Sermon for February 3rd, 2013: "Something for Everyone"

Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:1-6
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30

All quotations from scripture come from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA, with the exception of the Psalms, which come from The Book of Common Prayer, 1979. Not all scripture passages from the lectionary may be quoted or referenced in a given Sunday's sermon. For more information on the lectionary used in The Episcopal Church, please visit http://www.lectionarypage.net/.

***Once a month, usually the first Sunday of the month, the sermon I preach is a “children’s sermon” that is more extemporaneous in style. This is the case for today. The text here is at best an approximation of the sermon.

“Something for Everyone”

The Rev. Nicholas S. Szobota

February 3, 2013
Christ Church, West River, Maryland

Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany

I have here a scroll, made by my friend Emma in last week’s Sunday School class. The scroll says “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” It’s the beginning of the scripture that we heard Jesus share in last Sunday’s gospel lesson:

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. (Isaiah 61:1-3)

This is what Jesus had just read before we pick up with today’s gospel reading. It is good news. At first, the people listening to Jesus feel excited about this good news. After all, they’re from Jesus’ home town. They must feel special. In fact, they might even feel like the good news is just for them, because they come from where Jesus grew up and he’s theirs.

To let the people know they are mistaken, Jesus tells two stories from the Old Testament. First, he reminds the people of a time when there was not much food. There was a widow in a town called Zarephath. Her husband had died, and her son was too young to work. She had to take care of him, and finally she realized they did not have much food left. A prophet named Elijah came and asked her for some food, and she took the little bit she had and made bread. Sure enough, as long as Elijah stayed with the widow and her son they had enough food to eat. Jesus reminded the people that this widow was not a Jew, like they were, but that she came from the Philistine town of Sidon.

Jesus also reminded the people about a man named Naaman. He was a leper, which met that he had a disease that gave him sores all over his skin. Naaman was a soldier and a powerful general, and he wanted to get better. When he went to the prophet Elisha for healing, Elisha told him to wash seven times in the Jordan River. Naaman did that and got better! Jesus reminded the people that Naaman was not a Jew. He came from Syria.

By telling these stories, Jesus reminded the people listening to him that the good news was not just for them. God wants everyone to hear the good news of God’s love. The people weren’t happy to hear Jesus say that. In fact, they were so angry with him that they picked him up to through him off of a cliff near their town.

Jesus reminds us that the good news is not just for us. It’s for everyone. We shouldn’t just keep it to ourselves. If the good news is for everyone, then it’s for us, too, and no one can tell us that we don’t deserve to hear it. Amen.