Blessed Sunday to you all!

Pastor Marc preached an awesome sermon this morning and the house absolutely rocked! I love it when the house rocks! (the music was amazing!)

Nehemiah 8: 12 “So the people went away to eat and drink at a festival meal, to share gifts of food, and to celebrate with great job because they had heard God’s words and understood them.”

Luke 4: 17-19 “ The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written (18)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, for He has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the oppressed will be set free (19) and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come."

Nehemiah spoke to the nation of Israel after their captivity. He wanted to make sure that the people knew that God was God alone and that He continues to love us even when we mess up. God’s vision for the Israelites was for them to be the reflection of God’s love.

When Jesus stood up in the temple to read the scripture we see Jesus’ obedience to the Father with the statement “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” Jesus knows it is time to leave Nazareth and take His ministry away from home. Jesus began His life with birth in Bethlehem, raised in Nazareth, baptized in the Jordan River and His leave taking at home in Nazareth. In each of these events God’s voice is clearly heard. The angels sing and proclaim His birth, His Father speaks to Him and the dove descends at his baptism and now as He reads scripture in the temple Jesus, Himself, announces God’s presence in the reading and then he leaves and His ministry begins.

The difference in these two messages is that in the Nehemiah passage (if you read all of chapter 8) there are specific communities to which this message is being given and they are listed in the reading. But in this message, Jesus tells the listeners in the temple that this message is not just for them. This message was for everyone: the poor, the oppressed, the Gentile, the Samarian…this message was for everyone. It was time to take this message outside the limits of His home town and it was then Jesus began the journey to the cross.

Jesus’ vision for each of us has not changed since God’s vision in the Old Testament. The vision is simply for us to be a reflection of God’s love.

So I guess the question of the night is “How are we reflections of God’s love?” How can we renew our efforts to live and love like Jesus?

Maybe we should listen more and talk less. Maybe we should give more and collect less. Maybe we should remember how much we love those closest to us as well as the ones we meet. Maybe we should keep the vision of God for each of us so close to our hearts that we will be the reflection of God’s love that He wants us to be.

Take joy in the journey. Wear comfortable shoes, count your blessings and say your prayers. Love you all, Bruce, Gaylene, Geni and Travis.

Gcapplenotes@aol.com

I am not moved by what I see. I am not moved by what I feel. I am moved only by what I believe and I believe God.