Epiphany 3 Yr C
Jesus in the temple
Introduction
Perhaps the first use of "chuzpah" was in the temple after Jesus spoke. What an audacious, bold, brazen things to say. How could he? And yet, if a statement is truth, then is it really audacious? Or brazen? The spirit of the Lord was upon Jesus. What Jesus did was merely speak the truth. Does this relate to you? I think so. Notice that, when Jesus was finished, he merely rolled up the scroll. That's what I think we can learn from. We can learn to speak the truth, without pride or rancor, then move on. Perhaps it's not necessary to argue or harangue or beleaguer the point. Comments welcome.
Luke 4:14-21
Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, . . . 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:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, . . . to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll, . . . Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
sermons4kids: “Jesus came to earth to fulfill the promises of God. All of God’s promises are fulfilled in him. Wouldn’t it be great if you and I were as faithful in keeping our promises to God as he is in keeping his promises to us?”
Scripture: January 23, 2022—Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 (image); Psalm 19 (image); 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a (image); and Luke 4:14-21 (image). A video/audio journey through the scriptures.
Collect: Give us grace, O Lord, to answer readily the call of our Savior Jesus Christ and proclaim to all people the Good News of his salvation, that we and the whole world may perceive the glory of his marvelous works; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
Reflection: The Old Testament “year of jubilee” to which Jesus refers in his first sermon—what some have called his “mission statement”—was a time set aside every fifty years to forgive financial debt and redistribute the land among the people. Why do you think God envisioned a year of jubilee, and what might that look like in our world today?
Eye Candy: “Jesus unrolls the book in the synagogue” by James Tissot; “Christ teaching in the synagogue at Nazareth” (1658) by Gerbrand van den Eeckhout; “Jesus in the Synagogue at Nazareth” (1915) by Bob Leinweber.
Ear Worm: “Thuma mina“ ("send me), sung by Hugh Masekela, an island version; “Hail to the Lord’s anointed“, sung by Sandra McCraken, “a little bit of country; a little bit of rock n roll”; “Arise, shine for your light has come“, contemporary with tambourine dance
Brain Food: “To proclaim release” by Jan Richardson, includes image and poetry; “A feast of word and words“, by Sharon Blezard; “Reclaiming the joy of the Lord” by Steve Godfrey.
Parables: “Patch Adams” (1998), “a medical student who breaks the rules”; “The apostle” (1997), “fall and redemption of a Pentecostal preacher”; “Sling Blade“, (1996), “no such thing as good or redemptive violence”; "Nanny McPhee" (2005), listening and hearing
For families: Study guide; group activities; snacks; kid video
For children: activity one & two; bulletin games; craft;
For middlers: activity one & two; bulletin games; craft.
Coloring page: Nehemiah 8
For youth: Last week, Paul tells the Corinthians that everybody has a gift, and no one gift is greater than the other. Paul extends that concept a bit this week when he says we are all part of the same body—no one body part is superior or inferior to any other body part. Last week, I asked you to explore what your gift might be. This week, I ask you to consider where, within the body, you fit. And take a moment to see how others fit within the body. Comments are welcome.
The season of Epiphany celebrates the manifesting of Christ in his ministry. Today we focus on his preaching the Good News of the Kingdom of God. Jesus did not simply tell about the Kingdom. He was and is the Kingdom, embodied. When he preached in his home synagogue for the first time, this was the theme. He reads Isaiah’s passage foretelling the role of Messiah in bringing about the reign of God. Then he tells the people, “This day this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
The first reading recounts that period in the fifth century B.C. when, as the central event in the reconstituting of Israel as God’s Kingdom, Ezra the priest and others read the Word of God to all the people. Some scholars believe that this came about because of the final formulation of the Torah as the definitive written Word of God. That event established Judaism as the religion of the Book. It is in this event that the foundations were laid for the ministry of Jesus as the preacher and teacher of the Kingdom.
Christianity is not simply a message about what once happened. In baptism, we are empowered to join Christ in proclaiming the Good News to the whole world. That ministry of ours is Paul’s concern as he uses the image of the human body with all its parts and organs—all of which are essential for it to function. In the same way, Paul tells us, each of us has an essential role in the Body of Christ. Each of us is baptized in order that each may be the fulfillment of the Kingdom now. In our celebration of Eucharist, we are built into that Body, so that God’s salvation may be made manifest in us.
From The Rite Light: Reflections on the Sunday Readings and Seasons of the Church Year. Copyright © 2007 by Michael W. Merriman. Church Publishing Incorporated, New York.