"Oh, Say, Can We See?" - Sermon for the Second Sunday after Epiphany

Oh, Say, Can We See?
Epiphany 2 – Narrative Lectionary 3
January 15, 2017
Redeemer, Good Thunder, MN
Luke 4.14-30

CS Lewis wrote a series of books called The Chronicles of Narnia. Narnia is a fantastical country populated by strange creatures, including talking animals. Periodically, children from our world are pulled into Narnia to help them through a crisis. The final book of the series, The Last Battle, describes just that, a battle between good and evil. Sitting on the sidelines and attacking both sides are a group of dwarves, who do so because “the dwarves are for the dwarves.” The battle rages back and forth, mainly because the dwarves keep switching sides. Eventually, the evil creatures begin winning.

On the edge of the battlefield is a dirty, smelly hut and as the good creatures are captured, they get tossed inside, including the dwarves. Now, Lewis tells us something interesting about the inside of the hut: it is bigger than the outside. Not only that, rather than a dirty, smelly hut, the creatures discover what could only be described as paradise: blue skies, lush vegetation and food, and a peaceful existence. Clearly, Lewis is trying to describe the end of the world and the “heaven” that comes as a result. However, it doesn’t seem to be paradise for everyone. The dwarves are sitting in a tight little circle oblivious to the beauty around them. They think that they are in a dirty, smelly hut and no amount of demonstrations can shake them out of their preconceived (and deadly) views.

My guess is that we all know someone like that. In fact, our scripture reading for today deals with preconceived notions. In Luke 4, Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth and preaches his first sermon. Last week we heard about his baptism in which God declares him (and us) beloved children, not because of anything Jesus has done, but simply because of who he is. Since then and just before today’s lesson, Jesus’ identity—who he is—is tempted by Satan. Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit where this identity as God’s beloved is put to the test.

Then, in our text today, Jesus is fresh out of a 1st century equivalent of seminary and Clinical Pastoral Education and struts his stuff to those who know him best. All seems to go well at first; he reads a familiar passage from Isaiah and everybody gushes. They can hardly believe that this is Joe’s son, so impressed are they with his rhetorical skills.

Of course, that’s not the purpose of Jesus’ visit nor is he there to wow them with his healing arts, as they are expecting. So Jesus attempts to correct the dwarfish preconceptions that they have about his function in God’s kingdom to come. He stirs the hometown pot by referencing a familiar proverb, “Physician heal thyself,” and two well known stories. In the first, the prophet Elijah is sent to a widow in Zarephath, which is in modern day Lebanon, Gentile country. Through Elijah, God provided flour and oil to him, the widow and her son that didn’t run out until the drought ended. (1 Kings 17.1-16) In the second story that Jesus references, Elisha heals the leper Naaman, a Syrian general who is also a Gentile, by telling him to go wash in the Jordan River. (2 Kings 5.1-14)

The point is not lost on the local populace. The effect is to challenge their understanding of their privileged status as God’s chosen people. This is something that Jesus does often, but more so in Luke’s gospel: God has a preferential option for the poor, marginalized, oppressed and downtrodden. Now, it would be natural for us to say, “Jesus is talking about them; I’m not like that.” But then maybe, just maybe, we might be thinking a bit dwarfishly inside our own smelly huts.

At the risk of being run out of “town” here—do you have any cliffs?—here are some thoughts about what this might mean for us today. I’ve heard that you donate to the food shelf in Mapleton, Loaves and Fishes and that you have a strong record of giving to the larger church through the Southeastern Minnesota Synod. I also understand that you have a fund for people who need help and that you are always eager to pitch in whenever there’s a need. That’s terrific, and I’m not going to insult you by adding a “but…” to that list.

What I am going to ask is that, in your identity as God’s beloved children that you think about your purpose as it aligns with Jesus’ purpose. I ask you to do this because what we do flows out of who we are. I encourage you to take some time, especially since your annual meeting is coming, to ask where you see Jesus at work in your church and community. You see, God has a mission to love and bless the world and God calls us to join in that mission. God is constantly on the move, inviting us to open our eyes and see what he is up. God bless you on this journey of faith. Amen.