New Covenant Dawns at Nazareth

”Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

How? How is scripture fulfilled? Listen up, because I may be asking for a show of hands. Or an enthusiastic response. You may be seated.

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That day at Nazareth, his hometown, in the church where he grew up, Jesus rolls up the scroll, hands it back to the attendant, and sits down. The eyes of all are upon him as he says, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

They smile expectantly, amazed at his teaching. But suddenly he turns sarcastic.

“Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here here in your hometown the things we’ve heard you did at Capernaum.’” And he says, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months bringing a famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to no one in Israel, only to a pagan, gentile widow at Zarephath. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha, but no one in Israel was cleansed, only Naaman, a pagan, gentile Syrian.”

Hearing this outrage, all in the synagogue rise up and drag him out of town to hurl him off the cliff. But he passes through the midst of them and goes his way, as the Old Covenant gives way to the New Covenant and the Gospel is proclaimed: God loves even you.

Jesus is not traditional. He turns exclusive salvation history upside down, and suddenly the light of God begins to shine - on us - as Jesus proclaims that hated outsiders we excluded from the love of God are included after all, and always have been. The Son of God proclaims that God loves gentiles. Do you like this? RAISE YOUR HAND if you like the good news that God loves even you.

And it’s not that God will love you in some future afterlife; the good news of Jesus is that we don’t have to wait, the kingdom of God has come, God loves you, right here, right now, loves you just as you are, the way you are. This is the Gospel of Jesus Christ: God loves you! Can somebody shout "HALLELUJAH"?

But, you see, to whom much is given, much is required, and God expects. God expects. At baptism, you step into the Way of the Cross, into “The Becoming,” the journey of becoming what Jesus is. God expects, and you covenant, vow, promise. You promise again and again, every time we say the baptismal vows you promise to see Jesus in every person, to love your neighbor as yourself, to respect the dignity of every human being. Will you do that? With God’s help, will you keep your promises to God? Otherwise, Jesus is wrong and scripture is NOT fulfilled at all. With God’s help, will you keep your baptismal promises? Everybody say “I will, with God’s help.”

It is a faith event of this church, that the Holy Spirit enters into you at your baptism, when you are Born Again, a temple of God, filled with the Holy Sprit. So when you say, “I will with God’s help,” mind that God is already inside you, helping. That’s good news.

Our presiding bishop Michael Curry was here a couple weeks ago, hearing stories and blessing us for showing Jesus to many people, victims of the hurricane. His visit to us was reported last week, big news online in the Episcopal News Service newsletter, and a picture of Judy Hughes, Head of Holy Nativity Episcopal School, talking with the presiding bishop, did you see it? If you don’t get the ENS Newsletter online in your email, google Episcopal News Service, https://www.episcopalnewsservice.org/?s=subscribe. I’m gonna put that link in my blogpost today, and maybe Madge will put it in Wednesday What’s Happening so you can click on it if you want to subscribe.

It’s Epiphany Season, so here’s today’s Epiphany: at the very beginning of Luke’s story of Jesus' ministry, in the synagogue at Nazareth, the New Covenant bursts upon the world: God is not just for the few in the synagogue, God is for all, God loves you, even you. The blessings of God’s love are not for a few but for many, for all, God loves even you. Even me.

But okay, you promised “I will, with God’s help,” so now comes the test of whether you are BS-ing God. Last week’s online ENS Newsletter had that article, and picture of Bishop Curry with Judy. But the headline news article and pictures were about parishes in the Episcopal Diocese of Dallas who’d had ceremonies to correct society and the church’s long history of excluding gay people. Will you see Jesus in every face? Will you love your neighbor as yourself? Will you respect the dignity of every human being? You promised. All those we excluded are invited, welcome, and included in the love of God. Things are changing, Easter is coming - - 

When I was a boy in the Episcopal Church here, no woman could serve on vestry. No woman could be a greeter or usher. No woman could be a delegate to diocesan convention. No woman could be a lector. No woman could serve a chalice. No woman could be ordained priest or bishop. No woman or girl could be an acolyte ... 

... here in The South, no black person was welcome in an all white Episcopal parish, and certainly not drink from the chalice ...

... no divorced person could be remarried in the church. No divorced and remarried person could receive Holy Communion. All this as we singled out things that made some better, others lesser. Some worthy, others unworthy. Us welcome, others excluded. Us invited, others told to remain prayerfully seated ...

... as we live into our baptismal covenant, most of that has changed, although Easter is still coming. Episcopal Church Canon I.17.7 states “No unbaptized person shall be eligible to receive Holy Communion in this Church.” That is NOT from the gracious words of Jesus; the Early Church made that rule to guard against Roman persecution, and over Time etiologized it into Tradition. Many parishes and bishops are setting it aside, moving on with Jesus as scripture is fulfilled. Not just for traditional hospitality, Abraham at the Oaks of Mamre, but theologically, because of the answer to the question “What does Jesus say? What would Jesus do?” Jesus himself gives the answer at the synagogue in Nazareth: God loves everybody. And in the synoptic gospels, it is a eucharistic event every time Jesus Takes and Blesses and Breaks and Gives the bread to feed all present, every hungry person. Jesus feeds everybody, never does Jesus invite all baptized persons to come to Supper as the unbaptized remain prayerfully seated. In Jesus there are no uncircumcised. In the coming of Jesus Christ, the New Covenant dawns on everyone. Everyone is invited and welcome to receive Holy Communion in this church. Come. We bid you come. Again, not hospitality and courtesy, but core theology: loving neighbor as self, seeing Jesus in every person, dignity to every human being because Jesus did precisely this. So come to Supper with us; and being fed at God’s table, you may want to be baptized into Jesus Christ with us. We invite you, we welcome you.

By his own words in Luke’s gospel, Jesus breaks down the barriers that exclude, as we, the church and the world give way to the baptismal promises, love neighbor, respect the dignity of every human being, see Jesus in every face. God loves you. Jesus rules. There are no outsiders. The kingdom of God has come, and the gates of heaven are thrown open.

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Sermon in Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, Panama City, Florida on Sunday, January 27, 2019, Epiphany 3, Year C. The Rev Tom Weller.  


Pic: Nazareth, near Mary's Well, facing up toward the cliff. Pinched online, with credit, appreciation, and apologies.

Text: Luke 4:14-21 (+ 22-30 apologetically but with a nod to BCP 888, "Any Reading may be lengthened at discretion."). F

Filled with the power of the Spirit, Jesus returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

When he 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.”

And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. They said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?” 23 He said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, ‘Doctor, cure yourself!’ And you will say, ‘Do here also in your hometown the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.’” 24 And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown. 25 But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; 26 yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. 27 There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 

28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29 They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. 

30 But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.