{"id":18598,"date":"2022-01-23T09:45:00","date_gmt":"2022-01-23T09:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailchi.mp\/urc\/urc-daily-devotions-sunday-service-for-23rd-january-2022-the-revd-catherine-mcfie"},"modified":"2022-01-23T09:45:00","modified_gmt":"2022-01-23T09:45:00","slug":"urc-daily-devotions-sunday-service-for-23rd-january-2022-the-revd-catherine-mcfie","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trinitywimbledon.org\/index.php\/urc-daily-devotions-sunday-service-for-23rd-january-2022-the-revd-catherine-mcfie\/","title":{"rendered":"URC Daily Devotions Sunday Service for 23rd January 2022 – The Revd. Catherine McFie"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Daily Devotions from the United Reformed Church

\nService for Sunday 23rd January 2022
 <\/strong>
Picture Credit Kamil Mehmood\/Unsplash
 
The Rev\u2019d Catherine McFie<\/strong><\/div>\n

Introduction<\/strong>
 
Hello and welcome to worship.  My name is Catherine McFie and I am a minister within Mersey Synod.  Half my time is dedicated to being the minister of two congregations in the Liverpool area: St Columba, Hunts Cross and St George\u2019s, Maghull. The other half of my time is given over to two Synod based roles.  Ministry in Liverpool is varied and exciting and it is a privilege to work with and among the people of this city.
Let us worship God
 
Call To Worship<\/strong>
 
Come, let us ring out our joy to the Lord; hail the rock who saves us<\/strong>. Let us come into God\u2019s presence, giving thanks; let us hail the Eternal One with a song of praise. A mighty God is the Lord, a great king above all gods<\/strong>.  In God\u2019s hands are the depths of the earth; the heights of the mountains belong to God. To the Eternal One belongs the sea,  for God made it and shaped the dry land. O come; let us bow and bend low. Let us kneel before the One who made us<\/strong>, for the Eternal One is our God and we the people who belong to the royal pasture, the flock that is led by hand.<\/strong>
 
Hymn<\/strong>       O For A Thousand Tongues To Sing
Charles Wesley<\/p>\n

  <\/p>\n

O for a thousand tongues, to sing
my great Redeemer’s praise,
the glories of my God and King,
the triumphs of his grace!
 
2: My gracious Master & my God,
assist me to proclaim,
to spread through all
the earth abroad
the honours of thy name.
 
3: Jesus! the name
that charms our fears,
that bids our sorrows cease;
’tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’tis life, and health, and peace.
 
4: He speaks, and,
listening to his voice,
new life the dead receive,
the mournful, broken
hearts rejoice,
the humble poor believe.
 
5: He breaks the power
of cancelled sin,
he sets the prisoner free;
his blood can make
the foulest clean,
his blood availed for me.
 
6: See all your sins on Jesus laid,
the Lamb of God was slain.
His soul was once
an offering made
for every one of us. <\/p>\n

  <\/p>\n

Prayers of Approach and Confession <\/strong><\/p>\n

Amazing God
At the beginning of time your words brought the world into being.
Your breath gave us the gift of life.
How majestic, awesome and wonderful you are,
yet at the same time you are tender, loving and kind.
We lift our songs of praise to your name. 
 
Generous God,
each day we receive gifts from you.
The gift of this new day and the opportunities it presents to us.
The gift of food and water that sustain us,
the gift of love and friendship that supports us.
We remember the most precious gift you have given us,
your Son Jesus, who showed us how life should be lived
and gave his life that we may live.
We lift our songs of thanksgiving to your name. 
 
Forgiving God,
in your presence we become aware of our unworthiness.
Lord, we confess before you that we have not followed our calling:
We have not served you as we should.
We have not cared for others as we ought.
We fall short in so many ways, putting ourselves above others.
We have come to say that we are sorry and in a moment of silence we bring before you our private petitions.
 
Because of what Jesus did, our sins are forgiven.
As we surrender our all to your will
we pray for an outpouring of your holy spirit on each of us,
guide our thoughts, our words and our actions.
In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
 
Prayer of Illumination<\/strong>
 
Living God,
speak to us now as we hear your word read and proclaimed,
that we may listen, understand and act,
to your glory, Amen.<\/p>\n

St Luke 4:14 \u2013 21  <\/strong><\/p>\n

Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, 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:
 
\u2018The 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\u2019s favour.\u2019
 
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, \u2018Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.\u2019
 
Hymn <\/strong>      The Kingdom of God is Justice and Joy
Bryn A. Rees 1973
 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The kingdom of God
is justice and joy;
for Jesus restores
what sin would destroy.
God’s power and glory
in Jesus we know;
and here and hereafter
the kingdom shall grow.
 
2 The kingdom of God
is mercy and grace;
the captives are freed,
the sinners find place,
the outcast are welcomed
God’s banquet to share;
and hope is awakened
in place of despair.
 
3 The kingdom of God
is challenge and choice:
believe the good news,
repent and rejoice!
God’s love for us sinners
brought Christ to his Cross:
our crisis of judgement
for gain or for loss.
 
4 God’s kingdom is come,
the gift and the goal;
in Jesus begun,
in heaven made whole.
The heirs of the kingdom
shall answer his call;
and all things cry “Glory!”
to God all in all.<\/p>\n

  <\/p>\n

Sermon <\/strong><\/p>\n

The events in today\u2019s reading take place after Jesus has been baptised and he has spent some time in the wilderness. Jesus returned to Galilee, and he was teaching in local synagogues. Everyone had good things to say about this new teacher and news about Jesus was spreading throughout the surrounding area.
 
Jesus travelled to Nazareth, the place of his childhood so he wasn\u2019t coming as a stranger. The people of Nazareth had probably heard some of the news that was circulating around the local villages. Maybe this news made people more curious, after all Jesus was one of their own. Maybe others were wondering what the fuss was all about, after all it was only Jesus. I wonder how Jesus felt, returning home when everyone was talking about his teaching?
 
On the Sabbath Jesus went to the synagogue as was his custom. Luke is careful to point out that the worship of God and attending the synagogue was a part of Jesus\u2019 everyday life.
 
Just like our services, worship at the synagogue took on a predictable pattern which began with the reciting of the Shema. Within worship any man could be invited to read from scrolls of the Torah and the prophets or give a sermon. On this Sabbath, Jesus stands to read, and he is given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. Jesus unrolls the scroll until he finds the passage he is looking for and begins to read. 
 
\u201cThe 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\u2019s favour.\u201d
 
This reading would have been familiar to many present.  Jesus had selected one of the passages in which Isaiah described the servant of the Lord, and these verses had become interlinked with the promise of a Messiah.
 
As Jesus sat down all the eyes of the synagogue were fixed on him. The people were waiting for Jesus to continue with a sermon and they were anxious to hear what Jesus would say about this important messianic text. Jesus continues from his seat and gives the shortest sermon ever \u2013 \u201cToday this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing\u201d That was it. Jesus didn\u2019t expand or explain, he didn\u2019t take questions. His teaching on this passage totalled 9 words and left the people to work out for themselves the full meaning of his declaration.
This was a bold move for Jesus. Right at the start of his ministry Jesus uses scripture to make it very clear what his ministry is all about. But even as we read these words today, we can see that they are open to interpretation. Were the people in the synagogue interpreting the words they heard in the same as Jesus?
 
1st century Galilee was not a great place to live. The people lived under Roman occupation, and this was all the people listening had known. They were allowed to practice their faith, but they did so in the shadow of the gods of Rome. The people paid taxes to Rome and so supported the military regime that oppressed them, and from which they received no benefit. Life expectancy within this community was about half that of those who lived in the capitol. Life was hard so you can understand why some would have interpreted the text in a particular way. Hopes would have been raised and if you carry on reading the chapter you can find out how Jesus\u2019 words are received. But for the moment let\u2019s focus on what Jesus did say.
 
\u201cThe Spirit of the Lord is upon me\u2026\u201d Our passage begins with this very fact. Jesus begins his ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit. In the account we have of Jesus baptism, we know that God\u2019s Spirit descended upon him. The time spent in the wilderness, including a time of temptation, appears to have been a time of strengthening. Now as Jesus begins his ministry in earnest he does not do so in his own strength but in the strength of God, given through the Spirit.
 
\u201cBring good news to the poor\u2026\u201d  We could interpret the poor to simply be people with no money, but this gives us a very narrow understanding. In this context I think the poor refers to people who have no power, no prestige, no voice or are overlooked by society. Now that our thinking has been expanded beyond simple economics what would good news look like? Good news could be showing people that they matter, that they have value and have something to offer the wider community. It could be about listening to them, hearing what they say, calling them by name and showing them the respect that they are due because they are a person made in God\u2019s image. It could be about showing them how God loves them and telling them they can experience God\u2019s forgiveness because of Jesus.
 
\u201cProclaim release to the captives\u2026\u201d  When we hear the word captives we think about people in prison. Jesus\u2019 ministry was not about challenging the criminal justice system of his time, but it was about freeing people from sin. The good news that Jesus brought released people from the control sin had over people\u2019s lives. Of course, this doesn\u2019t mean that we won\u2019t sin again, unfortunately that is part of our human nature. It does mean that we will no longer experience the consequences of sin, eternal separation from God.
 
\u201cRecovery of sight to the blind\u2026\u201d While Jesus does miraculously restore the physical sight of a blind person, in this passage Jesus is referring to spiritual blindness. Jesus will restore the sight of those who can no longer see the reality of God in their midst. For Jesus listeners, practicing their faith was more about keeping the Law and living in a particular way than having a relationship with God and Jesus\u2019 ministry challenged that practice. Jesus, taught from the perspective of someone who is living their life differently. Jesus had that close relationship with God, and he was under the power of God\u2019s Spirit, however, he lived within the confines of the Jewish faith. Jesus knew the Scriptures, understood what was important, what was being misinterpreted and he knew how to change people\u2019s understanding.
 
\u201cLet the oppressed go free\u2026.\u201d This is about justice and equality. Where there is injustice and inequality there is oppression, and someone is suffering. Jesus was speaking to a people who were being oppressed but this was also a time of slavery, a time when the Jewish people held Gentiles in distain and considered them excluded from God\u2019s chosen people. This was also a time when women and children had no rights. Jesus\u2019 words would have been words of hope to many listening.
 
\u201cProclaim the year of the Lord\u2019s favour\u2026\u201d Scholars say that this is a reference to the year of Jubilee, an event that happens every 50 years during which land was returned to its original owner, slaves were set free, debts were cancelled. There is some debate as to whether this ever happened, but it is a time of disruption. When Jesus speaks these words, he is letting people know that his ministry would be a time of disruption, a time when he would challenge what people found comfortable and familiar and bring change.
 
Today\u2026. The wait is over. After centuries of hope now, in this moment, they can see the Messiah and all the hopes of this passage are fulfilled.
As with all scripture our challenge is to understand what this passage says to us today. At the start of his ministry, Jesus proclaimed what his ministry would look like. Jesus was offering something new, something different, something exciting, something risky and we know that his ministry made a difference. Jesus changed people\u2019s lives, he challenged people to rethink how they lived, how they practiced their faith, what they thought about God. This was the starting point. The end has yet to come so Jesus\u2019 ministry still has a place in our world today.
 \n<\/p>\n

    \n
  • There are still people who have no voice, no power, feel neglected and uncared for<\/li>\n
  • There are still people who don\u2019t know Jesus in their lives<\/li>\n
  • There are still people who don\u2019t believe that God exists or see faith as a Sunday only activity<\/li>\n
  • There are still people being oppressed by unjust systems, slavery, and inequality<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

     
    For almost 2000 years Jesus and his disciples have been turning the world upside down, challenging and changing it, but there is still work to do and that now falls to us to do.
     
    We have the voice that can speak up and speak out.
    We have the capacity to show others God\u2019s love.
    We have a gospel to share that tells others the difference Jesus can make in their lives.
    We have a gospel that speaks to the existence of God and challenges us to do more than simply believe
    We can challenge systems of injustice and inequality, and make a difference
    We can continue to change and challenge this world, turning everything around.
     
    The question today is not can we, but do we! We have opportunities to share the story of Jesus, the chance to make a difference to the lives of others, the voice to speak up and speak out against what we see is wrong in our community, country and world but do we seize these opportunities? I will leave you to ponder that question for yourself.
     
    I want to finish where Luke begins because we often forget this part. As we focus on what Jesus had planned for his ministry, as we think about what this could mean for us today, we often forget that Jesus was doing this in the power of the Spirit. Jesus was not simply man against the world, he was a man, with God on his side, against the world. As disciples of Jesus today, we are not asked to go head-to-head with the world on our own, we are asked to go head-to-head with the world with the power of God in us and working through us.
     
    This made a difference to Jesus and this will make the difference to us. As we reflect on this passage and consider how this applies to us today let us do so knowing that we too are filled with the power of the Spirit and can say with boldness \u201cThe Spirit of the Lord is upon me\u201d.  Amen.<\/p>\n

    Hymn<\/strong>       Inspired by Love and Anger
    John L. Bell (b.1949) and Graham Maule (b.1958)
     <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    Inspired by love and anger,
    disturbed by need and pain,
    informed of God’s own bias,
    we ponder once again:
    ‘How long must some folk suffer?
    How long can few folk mind?
    How long dare vain self-interest
    turn prayer and pity blind?’
     
    2  From those for ever victims
    of heartless human greed,
    their cruel plight composes
    a litany of need:
    ‘Where are the fruits of justice?
    Where are the signs of peace?
    When is the day when prisoners
    and dreams find their release?’
     
    3  From those for ever shackled
    to what their wealth can buy,
    the fear of lost advantage
    provokes the bitter cry,
    ‘Don’t query our position!
    Don’t criticise our wealth!
    Don’t mention those exploited
    by politics and stealth!’
     
    4    God asks, ‘Who will go for me?
    Who will extend my reach?
    And who, when few will listen,
    will prophesy and preach?
    And who, when few bid welcome,
    will offer all they know?
    And who, when few dare follow,
    will walk the road I show?’<\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n

    Affirmation of Faith <\/strong>
     
    As followers of Jesus Christ,
    living in this world \u2013
    which some seek to control,
    and others view with despair \u2013
    we declare with joy and trust;
    Our world belongs to God!<\/strong>
     
    From the beginning,
    through all the crises of our times,
    until the Kingdom fully comes,
    God keeps covenant forever
    Our world belongs to God!<\/strong><\/p>\n

     
    We rejoice
    in the goodness of God,
    renounce the works of darkness,
    and dedicate ourselves
    to holy living, for:
    Our world belongs to God!<\/strong>
     
    As committed disciples,
    called to faithful obedience
    and set free for joyful praise,
    we offer our hearts and lives to do God\u2019s work in His world, for
    Our world belongs to God!<\/strong><\/p>\n

      <\/p>\n

    With tempered impatience, eager to see injustice ended,
    we expect the Day of the Lord
    and we are confident that the light  that shines in the present darkness
    will fill the earth  when Christ appears, for Our world belongs to God!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Intercessions  <\/strong><\/p>\n

    Loving God,
    We hear Jesus\u2019 words echoing down through the centuries, we seek to be part of that continuing mission today.
    As we listen and consider what they say for us today, as we think about what you need us to do, people and situations come to mind and we recognise this as a call to prayer.
     
    So, we come humbly before you with compassion in our hearts and offer up our prayers for others.
     
    Caring God, today we pray\n<\/p>\n