Sermon by Rev. Michael Perry for Epiphany 3 23 January 2022
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Sermon for Epiphany 2. Nehemiah 8. 1-3, 5-6, 8-10 and Luke 4. 14-30 Revd Michael Perry How far do we allow scripture to challenge us? How far do we allow our faith and in particular the Spirit of God, to question our actions and our views? Faith, humanly speaking, for centuries has had two basic functions which can feel contradictory To comfort and to challenge The people of Nehemiah’s time and the people of Jesus’ time surely needed comfort The people of Nehemiah, who gathered around to hear the Bible scrolls being read were a defeated and subjugated nation. The book of Nehemiah is a book about restoring a nation. Rebuilding the walls and also rebuilding the hearts and minds of the people. The priest Ezra takes the scrolls and reads them. But he does not just incant an ancient incomprehensible mystery. Repeatedly our passage empathises that the Law of Moses was read in a way so that the people properly understood it. And in verse 8 it empathizes that Ezra explained it too. And it says that the people were attentive. And this people, who needed so much to be comforted. wept when they heard the law. Well some comfort you might think. Driving them to tears. This was a nation on its knees, did they need one more thing to bring them down? With every marriage, whether using the Book of Common Prayer, 1928 prayer book or the words from Common Worship With every marriage comes the declarations And every bride and groom who have stood in this church have declared that they will comfort the other It is one of the words in the service I explore with a couple Because comfort yes means the arm around the shoulder But look again at the word and you can see it has that fort within it To comfort it to fortify someone to strengthen them Sometimes that means to be the one who pushes someone out to do better In a marriage perhaps to strengthen the other to get that promotion or to start that business To be the person they can truly can be In the book of Nehemiah Ezra is comforting the people Calling them clearly to be the people they are called to be This brings with it the dawning realisation of what they haven’t been, hence the wheeping But Nehemiah, their leaders response, is to call them beyond regret to celebration They are called to be the rebuilt people of God in the rebuilt city of God Called to walk in his path and obey the law of God. To look with honesty into Gods Word to draw from it and be strengthened by it. Let’s contrast this then with how Jesus’ words went down with his hearers, and how they go down with us today. Jesus, filled with the Spirit of God, has been baptised by John, and spent 40 days of testing in the desert He then starts teaching in the synagogues And verse 15 says he was praised by everyone Well that’s nice isn’t it He was praised Our main story is in his hometown of Nazareth And he chooses a really challenging text And then he says something really radical, he says Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing And what do his hearers do? No they don’t drive him out of town and they don’t try to kill him that come later. No it says ‘they all spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth'. Jesus has been anointed for his mission. And like Ezra and Nehemiah he wants to see the people of God strengthened by being called back to a truer following of God’s Word. His calling is to comfort the people to give them the inner spiritual strength, fortitude and backbone that will allow them truly to be God’s people. In this passage he is calling them to fully understand that the Gospel only is the Gospel if it is good news for the poor And the Gospel is only the Gospel if it is a liberation on the oppressed/ And what do his hearers do? Paradoxically they do not hear him. They simply been liking the entertainment he provides. A nice sermon for a nice day and then back to their nice home to a nice lunch. And this is why Jesus looses his temper This is why he tells them that It is not without reason that prophets like Elijah and Elisha gave up on the people of Israel and went to the other nations to perform the signs of God After the disappointment of much praise but no hearing in all the other towns, perhaps he hoped that finally in his own people would actually listen and take in his message. But they do not It is not his teaching that drives them to drive him out: It is because he dared to suggest that God might look elsewhere if his people do not listen. What then of us? (and I very much include myself in this too). How do we gain comfort by coming to church? What these passages are telling us is that whilst that arm around the shoulder type of comfort is important (of course that is a fundamental part of what a Christian fellowship is about) To be truly comforted by faith we need to grow in faith, and to grow in faith, we must listen to God’s Word: And once we have listened we need to allow it to challenge us deep within… So that we become more truly who we are truly meant to be as the people of God. And with this Gospel passage to hear that the Gospel is not the Gospel if it is not good news to the poor. And the Gospel is not the gospel if it does not bring liberation to those in bondage. These are as radical statements now as they were in Jesus’ time. And they should make us feel uncomfortable. Because it is through this discomfort that the true comfort / the comfort of God / can come. © Michael Perry 22/01/2022 |
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