Text
for the Week: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to
you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them
be afraid. John 14:27
Welcome
to our services today and a special welcome to any worshipping with us for the
first time. During our evening service we shall be sharing in the Lord’s
Supper.
We
are going to reflect on the sound of sheer silence that is nothing less than a
still small voice of calm. It is in that silence, in that calm that the voice
of God may be heard and the presence of God felt. At first sight there is not
much silence and very little calm as the ministry of Jesus gets under way in
Luke’s gospel.
This
morning we are going to skim read through Luke’s account of the first part of
Jesus’ ministry, from Nazareth to the mount of transfiguration and the point at
which he set out for Jerusalem (Luke 4:14 - 10:51) In his home town of Nazareth
he had set out what his life’s work was all about: with the anointing of the
Spirit of God he was to bring ‘good news to the poor, whoever they are, to
proclaim release to the captives, whoever they are, and recovery of sight to
the blind, whoever they are, to let the oppressed go free, whoever the
oppressed might be, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
As
he makes his base on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in Capernaum he does just
that. He teaches love not just for neighbour but enemy too and he brings
healing to hurting people not least those everyone else rejects. Luke notices something
the other Gospel writers don’t notice. All this activity is sustained by times
of quiet, times of calm. It is those times of quiet, those times of calm that
can sustain us in all that we do
Welcome
and Call to Worship
189
Be still
Prayer
and the Lord’s Prayer
What
friends can do!
Reading:
Luke 5:27-32
A
Hy-Spirit Song
Activities
for all over 3
Whoever
they are
We
are going to reflect on the sound of sheer silence that is nothing less than a
still small voice of calm. It is in that silence, in that calm that the voice
of God may be heard and the presence of God felt. At first sight there is not
much silence and very little calm as the ministry of Jesus gets under way in
Luke’s gospel.
This
morning we are going to skim read through Luke’s account of the first part of
Jesus’ ministry, from Nazareth to the mount of transfiguration and the point at
which he set out for Jerusalem (Luke 4:14 - 10:51)
In
his home town of Nazareth he had set out what his life’s work was all about.
Jesus went to the very heart of the Hebrew Scriptures and read from the scroll
of the Prophet Isaiah what we think of as the opening verses of chapter 61. At
first the people who had gathered together in the synagogue in Nazareth where
Jesus had grown up, for fellowship, for prayer, to listen to the teaching of a
teacher of some renown who was just starting out, were amazed at the words of
grace that came from his mouth. But their wonder turned to rage as he re-told the
story of Elijah and the Gentile Widow of Zarephath and the story of Elisha and
the Gentile commander of the Syrian army, Naaman, who was suffering from
leprosy. It ws the Gentile woman Elijah saved from famine, it was the Gentile
commander of an enemy army Elisha healed of leprosy. There could be no doubt
about what Jesus meant. He was in no doubt, with the anointing of the Spirit of
God he was to bring ‘good news to the poor, whoever they are, to proclaim
release to the captives, whoever they are, and recovery of sight to the blind,
whoever they are, to let the oppressed go free, whoever the oppressed might be,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.’
This
was a radically different way of reading the Old Testament story for those
people gathered together in Nazareth – and it was not what they wanted to hear.
The good news was for their poor, release was for their captives … they were so
enraged at the way Jesus read those Scriptures seeing that the grace of God was
for all that they hounded him out of the village and would have hurled him over
the cliff, had he not walked through the crowd and walked his way.
As
he makes his base on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in Capernaum he does just
that. Notice how from the very start of his ministry, Jesus reaches out to all,
not least to the very least, the ones who so many had no time for, the ones so
many so often rejected.
His
teaching really was something.
Luke
4:31-32.,
Accosted
by a man with an evil spirit so many would simply have rejected, Jesus brought
healing into his heart.
4:36-37
He
brought healing to many people and went around teaching in the synagogues
before going on to call his first disciples.
Then,
it was from the outcast to the untouchable, as he heals a man suffering from
what the GNB calls a dreaded skin-disease – the untouchable leprosy sufferer.
And
Jesus breaks the rule – as 5:13 he stretched out his hand and touched him.
Then
it was that paralysed man, brought by his friends, who received the forgiveness
of sins, then it was Levi, a tax collector sitting in his office.
Jesus
is breaking out and reaching out to the ones with an embrace that’s as wide as
can be.
He
disregards the letter of the law and allows his followers to pick grains on the
Sabbath – he breaks the code eating and drinking, there’s something new in the
air.
There’s
a question about fasting, a question about the Sabbath – Jesus is breaking out
of the straitjacket- raching out beyond the box. Thinking out of the box.
Then
it’s the man with the paralysed hand, again something that is breaking the bounds.
And
this is noticed.
There’s still rage in the air.
6:11
They were filled with rage.
Then
it was the twelve that Jesus called.as he chooses the Twelve Apostles.
There’s
the man with the evil Spirit.
4:31
He teaches love not just for neighbour but
enemy too and he brings healing to hurting people not least those everyone else
rejects. Luke notices something the other Gospel writers don’t notice. All this
activity is sustained by times of quiet, times of calm. It is those times of
quiet, those times of calm that can sustain us in all that we do
It’s
now that he brings all this teaching together … and it sums it all up
Happy
are you poor, How terrible
This
is powerful stuff – echoes of Mary’s song.
Reading:
Luke 6:27-42
Then
it goes on
Jesus
heals a Roman officer’s servant – a centurion’s servant.
Then
he raises a widow’s son – just like Elijah had done before.
This
is carrying out what he said he would do in that first sermon back in Nazareth.
Then
come messengers from john the Baptist.
Tnhey want to know – is he the one we’ve all been waiting for.
Luke
7:21-23
It
really is happening – the Hebrew Scriptures at the heart of Jesus ministry are
being lived out in all that he does.
Jesus
is for everyone – the Pharisee included.
And
in Luke’s eyes, it involves all and is for everyone. Indeed women play a key
role in the work that Jesus is doing.
Luke
8:1-3
It’s
as if he is sowing the seeds of a whole new way of thinking – not that it is
received to universal acclaim, some seed falls by the wayside, some on rocky
ground where it’s overwhelmed by weeds, some fell among thorns – but some fell
in good soil and grew and produced corn.
It’s
as if a light has come to shine in the world
Everyone
who hears the words of God and does it – is part of Jesus family.
The
storm is stilled, the man with demons, the legion is healed, he brings healing
to Jairus’s daughter, to the woman with the issue of blood no one will touch.
This
is a mission Jesus shares as Jesus sends out the Twelve Disciples – herod is
worried who is this Jesus – another Elijah, one of the prophets – he feeds five
thousand men and then we reach the mid-point of the Gospel with Pet’er’s
declaration about Jesus, jesus’s speaking of his suffering and death and the
transfiguration … with a healing, more talk about his death and a depate over
who is the greatest Jesus makes up his min an dset out on his way to Jerusalem
9:51
It
is a frenetic round of activity.
Jesus
puts into practice the program he had announced in Nazareth – it’s happening –
and it is life changing for so many people.
But
Luke has noticed something remarkable- it’s not noticed by the other gospel
writers.
4:42
– at daybreak Jesus left the town and wnent off to a lonely place.
5:16
he would go away to lonely places, where he prayed
6:12
Jesus went up a hill to pray and spent the whole night there praying to God.
9:18
one day while jesus was praying alone
The
importance of those times of quiet …
It’s
the times of quiet that are so precious.
The practice of the presence of God.
The
session Karen is going to lead on Tuesday evening – a time to share in prayer
out of the Scriptures – to use the Scripture in prayer and to sense the
presence of God
The
rhythm of prayer that was so important to Jesus is the rhythm of prayer we too
must capture.
Times
of Quiet
716
Come and find the quiet centre
Prayers
of Concern
448
Lord, the light of your love is
shining
Words
of Blessing
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