Please see blog from June 28 for an explanation about the current sermon format (notes vs. prose)
Also, to see the Bible passage, just click on it - it will take you to a Bible site w/ that passage.
Join the gospel – a story already in progress
Jesus has done much already in 5 chapters
Preaching, telling people to repent & believe in the good news
casting out unclean spirits, healing the sick, cleansing lepers; paralyzed man;
has taught in parables; stilled storm at sea;
just before this story - woman w/ bleeding, dead 12 year-old girl
Crowds gather wherever he goes
Comes to hometown & teaches in synagogue & people are astounded
where does this come from? What wisdom? Deeds of power? (word gets around, even w/o 24-hour news & internet)
And yet...
the people took offense at him
Hometown boy a little too familiar – who does he think he is?
Just a carpenter (status);
Mary's son; no training, education, etc.
Whether something in his words, or just the fact that they knew him when, something stops them from receiving what Jesus has to offer -
he could do no deeds of power there, except to heal a few
Cut themselves off from his healing, from the life change he can bring
Sound familiar? How often do we do this?
Take offense at Jesus
His is a tall order, to change our lives, to follow him, self-sacrifice;
Jesus calls for life transformation!
And we don't always want to be transformed;
The call to give to poor, feed hungry, serve others is a bit more than we want from him
An offensive message
Fear, rebellion, disbelief
So we push him away & cut ourselves off from all he has to offer, not just physical healing, but wholeness of life, restored relationships, peace, forgiveness
Good news is that he never stops reaching out to the people; It's not a limited time offer
People have been turning away from God from beginning of time:
Adam & Eve; Ezekiel passage;
the whole OT is story of people rejecting God & God reaching out,
sending messengers who point the way back to God,
remind people to turn back to God
who is loving and kind and merciful, God who wants the very best for us
Sent Ezekiel & all the prophets;
Sent Jesus
& Jesus sent out the disciples; even knowing that they would reject them
Jesus sent them out, just as they were, w/ no luggage, w/o a snack; no cell phone, no credit card, not even a change of clothes
just ordinary men (and women too) who had no special qualifications except that they had spent time w/ Jesus;
had felt him at work in their lives
had witnessed 1st hand how Jesus heals and loves and forgives,
had seen the way that Jesus turns lives around
“So they went out & proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”
Through the power of Jesus at work in them, they went out and changed lives; they carried the healing and hope of Jesus with them.
Jesus still sending messengers into our lives
For all the times we may have taken offense, have found it hard to belief, Jesus is not done with us
He loves us too much to leave us as we are –
and if 1 set of messengers doesn't get through, he'll send another, and another, and another
Ordinary people who have seen the power of Jesus at work in their own lives,
who have felt his healing touch,
who have seen what Jesus can do
If you have felt that in your life,
if Jesus has changed who you are,
if you have felt him working in your life,
you are called to be a messenger of his love, an agent of hope and healing in a broken world
If you haven't, listen today;
Jesus has the power to heal and transform you too.
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