Devotion - Thursday, October 11

In my prayers this morning, I found myself turning the thoughts expressed in yesterday's E-Devotion on myself.  If there are some verses of scripture which are more instructive, some which serve as interpreters of the whole, how do we determine which are such verses?  In short - how do we know we are not giving undue weight to a verse because we "like" it, rather than giving it attention because it really does summarize the message of Christ?

These are the questions which roll through my head and heart every time I read Luke 4.  Jesus returns to Nazareth.  He goes to the synagogue.  They hand him the scroll of Isaiah and he reads:

The spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

to proclaim he acceptable year of the Lord.

From this, Jesus' first sermon, I obtain my emphasis for ministry.  If this is what Jesus chooses to say, publicly, when given the opportunity, then ought not this be our message, in the world?

So many approach Christianity as a matter of spirituality.  They put the emphasis on making decisions or abiding to some moral standard.  Luke 4 tells us that our focus is to be somewhere else.  It is encouragement to make our Gospel active in the world.  The Word of Jesus is good news to the poor.

I do not want to abuse the office to which I have been called.  I do not intend to turn the pulpit into a bully pulpit, so I seek God's guidance in making sure that I have not pulled one verse of scripture out of context in order to speak that which seems pleasing to me.  

My discipleship of Jesus is very much about addressing the needs of the poor.  My devotion to The Way is firmly rooted in my belief that what God wants is for us to look at the needs of others rather than fixate on our own self-interest.

This is why traveling to Aiken to put a roof on a house is an important weekend activity for LCM.  This is why my fall is organized around the building of the Homecoming Habitat House.  And this is why spring break trips are so often opportunities to assist those in need.

To what does Jesus call us?  To some idyllic existence where organ music is constantly playing in the background?  Or to the streets where garbage piles up and angry cars honk their horns?

Read Luke with me.  See what you think Jesus would have us do.