Follow Along This Sunday
Music
Introit
Hymn #330
Hymn #627
Hymn #772
Hymn #852
Hymn #541
Sermon Notes
By Kenneth Jones/Rev. AJ Ochart
Scripture:
Luke 4:14-30Theme
In this week’s text, Jesus preaches his first recorded sermon, and it almost gets him killed. It is still early in Jesus’ ministry, and he is invited to preach in his hometown synagogue. He chooses the text from Isaiah (which we heard several weeks ago), where the prophet gives a mission statement for his ministry to the broken hearted and outcast. Jesus boldly proclaims that this scripture has been fulfilled in their hearing.
That is a pretty powerful sermon, the Spirit of the Lord being granted to bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, bring sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed. This would certainly be good news to the first century Galileans who would be listening to him.
But then Jesus continues to preach, a second sermon, if you will. He points out that this good news for the poor and oppressed may be for other people as well. He lifts up stories from the Hebrew scriptures in which God’s grace was poured out on outsiders. This thought that grace might go to someone other then them fills the synagogue goers with such rage, that they try to throw Jesus off of a cliff.
What do we do with such a scandalous gospel that even extends to our enemies?
Questions
– What are the parts of the good news that we are excited about, what are the parts that make us nervous?
– Who are those that we think are outside of grace?
– What do we do when we hear something that does not align with our expectations from the pendants, the podium, or or the pulpit?
Music Notes
By Kenneth Jones
Reflections:
Second Sunday after the Epiphany
Introit: The text of “I’ll Praise My Maker” is a paraphrase of Psalm 146, but verse 3 specifically calls to verses 18-19 of our scripture reading, which itself is a callback to the writings of the prophet Isaiah.
Opening Hymn: The paraphrase of Psalm 124 in the hymn “Our Help is in the Name of God” was written to foster the continuity of the Reformed tradition.
Transition Hymn: For the month of January, “I Love You, Lord”.
Special Music: Beverly Burry and Ann Paschall sing an arrangement of “Hymn of Promise”
Responsive Hymn: “Live into Hope” draws on the same verses in our scripture reading that came from Isaiah, with each verse speaking directly about one of the groups mentioned: “Live into hope of captives freed”; “Live into hope! The blind shall see”; “Live into hope of liberty
Sending Hymn: As our sending hymn a text that also speaks to the redemption of those marginalized groups, sung to the tune of “Amazing Grace”; “When the Lord Redeems the Very Least”.
Benediction: Our benediction for the month of January is the first verse of “God Be With You Till We Meet Again”.