Luke 4:14-21
“Jesus’ Mission Statement”
In 1977 NASA launched Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 to explore the galaxy.
A recording called The Sounds of Earth was attached to each of the twin spacecrafts—it was a message from earth to anyone out there in the universe who might be listening.
It contained both music and the sound of a human heartbeat.
Over thirty years later the person who served as the creative director of this famous Project, reflected on what she chose to include in The Sounds of Earth:
"The first thing I found myself thinking of was a piece by Beethoven, something called the Cavatina Movement
… When I [first] heard this piece of music … I thought …
… this a great, beautiful, sad piece of music, on which Beethoven had written in the margin … a word which is German for 'longing.'
Part of what we wanted to capture in the Voyager message was this great longing we feel.
So in the end, NASA chose a great song of human longing and launched it into space.
It's as if NASA's scientists were saying to the rest of the universe: 'This is who and what we are as human beings: creatures of longing.'
And hidden in that basic 'introduction to who we are' there are implicit questions for possible extraterrestrials: 'Do you feel this too? Are we the only ones?'"
In our Gospel Lesson for this morning Jesus proclaims that part of His Mission is to "preach good news to the poor."
What makes you poor?
Are you poor?
When we think of what it means to be poor we usually think in terms of the material.
And there is no doubt that being poor can be a terrible tragedy...
...especially if being poor means you are unable to get enough to eat, put a roof over your head, take care of your family.
But I've known many folks who are poor in the worldly sense of the term, but are, in reality, very rich...
...very full...
...happy, content, filled with love, and making considerable contributions to society.
And quite often, persons who are poor, in this sense, but not in the spiritual sense--don't even necessarily think of themselves as being poor.
If a person has a reason to live, a mission, a driving passion...
...is this not what makes them rich?
Money is not so important to folks whose lives are filled with the Holy Spirit.
Mother Teresa was quoted as having said, "The spiritual poverty of the western world is much greater than the physical poverty of our people.
You, in the West, have millions of people who suffer much terrible loneliness and emptiness.
They feel unloved and unwanted.
These people are not hungry in the physical sense, but they are in another way.
They know they need something more than money, yet they don't know what it is."
Do you feel this way?
Do you have a "great longing..."...
...a great longing for something which means so much more than stock portfolios, big homes, fancy clothes, nice restaurants, and competing with the Jones' next door?
If so, you are not alone.
I have a wonderful sister.
She has been extremely successful in the business world, and for good reason.
She has worked hard.
She is also a member of a local United Methodist Church in her area.
Last month she was telling me about a really fantastic sermon which her pastor delivered.
She called it a "Wow" sermon.
She was so impressed that she sent me an audio copy.
In any event, one of the reasons this sermon impressed my sister so is because in it her pastor gives his testimony.
He had an extremely difficult childhood, and was very angry at God for a long while.
In any event, my sister said to me, "I love that sermon so much because it shows that he is just human too."
Now, here I am, her brother.
Listening to her say this.
And I'm thinking, "I'm a United Methodist Minister.
And unless my sister has completely ignored me for the past 40 some-odd years, she knows that I am an incredibly flawed human being.
Why would she think her pastor had it any more together than me?"
Now, he probably does, but that's not the point I'm trying to make.
The point I'm trying to make is that my extremely successful sister...in the worldly sense, whom so many persons look up to, looks at some preacher who doesn't make a fraction of what she earns...
...doesn't even come close to her financially in any way...
...and she is impressed by the fact that he is just human, like her.
What's up with that?
I know many poor persons who are rich.
I also know a number of wealthy persons who are rich.
At this point many of you may be thinking to yourselves, "I know a lot of rich people and they are all rich."
What I mean is that I know a number of people who have large salaries and they use what God has blessed them with to bless others.
They use their money to buy food for hungry children.
They tithe or more than tithe to the church.
And when there is a special need which arises in the church, they quietly pay the bill.
Those folks are rich toward God.
The money isn't what matters in life is it?
Money is silly and ultimately destructive when it is hoarded, obsessed over and kept for oneself.
Many rich people can be poor.
And many poor people can be poor.
To the Church in Laodicea, in Revelation Jesus says, "you say, 'I'm rich, and I've grown wealthy, and I don't need a thing.' You don't realize that you are miserable, pathetic, poor, blind, and naked."
He goes on to say that they need to repent and trust in Him, and then they will be truly rich and truly pure.
Are we poor or rich?
Beginning on Ash Wednesday, which is February 13 this year, we will be—according to the Christian calendar—living in the time of Lent.
So what is Lent?
Lent is a time when we are called to especially re-evaluate our walk with God.
It’s a season when many people focus on simple living, prayer and fasting in order to grow closer to God.
It’s the forty days before Easter, and Lent excludes Sundays because every Sunday is considered to be a “little Easter.”
Basically, Lent is about one-tenth of a year.
It’s like a tithe of time.
Oftentimes, during the season of Lent people decide that they will give something up.
How many of you have done that?
It’s kind of fun.
It makes sense, since Lent emphasizes repentance, returning to God and re-focusing our lives to be more in line with what Christ calls us to.
It’s basically a 40-day trial run in changing our lifestyles and letting God change our hearts.
Some people decide they won’t swear for 40 days.
Others try and give up smoking, chocolate, candy, meat or t-v.
This is another way of talking about fasting.
But giving up chocolate is not the only way to fast.
We can also fast by seeking to follow more fully the spiritual disciplines that bring us closer to God like: worship,
Scripture, study, prayer and giving.
This Lent, I am challenging all of us at East Ridge United Methodist Church to…
…instead of giving up something like overeating or swearing or smoking or whatever…
…to give up at least a tenth of our income by giving it back to God.
This is one of the most neglected spiritual disciplines in the Church.
And that’s sad…really, really sad.
How can we “preach good news to the poor” if we aren’t putting what we preach into action?
Did you know that the percentage of our income we give to God is a direct reflection of our relationship with God?
What better time is there than the season of Lent to grow in our relationship with God by growing in our giving?
If you don’t currently give anything, try giving 5 % for the six Sundays leading up to Easter.
If you already tithe, consider how you might give more during this time.
When we increase our giving, our faith increases and our happiness increases.
And we don’t miss the money.
It really is true.
Jesus came to "preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed."
Is there anything that is making you poor?
Are you being imprisoned by something?
Is anything in this world causing you to feel oppressed?
Cast your cares and anxieties on Christ.
Jesus is the Only One Who can free us from slavery to sin, self, the devil, money, whatever.
If anything is getting in your way of following Christ--give it up--get rid of it--throw it onto the dung heap!!!
We humans have a longing, and we have an empti-ness that can only be filled by a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
And yet, so many of us try and fill that longing with other things.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote, "When we seek for security [in anything other than Christ] we are trying to drive out care with care, and the net result is the precise opposite of our anticipations."
Whether materially rich or materially poor...
...the only persons in this world who are truly rich are those whose lives are completely given over to Christ and to serving Christ through serving others.
Amen.
