This month we are doing a series of services on the story in Luke Chapter 4 where Jesus gives what is his first sermon. It’s Luke 4: 14-21 for those trying to follow along at home. In this scripture, at the start of Jesus’ ministry, he gives his first sermon. He goes to the synagogue and is asked to read the scripture. He reads the words of the prophet Isaiah about being anointed to bring good news to the poor, release to captives, sight to the blind, freedom for the oppressed. Jesus then tells the assembled , that he is there to fulfill just that. Now, if you read further, I can tell you the sermon went over like a lead balloon. Thankfully, no matter how bad her sermons are (and they’ve never been in the 12+ years I’ve been hearing them) they don’t lead to people wanting to throw her off a cliff.
Jesus came to bring good news to a world of pain and brokenness. Jesus came to bring healing to us all. This week in worship, Joe shared a song, “Any Moment” that he wrote in response to the death of a friend from a drug overdose. Jason (our drummer for those who can’t join us on Sundays) and Joe lost a friend recently to an overdose. They could have just lived in that loss, the pain, the fear. But God moved Joe and Jason to perform a song about not living in that brokenness. Jesus came to bring us all out of those kind of places.
Thankfully, there are people out there who live in the opposite moment. They live in a time in their lives where they are free to live their lives as they want to live them. They live in a world where they can let go of their pain and sorrow and live in their joy.
Mrs. King, who was Becca’s 2nd Grade teacher, is one of those people. At the parent’s meeting, the first night of 2nd Grade, Mrs. King described herself as someone who jumps out of bed every more filled with energy, grabs her coffee, jumps into car to come to school to teach our children. She promised to love them all just the same, and you know, she did. She was a great teacher. I don’t think I ever saw her have a bad day.
Isn’t it great when someone has found their joy. When they’re free to live their purpose, the purpose that God has given to them. But that purpose can change. In different seasons of our lives, what God has anointed us to do can change. The scripture talks about being anointed by the Spirit. Jesus was anointed by the Spirit of God.
That’s a powerful thing. To be bathed in God’s love and given a power to do something. God’s power can make you do some powerful things and Jesus definitely did some powerful things. Jesus stood up to the political powers of the times and the religious powers of the time. He forgave and loved everyone he met. If nothing else, having shown love to the most unlovable of his time, I know that God can love me thanks to Jesus. But, we all have this power. God has given it to us all. We all have a particular purpose in this life. Sometimes a different one at a different time.
Some of us live that out at work. Mrs. King has a job that is her joy and changes the world. Believe me, teachers change the world. I could use up pages about teachers who changed my life and all that has done for the world, but this isn’t about me. Some of us, though, have jobs that are just that, a J-O-B. But others take those kind of jobs and turn into a ministry. There are countless people I run into everyday who show God’s love working at receptionist counters, at fast food restaurants and the like. Other people live out their purpose in their free time.
Noah comes to the Village with his Grandmother Linda and her partner Robin. Noah is only in the Fourth Grade, but he’s already found that calling. Noah has a heart for the hungry and the poor. Every month, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, one of our sister churches in Toledo, hosts a dinner on the last Sunday afternoon of the month to help people stretch their limited food dollars. People from the Village regularly volunteer at this dinner. Noah loves to volunteer there. In fact, even when he is sick, he wants to be there to help.
Maria and her son Tomas (not their real names) live in our neighborhood, but in the “wrong part”. Cheri, the kids & I live in the Old West End, which 100 years ago was Toledo’s first suburb. The city grew about 18 miles further west, and this became “the hood” during the 1950's to 1970's. Later, people moved back in to claim the wonderful former mansions and other homes. So, there’s an affluent part and then there is Maria’s part. Becca had us invite Maria & Tomas to our home for a party. She said she almost did not come, but she wanted to meet us. When Tomas came to Becca’s school, Becca was one of the few kids to make him feel welcome and at home.
Cheri’s Mom, Betty Holdridge, is nearly eighty years old. Like me, she’s a preacher’s spouse and has played many roles at many churches. Beyond that, she has also been a social worker working with children and a mother of three daughters. Now, she’s retired and beside being our go-to babysitter at times, she is in charge of praying for the Village. When we need something or someone, it is Betty’s job to pray for that. So, over the years, Betty’s purpose has changed many times.
As Cheri has continued to evolve as a Church Planter and leader, she has been asked to define and re-define her role. Today, she laid it out perfectly. Cheri’s purpose is to help hurting people know that they are beloved children of God. After that, her role is to help them find out what their passion is and then fan the flames of that fire. That’s her job, fanning the flames of passion that will help us all change the world. But be prepared for that to change too.
Recently, a group of us went to the Church for All People in Columbus. Jennifer & Tim Atkins come to the Village with their boys, Andrew & Peter. We went with Tim and Jen to visit the Church for All People to give Jennifer some time with the leadership down there. Right now, Jennifer is busy raising her two sons and working a job for Mercy Health Partners that regularly requires 50+ hour weeks. But she has some embers burning. She doesn’t know what that will be yet, but she went to get her ember fanned.
While we were there, we got to spend some time with Eileen Howard. Eileen and her husband George are leaders at the Church for All People. Years ago though they had been missionaries in Africa. When their time there was done, they came home to the states. Eileen told us the story of being worn out and discouraged. She was sure she needed to be doing more to bring about the world God wants (you’ll sometimes hear us church types slip and call the Kingdom of God). Her pastor at the time shared some wisdom with her. He told her that sometimes you change the world by changing the diapers. That is something Jennifer needed to hear.
Sometimes your ember will ignite on its own. But sometimes you are gonna have to keep coming to the Village and praying. That’s one of the reasons to come every week. Come and hear about other people's passions, hear about God’s love, whatever it is you need to hear. The message will come, but only if you take the time to listen for the Spirit. If you listen long enough, you WILL hear the message that you are a Beloved Child of God and that you have a special purpose. God will get with you, that is when you and God are ready.
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