Power

Charlotte Collins Reed

Christ Church Episcopal

February 3, 2019

4 Epiphany C

          For Christmas, Bishop Hollingsworth gave each of the parish clergy in the diocese a copy of the book “The Power of Love.”  The book is a collection of several sermons by our Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, including the sermon he preached at the Royal Wedding last May.  I have read the first sermon, the royal wedding sermon, but I have not yet gotten to the other three.  But, since, like most preachers, the Presiding Bishop really only has one sermon, I can imagine that the other three sermons deliver much the same message.  That message is summed up on the back cover of the book which gives four quotes from Bishop Curry’s sermons.  One: “There is power in love to help and to heal when nothing else will.”  Two: “There is power in love to lift and liberate when nothing else will.” Three: “There is power in love to show us the way to live.”  And four: “I’m talking about power, real power, to change the world.” 

          This morning, we hear Jesus read from the prophet Isaiah and then say to the people in the synagogue “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  That scripture is actually a combination of several unattached verses from Isaiah, and we heard those words in last week’s gospel reading.  "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."  These are the words about which Jesus says “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

          I have several problems with this passage.  First, Jesus seems to set himself up for failure when he says things like “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, 'Doctor, cure yourself!'” or "Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet's hometown.”  Everything was going fine up until that point.  The people were amazed at the gracious words that came from Jesus’ mouth.  Jesus was bringing them Good News.  Why would Jesus seem to sabotage himself by putting words of criticism in the people’s mouths?  Secondly, Jesus tells two stories in which the people who experienced God’s liberation were not Hebrew people, and, in fact, the Hebrew people themselves did not experience God’s liberation.  So, were Jesus’ gracious words meant only for Gentiles, and not for the Jews? The people are so enraged at Jesus words that Jesus is nearly thrown off the cliff.  Why does Jesus need to provoke the people to such anger?

          The third problem, and the most pressing one in my opinion, is the utter lack of evidence most days that Jesus’ claim “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” is true.  A quick look at the news on any day demonstrates that the oppressed are still oppressed, the blind and sick are still blind and sick, and people are still captive to the many, many different things that bind us.  Whether we look globally, nationally, locally, or around our own congregation, many days the evidence for Jesus’ claim seems slim.  So, what on earth could Jesus possibly mean?

          Jesus’ words in the synagogue are the first words in Jesus’ public ministry.  These words are his inaugural address of sorts.  At Jesus’ baptism, not all that long ago, we heard the voice of God say “You are my Son, the beloved, with you I am well pleased.”  Jesus, the beloved Son of God, with whom God is well pleased, shows up today in the synagogue in Nazareth, reads from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, then says “Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”  I believe Jesus is telling the people that today, the love of God has shown up in their midst, and the love of God is the good news that is proclaimed to the poor, the release that is proclaimed to the captives, the recovery of sight that is proclaimed to the blind, and the year of jubilee or forgiveness that is proclaimed to all.

          Proclamation alone does not typically make something happen, however.  Action makes something happen.  And Jesus spent his earthly ministry turning his proclamation into action and being the Love of God in the world.  The soaring words in 1 Corinthians describe that love for us.  The Love of God, and the love we are called to imitate, is patient, and kind.  That love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  And that love is for everyone, which is perhaps the truth that made the people in the synagogue so angry.  If love is a zero sum game, then when outsiders get some of the love, there is less for the insiders.  But Paul is not describing a zero sum game.  Paul is describing love that is infinite, love that is doubled and tripled as needed, not halved and quartered to be distributed evenly like a pie being divided among children. 

          So, was the passage from Isaiah being fulfilled in the people’s hearing?  In Jesus, the love of God showed up and proclaimed release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, freedom from oppression and from crippling, relentless debt.  If Bishop Curry is right, and there is power in love to help and to heal when nothing else can, and to lift and liberate when nothing else will, and power to change the world, then yes, Isaiah’s words are fulfilled whenever the Love of God shows up.  The power of love, the radical love the Paul describes, is the power to bring healing when hope feels lost, to extend forgiveness when division seems to have the final word, and to lift and liberate when oppression clearly seems to have won.  The power of love is our power to proclaim with Jesus “Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” to use that power to change the world, and to be the evidence that Jesus’ claim is true.

                                                                                              Amen.