life was touched and changed by Jesus Christ. Through out his Gospel, it is very obvious that Luke was deeply moved by the life and story of Jesus.
Luke is the only Gospel to contain the story of Mary, Elizabeth and the Nativity in it's entirety. We have a genealogy of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel, the story of Joseph and the visit of the Magi which are not in Luke's Gospel. However the story of the Annunciation, Visitation, the Magnificat, the Benedictus, the Presentation in the Temple are all part of Luke's Gospel. Who ever finally wrote Luke's Gospel had a very keen sense of details.
Luke's Gospel is one of those that makes it abundantly clear that Jesus came to make room in God's family those who were marginalized by society and the religious establishment. We do have to be careful not only in Luke's Gospel but any of the Gospels not to be given to anti-semitism. It is equally important to be careful not to attach heterosexism and homophobia, trans-phobia and misogyny, racism, Islam-ophobia and all other kinds of problems to the Bible. This is one of the major problems with Biblical literalism.
Luke begins the public ministry of Jesus with his inaugural address and quite frankly the inaugural address of all Christians. It is a reminder that the mission of all Christians is not to remain in our comfort zones, or Pandoras Box. The Holy Spirit does not want us to remain motionless. We cannot be left in an atmosphere of coziness. We have to be willing to allow God to rip open our closed up boxes and take us out and place us with those who would otherwise be left in oppression or captivity.
I thought a lot about that kind of thing as I watched for the up-teenth time For the Bible Tells Me So. Every time I watch that movie, I gain a new meditation or something to write about. Today was no exception. The story of Mary Lou Wallner continues to move and inspire me. Mary Lou Wallner the founder of TEACH Ministires (To Education Against the Consequences of Homophobia), is the mother of her late daughter Anna who took her life because of the untruths taught by the Church about homosexuality. After two letters exchanged one from Mary Lou to Anna saying that she would never accept Anna being a lesbian, Anna sent another letter to her mother. In the letter from Anna to Mary Lou, Anna said that her mother had done "colossal damage to her soul with your shaming words." Mary Lou was not Anna's "mother biologically only." Anna felt that she did not want or have to forgive her mother. Only a few months after that, Anna committed suicide by hanging herself with her dogs leash in her bedroom closet. The tragedy of this situation for Anna has become Mary Lou's salvation. God has used this tragedy to reach out to Mary Lou and change her heart so that she can love in a whole new way. She was part of the protest outside Focus on the Family when Philip, Randi and Jacob Reitan were there with Soul Force. It is a wonderful testimony about how Jesus released Mary Lou from the captivity of hatred for LGBTQ people. Mary Lou tells of how the change feels so good to be able to do for other LGBTQ people, what she could not do for Anna. That little spot at the end of the movie, still brings tears to my eyes.
Conservative, Fundamentalists and many Evangelical Christians like to preach a message of "repentance". Repentance is a part of the Gospel message. Among the sins that Christians need to repent of is Biblical literalism, heterosexism, homophobia, and all of the "isms" that keep Christians from loving others unconditionally. Many in the Church and society are "captives" of being exclusive. Many Christians and Americans are "blind" by hate for people who are different from what we think others should be. As a result, many minorities of all kinds are oppressed by the same people who are suppose to help them find freedom and justice. The Gospel of Luke begins with this inaugural address of Jesus to remind us that following Jesus will mean that we always have work to do. We will have to face the reality of our own prejudices so that we can be of help to others who are captives, blind and oppressed.
Jesus also reminds us that we are never alone as we never face our complications. The Holy Spirit is with us to help us know God's will in our lives and to keep moving us beyond our Pandoras Box to a renewed understanding of God, others and ourselves. The Holy Spirit helps us face God with our prejudices and helps us understand and repent of our biases. The Holy Spirit motivates us to respond to her call to become missionaries of Jesus Christ in the world. As we overcome our personal prejudices, unless we are willing to become active in changing the laws and systems that allow a bias to exist, we are endanger if continuing to live lives of discrimination. In so doing the captives do not get released, the blind do not see and oppression continues. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to be his agents of changing ourselves and the culture and the Church around us to be more open, accepting, affirming and inclusive of all.
Almighty God, who inspired your servant Luke the physician to set forth in the Gospel the love and healing power of your Son: Graciously continue in your Church this love and power to heal, to the praise and glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Collect for Commemoration of St. Luke, Book of Common Prayer, page 244-245).
Look with pity, O heavenly Father, upon the people in this land who live with injustice, terror, disease, and death as their constant companions. Have mercy upon us. Help us to eliminate our cruelty to these our neighbors. Strengthen those who spend their lives establishing equal protection of the law and equal opportunities for all. And grant that every one of us may enjoy a fair portion of the riches of this land; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Oppressed, Book of Common Prayer, page 826).
O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior, the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (Prayer for the Unity of the Church, Book of Common Prayer, page 818).
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