Sunday, January 24, 2010

Third Sunday of Ordinary Time, Cycle C

LUKE 1: 1-4; 4: 14-21
WHEN MY CHILDREN WERE SMALL, THERE WERE MANY TIMES WHEN MY WIFE OR I WOULD TRY TO GET ONE OF THEM TO TRY SOMETHING THAT WE ENJOYED. SOMETIMES THIS WORKED AND SOMETIMES NOT. I REMEMBER A TIME WHEN WE LIVED IN AN APARTMENT IN BUFFALO WHEN I WAS IN MY TRAINING. OF COURSE I CHOSE THAT TIME TO GET INTERESTED IN MAKING WINE. ONE OF MY DAUGHTERS WANTED TO HELP, SO WE SET OUT TO FERMENT THE JUICE, LET IT SETTLE FOR A FEW DAYS, TRANSFER IT TO A STORAGE VESSEL, AND FINALLY, BOTTLE IT. ALL OF THESE STEPS REQUIRED THAT WE COMMANDEER THE BATHROOM, WHERE THERE WAS A TUB.
MY DAUGHTER WAS ABOUT FIVE YEARS OLD. THERE WERE MANY TIMES IN THE PROCESS WHEN I REALIZED I COULD DO THE JOB BETTER, FASTER, AND WITH LESS SPILLAGE IF I DID IT MYSELF. BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT SHE WAS ENJOYING HERSELF IMMENSELY, AND I FOUND THAT TO BE PART OF THE FUN.
I WAS REMINDED OF THAT WHEN I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE GOSPEL TODAY. THE WAY IT SOUNDS TO US, JESUS POPS UP OUT OF NOWHERE, AND, FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT, COMES BACK TO HIS HOME TOWN AND DELIVERS A SERMON OF SORTS IN THE SYNAGOGUE. BUT WE SKIPPED OVER THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS OF LUKE'S GOSPEL, THE STORY OF THE ANNUNCIATION, THE VISITATION, THE BIRTH OF THE LORD, THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD IN THE TEMPLE, AND THE FINDING OF OUR LORD IN THE TEMPLE, NOT TO MENTION THE BIRTH OF JOHN, THE BAPTISM OF JESUS, AND JESUS' TEMPTATION IN THE DESERT. CLEARLY THE CHURCH WANTS US TO LOOK AT THIS PARTICULAR SECTION OF SCRIPTURE, AND REALIZE THAT NOW THAT ALL THOSE OTHER THINGS HAVE HAPPENED, JESUS IS MORE OR LESS LAUNCHING HIS MINISTRY. HE'S ALREADY BEEN PREACHING, HEALING PEOPLE, WORKING MIRACLES. THAT'S WHY NEWS ABOUT HIM HAS SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE COUNTRYSIDE. HE'S THE HOME TOWN BOY WHO MADE GOOD, AND EVERYONE IN THE VILLAGE IS EAGER TO HEAR WHAT HE HAS TO SAY. IT DOESN'T SAY IT IN THE SCRIPTURE, BUT THINK ABOUT IT – HIS MOTHER WAS PROBABLY THERE IN THE SYNAGOGUE, SITTING IN THE BACK WITH THE WOMEN; BUT THE VILLAGE ITSELF WAS FAMILY, AND JESUS FOR THE MOMENT WAS THE STAR.
JESUS MUST HAVE BEEN FAMILIAR WITH THE SCRIPTURES. IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN AT A JEWISH WORSHIP SERVICE, YOU WOULD SEE THE HUGE SCROLLS WHICH ARE KEPT IN A SORT OF TABERNACLE. WHEN THEY ARE READ, THE SCROLL IS BROUGHT OUT, REMOVED FROM ITS VELVET COVERING, PUT ON A SPECIAL TABLE, AND WITH THE HELP OF ASSISTANTS, IT IS ROLLED FROM ONE END AND UNROLLED FROM THE OTHER UNTIL THE RABBI FINDS THE PASSAGE HE WILL PROCLAIM. NOTHING HAS CHANGED MUCH IN 2000 YEARS, AND YOU CAN ALMOST SEE JESUS ROLLING THROUGH THE SCROLL TO THE PASSAGE.
AND AFTER HE READS THE PASSAGE, HE SITS DOWN, AND SAYS THOSE WORDS, “TODAY, THIS SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING.” JESUS HAS BEEN OUT DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE SCRIPTURE PREDICTS. HE HAS BEEN TELLING THE POOR GOOD NEWS, THAT GOD LOVES THEM LIKE A FATHER; HE'S BEEN WORKING MIRACLES OF HEALING, GIVING SIGHT TO THE BLIND, HEARING TO THE DEAF – BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, HE'S BEEN OPENING PEOPLE'S EYES TO THE TRUTH. HE'S HEALED PARALYZED PEOPLE, FREED THEM FROM THE PRISON OF THEIR BODIES, BUT HE'S ALSO BEEN TELLING PEOPLE THAT GOD IS ON THEIR SIDE, SO WHY SHOULD THEY FEAR ANYONE WHO CAN AT BEST DESTROY THE BODY, BUT NEVER TOUCH THE SOUL? HE HAS PROCLAIMED THAT THEY ARE FREE, RADICALLY FREE, NO MATTER WHAT THE ROMANS SAY, OR THE CHIEF PRIESTS.
ALL THIS IS IMPRESSIVE, WONDERFUL; BUT IF YOU GO BACK AND READ THE CHAPTER IN ISAIAH FROM WHICH THIS PASSAGE IS TAKEN, THE PICTURE THERE IS MUCH MORE GLORIOUS THAN WHAT JESUS HAS DONE SO FAR, OR IN FACT WHAT HE WILL DO IN THE REMAINDER OF HIS LIFE. SO WHAT DOES HE MEAN, “THIS SCRIPTURE IS FULFILLED?” STARTED, MAYBE, BUT CERTAINLY NOT FULFILLED.
WHAT JESUS IS SAYING, THOUGH, IS THAT IT IS FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING; AND THE WORD “HEARING” MEANS SOMETHING LIKE “DOING WHAT YOU HEAR YOU ARE TO DO” IN GREEK. SO IF WE HEAR WHAT ISAIAH SAYS AS A REQUEST FROM GOD, IF WE LEAVE OUR COMFORT ZONE, OUR TELEVISION SET, OUR COMPUTER, OUR GOLF GAME, AND DO WHAT JESUS DID, TO THE BEST OF OUR ABILITY, THE SCRIPTURE WILL BE FULFILLED.
JESUS, BEING GOD, COULD HAVE DONE IT ALL HIMSELF. HE COULD HAVE BROUGHT ABOUT THE DREAM OF ISAIAH, NOT ONLY THE LIBERATION OF PEOPLE FROM WHAT KEEPS THEM FROM BEING TRULY HUMAN, THE PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL BURDENS WE ALL CARRY; BUT ISAIAH TALKED ABOUT A TIME WHEN THE LION LAYS DOWN WITH THE LAMB, AND THE LITTLE CHILD PETS THE SNAKE WITHOUT GETTING BITTEN. WHEN THE HOLY MOUNTAIN IS A PLACE WHERE EVERY CREATURE CAN BE SAFE AND HAPPY, WHEN THE HEAVENLY JERUSALEM IS A BEACON OF HOPE AND A HOME FOR ALL NATIONS. JESUS COULD DO THAT.
AND THAT IS WHY JESUS CAME INTO OUR MIDST; HIS PURPOSE IS TO FULFILL THE PROPHECIES OF ISAIAH. AND JESUS FINDS JOY IN DOING WHAT THE FATHER SENT HIM TO DO. JOY IS ALWAYS THERE WHEN WE ARE IN THE RIGHT PLACE, THE RIGHT TIME, DOING WHAT WE ARE MEANT TO DO. JESUS' JOY COMES FROM BEING UNITED TO THE PURE CREATIVE ACT OF GOD, WHO BEGAN THE UNIVERSE, AND CONTINUES TO CREATE WITHIN IT UNTIL ITS FULFILLMENT.
BUT IN THE SAME WAY I FOUND JOY IN ALLOWING MY DAUGHTER TO HELP ME MAKE WINE IN A BATHTUB SOME 38 YEARS AGO, EVEN THOUGH I COULD HAVE DONE IT FASTER AND WITH LESS SPILLAGE, JESUS SHOWS US BY HIS ACTIONS AND HIS PROCLAMATION WHAT WILL GIVE US JOY, AND STANDS BACK, AND OFFERS US THE OPPORTUNITY TO ENTER INTO HIS OWN WORK. AND IF WE TAKE HIM UP ON THAT OFFER, WE WON'T DO IT QUITE RIGHT, WE MAY MAKE A MESS OF IT LIKE CHILDREN DO, WE WILL GET TIRED AND DISCOURAGED, BUT WE WILL FIND JOY, WE WILL SHARE IN THE JOY OF GOD HIMSELF AS WE TAKE ON WHAT HE OFFERS TO SHARE WITH US. AND WHEN WE FIND OURSELVES PROCLAIMING THE GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR, GIVING SIGHT TO THE BLIND, SETTING PRISONERS FREE, – DOING ALL THOSE THINGS THAT JESUS SHOWED US, WE WILL HAVE THE SATISFACTION OF JESUS HIMSELF, AND OUR LIVES WILL HAVE MEANT SOMETHING, OUR LIVES WILL HAVE BROUGHT THE WORLD A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE DREAM OF ISAIAH AND OF JESUS.