Readings:
Sirach 38.1-4, 6-10, 12-14
Psalm 147
2 Timothy 4.5-13
Luke 4.14-21
In the Gospel reading from Luke we get one of my favorite passages from all of the Gospels mostly because it is one of my favorite passages from the Prophets, but also because it gives us insight into the everydayness of the Good News.
“When Jesus 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, 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.’ “
–Luke 4.16-19
This might be the clearest list of our mission as Christians. Jesus, using the words of Isaiah, says, “Here’s the list. Go and do.” But that is only part of the message here. Jesus’ custom on the Sabbath, his usual manner of doing things was to go to the synagogue. He gathered in community and heard the Word of God and prayed with his brothers (and sisters). It is just what he did. Jesus proclaims the Good News in the way he knew how and he did it in a way the people in his time and place, his context, would understand.
In much the same way, Luke proclaims the Good News in his own way to his own day. He wrote the Gospel and then continues on to write the Acts of the Apostles, but Luke sets this everydayness as an example for each of us to follow. Gather with the community, hear and proclaim the Word, pray with your sisters and brothers.
How has God called you to proclaim the Good News in your everyday life? What gifts do you have to be a proclaimer? What is your context? To whom has God sent you?
St. Augustine's Chapel 