As we gather, we recognize that we live, work, pray, and play
in the traditional, unceded lands
of the Cowichan Tribes and Coast Salish People. 
We continue to commit ourselves
to the work of reconciliation and relationship-building
with our First Nations neighbours.     

Call to Worship:

The Lord has anointed me to preach
good news to the poor &
release to the captives.

Luke 4. 18

O Come. Let Us Worship. 

Gathering

Almighty God:
To you all hearts are open,
all desires known,
and from you no secrets are hidden.
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts
by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit,
that we may perfectly love you,
and worthily magnify your holy name;
through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Collect for Today 

Almighty God,
by grace alone you call us
and accept us in your service.
Strengthen us by your Spirit,
and make us worthy of your call;
through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever. Amen.

The Proclamation of the Gospel:

Luke 4.14 - 21  

May the words of my lips and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable to You, O Lord.  Amen.

" Called to Be, Liberator " 

Jesus has been on a preaching tour, obviously, and he returns home to his community where he grew up. He returns home to, what we understand, is a very enthusiastic crowd—waiting, likely, to hear from their native son, their neighbour’s boy, about all the wonderful things he has been doing.

It would appear that things have gone quite well for Jesus, and his preaching tour, we might say. 

So, one of his first stops as was his custom on the Sabbath, he went to the synagogue. When the Rabbi enters the synagogue his first task is to read from the Scrolls. Jesus unrolls the scroll that has been handed to him, and he finds the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19     to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

I often kind of wonder: what would the reaction be on a Sunday morning in Church, if we read the Gospel, and I simply sat down and waited.

I wonder how long it would take before people began to feel you might say, restless in their pew. But of course, Jesus doesn’t wait that long, as we understand it, before he began to speak.

Well, according to this passage, Jesus was anointed by the Spirit of the Lord to:

Proclaim good news to the poor.
Heal the brokenhearted.
Preach deliverance to the captives.
Recover sight to the blind.
Set at liberty those who are bruised.

This week, some of you will have been watching the news, and some of you may recognize these words, which I give direct quote to: 

‘Drawing from our sacred traditions and texts, let me suggest that there are at least three foundations for unity:
•    The first foundation for unity is honoring the inherent dignity of every human being.
•    The second foundation for unity is honesty – in both private conversation and public discourse.
•    The third and last foundation I’ll mention today, a foundation for unity, is humility, which we all need because we are all fallible human beings.

Continuing the speaker says :

Alexander Solzhenitsyn once astutely observed that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, not between classes, nor between political parties, but right through every human heart, through all human hearts. And the more we realize this the more room we have within ourselves for humility and openness to one another across our differences because in fact we are more like one another than we realize. And we need each other.

Then the speaker went on  to share these words: 

Let me make one final plea (Mr. President)
Millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our Lord, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country. And who are scared now.

These were words shared in the presence of the 47th President of the United States of America. The preacher, Episcopal Bishop of Washington, DC, went on to say:

Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being; to speak the truth to one another in love; and walk humbly with each other and our God, for the good of all people in this nation and the world.

This quote is from The Episcopal Bishop of Washington DC Rev. Mariann Budde at the Inaugural Prayer Service for the incoming President of the United States of America. 
    
Why are these words and the words quoted from Holy Scripture  so important, and what relationship do they have in why we are here today?

First: from Nehemiah and his words telling the story of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Telling how the people returning from exile to rebuild their lives. The story is shared in the ancient scrolls. A story of liberation.

Second: In Paul’s letter today, Paul shares one of the great principles of life through the example of how the parts of the body are used to make a whole. We are living in a time in history, a time we have repeated over and over again, when unity and acceptance of differences are at jeopardy. This is one of the greatest examples used over and over in history to combat disunity, to empower leaders to find social and political unity.

Third: Christ, the great liberator, Jesus has returned home to preach and share his experiences while on the mission trail.
    
The setting is familiar. People continue to gather, longing for encouragement from the Word of God. History tells us that many governments and new leaders are placed in their office of leadership, that people still gather for prayer. People still gather to hear the encouragement and the encourage of the Word of God. People gather to sing hymns. People gather to pray, to share in the liturgical act of offering peace, and some, in some situations (and regularly in our own Parish church, we also gather to have Communion. 
    
The world reaches out to the church to hear from us. That might be surprising to some of us to hear, but the truth is the world is still reaching out to the Church, to hear The Good News. 

Think about how many people have listened to the words of the Bishop of Washington DC in these last few days. 

I look back on my own Facebook page and look at the numbers that connect with my weekly publication of my service each week. 

I am convinced, surprisingly, in some ways I must admit, that when I started this, but now I am convinced that it is so true that there is a world out there that cares, a world that is looking for good news, a world that looking to hear liberating news. 
    
It may appear to be unusual in our time and day to believe that people still listen to the Word of God, and to the interpretation to the of Word of God.

(A side note: one theologian has observed we, the preachers, usually speak for 10 or fifteen minutes, but the reality is—the people listening only really absorb about seven minutes, or six, of that presentation.)

But yet, at the same time, people do gather.
    
Jesus returned home. He returned home and was received with delight in the witness of the Holy Spirit, how he had been affected in spreading the Word of God, to the world at that time. 
    
Let me assure you this task of bringing liberation to the world has a long history and it continues to this day. 
    
Today is not about ‘should’ but about the fact that we ‘can’ and ‘are’ and ‘need’ to participate in the life-giving actions that Jesus proclaimed.

We are to bring liberation to the captives and sight to the blind.
    
When Jesus shared these words, they symbolized spiritual liberation from sin and oppression. 
    
Hence my title: “Called to be, Liberator.”
Amen.

And so, we hear in some of the great words of hymn writers, in one of our hymns that we will share in this week:

In Christ There is No East or West

In the world, there needs to be no east or west—no north or south, only one great fellowship of Love. Amen. 

Let Us Pray

With the Spirit of Christ shining upon us, let us boldly pray for the church, the world, and all of creation.

As your world is opened in our midst, we give thanks for all who share scripture: for parents, grandparents, and godparents; teachers and mentors; deacons, pastors, bishops, and scholars. Inspire passion for the stories of faith.
God of grace, hear our prayer.

As heavens declare your glory and the sky proclaims your work, we lift our voices in awe of quarks and atoms, vast stars and solar systems. Guide us to speak on behalf of your handiwork.
God of grace, hear our prayer.

As Jesus proclaimed life and freedom in his community, energize communities and nations to eliminate poverty, engage in prison ministry and transformative justice, and envision new ways of working together for your promised reign. 
God of grace, hear our prayer.

As your word and presence revive the soul, accompany all 
experiencing depression, anxiety, or eating disorders; be a source of strength for all affected by memory loss and their caregivers; draw near to all undergoing medical treatment or surgery.

We continue to pray for:
John, Sheila, Geoff, and those on our hearts.
God of grace, hear our prayer.

As we are made one body in baptism, strengthen all who serve. Renew and inspire all who use their gifts in this congregation: our Worship Leaders, Music Leader, Parish Council members, Greeters, Coffee Hosts.
In our community: Mayor Staples, and the Members of  Council for this city. 
God of grace, hear our prayer.

As our faith is strengthened by saints who have gone before us, we remember those of the early church: Timothy, Titus, Silas, Lydia, Dorcas and Phoebe, John the Baptist; and beloved friends and family who have died. 
God of grace, hear our prayer.

We entrust our prayers to you, O God, in the sure and certain hope that your promise is revealed among the people.  Amen.

Our Father,
who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name,
Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven. 
Give us today our daily bread. 
Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
those who trespass against us.
And lead us  not into temptation,
but deliver us fom evil.  
For thine is the kingdom,
and the power and the glory,
forever and ever.  Amen.

Each week, we stand before our Lord and take holy things in our hands, our lives are changed forever and nourished to that we may be liberators in His Kingdom.

The Blessing: 
The peace of God,
which passes all understanding,
keep your hearts and minds in the knowledge and
love of God, and of his son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

And the blessing of God almighty,
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
be with you, and remain with you, always. 
Amen.

Let us go in Peace to love and serve the Lord.  Thanks be to God!