Living in the Now of God’s Reign

1 Corinthians 12: 12-31a & Luke 4: 14-21

Roger Lynn

August 21, 2016

(click here for the audio for this sermon)

In Mark’s Gospel Jesus begins his public ministry by declaring that God’s reign is here, now, in the midst of us. He can make such a powerful proclamation with absolute confidence because he has the insight to recognize that this has always, and will always, be true. That, in summary form, is what Jesus’ ministry is all about – opening our eyes and our hearts and our lives to the ongoing reality of God’s active and loving presence in the midst of us.

Luke’s Gospel uses a different narrative to introduce Jesus’ public ministry, but it is, in essence, the same message. He stands up in the synagogue (the local gathering place for worship and prayer) and reads an amazing passage from the prophet Isaiah. “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.” (Luke 4:18-19) And as powerful and profound as those words are, Jesus follows them with an even more amazing proclamation. “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21)

What we very often miss when we reflect on this particular portion of Luke’s Gospel is the collective nature of Jesus’ vision. We frequently interpret this passage using what might be termed the “Superman” filter. Jesus has arrived on the scene like a divine Superman and will now set about the business of saving the world. But that is not, in fact, what Luke tells us. Isaiah’s original words have a sense of community awareness about them. This work of proclaiming the year of God’s favor is not to be done in isolation by some lone, solitary figure. This is the work of the whole community. And Jesus knows this. So he proclaims that it “has been fulfilled.” He doesn’t say “I’m about to do all that good stuff.” He doesn’t say “I’ll get to it soon.” It is an ongoing reality because it is always and forever the work of every community which is in touch with God’s presence in the midst of us. Jesus’ ministry is to remind us of what is already true. Jesus’ ministry is to call us to live – actively, fully, deeply, richly – in the ongoing “now” of God’s reign.

What does this look like? What does it mean to bring good news to the poor? What does it mean to release the captives? What does it mean to help the blind recover their sight? What does it mean to set the oppressed free? Well, to begin with it means acknowledging that the poor, the captive, the blind, the oppressed are, in fact, among us. Indeed, it means acknowledging that sometimes they are us. We are in need of this good news that Jesus is proclaiming. And the moment we take even the first small step towards opening ourselves to receive this amazing gift of God, we also become participants in sharing this gift of God with the world. Jesus’ proclamation that “today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” is as true for us in this moment as it was for those who first heard it in Nazareth. And it is as profoundly challenging as well. No longer can we live as if we don’t make an impact in the world. We are called to participate in this great work of God – the work of doing our very best to make sure that all of God’s children have the opportunity to experience full, rich, abundant living.

The truly remarkable part about all of this is that it happens in such richly diverse ways. Each of us has a part to play and my part will look very different from your part. Paul’s image of being members of the body of Christ speaks to this reality. “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27) Some of us are hands, out getting things done in the world. Some of us are feet, making sure we get where we need to go. Some of us are ears, listening to each other, listening for the voice of God in the midst of us. Some of us our mouths, speaking words of comfort, speaking words of challenge, giving voice to the needs of the community. Some of us our eyes, watching for opportunities to serve, looking for signs of God’s presence, noticing moments of wonder and beauty. And all of us will manifest more than one of those characteristics, depending on the particular moment. It’s been said that it takes a village to raise a child. Well, it takes all of us together to be the Body of Christ. It takes all of us together to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, sight to the blind, freedom for the oppressed. It takes all of us together to even begin to figure out what this looks like. It takes all of us together to live into the “now” of God’s reign.

On that day in the synagogue in Nazareth I believe Jesus was proclaiming God’s vision for the world. And we have the opportunity, beginning right here, right now, to be a part of this vision. How are we being called to live? How are we being called to serve? How are we being called to participate in this great work of God? How will we respond? Together, may we be the Body of Christ in the NOW of God’s reign.