10-19-19

ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS

October 19, 2019

Scripture: Luke 4:18-19

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.

Thought for the Day: I recently shared these words of scripture with someone who is in jail. I’m not talking some figurative jail, but a real jail cell. There is no other place in scripture, at least as I read it, where we have a clearer description of Jesus’ mission statement. If you want to know what Jesus does, look here. Now I think his vision (big picture) was/is to act proactively with love – to put the Love First Life before humanity. A mission, on the other hand, is where the vision meets reality, and for Jesus, he is taking the Good News of God’s unconditional and unrelenting love to the poor, the captives, the blind and the oppressed. Some will ask whether Jesus was speaking metaphorically – “spiritual captives” or “holy blindness” -or- was he speaking about those who were economically poor and those who were physically oppressed? I think the answer is YES to everyone. Jesus did not sit around and compare people’s brokenness. He did not place a physical ailment above a mental illness. He saw suffering, and the love of God burning within him could not remain quiet. He had to act. And if these words from Luke’s Gospel are the mission statement of Jesus, then they probably are the mission statement of the Body of Christ. Our mission is to Put Love First In All Things, and our mission is to help individuals and families live this Love First Life… which is to act with love, not because people have earned it, but because Jesus showed us how to live such love for those who feel utterly alienated from love because of their woundedness and brokenness.

Prayer: I pray this day for all who yearn for the Spirit’s anointing. Come, Holy Spirit, and find the body you need for the proclamation of the Good News – a proclamation in both word and action. Amen.

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