I NEED YOU

January 24, 2016

Epiphany 3

1st Corinthians 12:12-31a

Luke 4:14-21

(prayer)

Words of a 20^th century Canadian poet:

Every night is a different game
We gotta work for our fortune

and fame
Success is a ladder,

take a step at a time

And the people will remember

your name

And you'll find out

every trick in the book
And that's there's only one way

to get things done
You'll find out

the only way to the top
Is looking out for number one
I mean you

keep looking out for number one

The gospel according to Randy Bachman.

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There is not one of us who does not experience the lure of selfishness.  In fact, I am sure that, even the most noble among us, even the our greatest benefactors continue to be motivated - at some basic level - by a sense of self-advancement.

I think that it is part of our instinctual, primal DNA - we are here (as a species) because of our ability to selfishly adapt.

In the extreme, we can sometimes have no regard for the well-being of others… even seeing anything that threatens our status quo as an obstacle to be overcome.

And let’s be honest, on a community or society level, people have (at times) developed ideologies - even theologies - that advance and maintain an ego-centric view of the world by wielding an institutional hammer of control.

We see this - most obviously - when groups or individuals who are different are shunned or excluded… sometimes even using the tools of officialdom to advance the in-crowds selfish identity.

“Looking out for number one.”

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And yet... the profoundly simple scripture readings today, invite us to think differently.

Words of a 6th century (BCE) Judean prophet:

I preach good news to the poor.

I proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind

and freedom to the oppressed.

The gospel according to third Isaiah.  [by "third Isaiah" I mean the author of chapters 55-66 of the book of Isaiah - for a primer on the distinct sections of that book, see my sermon notes online from last week]

When we find the place in Isaiah chapter 61, we can read that (as the returning exiles were learning how to reclaim their heritage and faith practices unique to living in Judah) a prophet spoke of a restoration of people as well.

In the struggle to rebuild, the prophet proclaimed beyond his own needs and highlighted the plight of the society's most vulnerable. 

The poor and oppressed he spoke of were not victims of Babylon or Persia; they existed in the Judean Hebrew society of the present.  They were at risk in the midst of all the efforts to rebuild and create a new prosperity.

The prophet felt called by God to remind his nation that they are challenged to be different than their captors of the last seventy years - an egalitarian reset was called for in this new time.

The last phrase of the teaching: to proclaim the year of the Lord's favourite is a reference to the instruction in the Torah for a super-sabbath (of sorts).

The law expected a day of rest at the end of every week.

Land was to be rested (laid fallow) every seven years.

And after a sabbath length of sabbath years (7×7 years), everyone was to be given a fresh start in year 50: a jubilee.  Prisoners and slaves set free, debts forgiven, lands redistributed.

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Six centuries later, these old wise words were read with a fresh proclamation.

The people of Nazareth listened as the carpenter's son took his turn as the reader for the day.  He found the place near the end of the scroll of Isaiah and read words from a time gone by.

There was a pause as the people thought about the prescribed scripture reading for the day. 

And then... the voice they had known for 30 years said something unfamiliar and unexpected:  Like in the days of Isaiah, these words ring true today.  I do not just read them as a record of our past, they are true and current:

The annointing Spirit of the Lord

is upon ME.

I preach good news to the poor.

I proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind

and freedom to the oppressed.

The time of jubilee is now!

The gospel according to Jesus.

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The diverse group of believers gathered around to listen to someone read the letter they had just received.  They had asked so many questions in the letter they had written.  Now they had Paul's answers - the debates about leadership finally could be settled.  What does God want? 

A few of them waited eagerly for their question to come up.  Finally, on one of the last pages, they had their answer to the question - "Who does the Risen Christ need most of all: Prophets? Teachers? Healers? Spiritual Interpretations?  Who?  Who is number one?"

They listened as the letter was read outloud:

Now concerning spiritual gifts.

There is not one gift, but many.

And yet...

they all come from the same place: the Spirit of the Lord, your God.

Together, they serve

a common good.

It's like how a body is made up of many different parts,

but work together in one body.

What good would it be to have a body made up of only hands;

how would you see?

The body needs variety.

And so do you!

Yes, some parts might seem especially and obviously valuable,

but do not lose sight of

those most vulnerable parts

whose honour and respect

might be overlooked.

Remember: not 'one of you'

(no matter how gifted)

can be the church

all on your own. 

The greatest gift is known

in the combining of your gifts.

Strive for that!

The gospel according to Paul.

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I am sure that we all believe in the reality of our interconnectedness. 

No matter how independently minded we might be, we do not subsist solely on our own merits.

No matter how much we subscribe to doctrines of personal responsibility and natural consequences of the choices we make, we do not have control of every factor that dictates the quality of our lives.

//

Our modern (so called) 'western' culture does not fall neatly into any extreme.  We are neither a pure laissez-faire nor a socialist model.  We have evolved a society that seeks to respect, but not abandon, the individual.  The structure has varied over the eons and distances, but, this (I would argue) has basically true for most of human history - with varying levels of success.

Even as we might look out for number one, few of us want to ignore the needs and hopes of our fellow travelers on this road.

//

I saw a Facebook meme the other day that pointed out that a bucket of KFC chicken was worth more than a barrel of light Texas crude oil.

Ignoring the ironic truth of one of the posted comments that 'neither is supposed to be good for us', there is a further truth to worry and struggle that many in our immediate local community are experiencing today.

How can we meet our basic needs, when the means, by which we have grown used to meeting those needs, are changing.

It doesn't seem to matter how many times, Alberta has experienced the cycle of boom and bust, we find ourselves ill-prepared when the crash becomes real.

It is a larger version of the reality of trying to drive during the first snowfall of winter.

Our forward thinking prophets have preached the value of diversity (diversification) of our economy for decades, but we could not embrace that bigger need because of the alluring immediate boom-era benefits to number one.

But - as seems to always happen - we can't ignore it now, because our collective vulnerability has been exposed.

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If we stop the conversation here, all we've done is proclaim "I told you so!" and that is not what our prophets in today's scriptures modeled for us.

Isaiah proclaimed good news for us and those among us who are vulnerable - through a rethinking of priorities.

Jesus wanted his lifelong neighbours to not simply reflect on the words of Isaiah as a message for long gone returning exiles, but for today!

This scripture has been fulfilled.

Jesus said.

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In today's economy, more are vulnerable.  I see it more and more.  Every week, I hear new stories of struggle and worry.

Much of the worry comes from the fact that we have virtually no control over the source of the economic downturn.  Worldwide demand for oil is down; capacity and supply is high.  The laws of supply and demand translates that into a low value for oil.

But... people are not oil.

We are not of low value.

There is little any of us can do to control the economy, and so our focus can and should be on what we can control:

·         our actions,

·         our thoughts,

·         the importance we place on ourselves, and others.

It may feel like a time of scarcity.  And in such times, the temptation can be to become more narrowly focused on ourselves.

And yet... our scriptures encourages the opposite.

Paul refused to endorse one style of leadership and involvement over another, instead choosing to highlight our interconnectedness.

The message is... I need more than just myself.  I need you.  You need me.

When we are able to proclaim this with real openness and honesty, true community can emerge.

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It is very hard to know to what extent the ancient hebrews practices a full jubilee, but those times of adjustment must have been hard for some of the people... change is hard to endure, regardless of whatever future is promised or hoped for.

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The gospel endures.

The good news remains.

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We are part of something more than ourselves.  We are not alone.

We have God as our comfort and guide.  We will get through all times of challenge and hope... together.

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Let us pray:

We long for good news, O God.  Good for ourselves, our community our world.  May we listen for your goods news and how we can be a part of it.  Amen.

#381VU “Spirit of Life”