3 Epiphany/Year C – Jan 23, 2022
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Psalm 19; Luke 4:14-21
We hear a lot about the Spirit in today’s readings…
No, it’s not the Day of Pentecost…the feast day on the church calendar in late May, early June each year, when we celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit being poured out upon us, to unite people of all languages and cultures, in the family of God and to empower and equip each one of us…to proclaim the good news of God’s love, made known to us through Jesus and his marvelous works..
Today, on this 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, we are reminded, once again, of the power of the Holy Spirit poured out upon Jesus, in his baptism, and in us, by our own baptisms into the household of God…and how calling upon the Holy Spirit, is key in influencing and sustaining our actions and outpouring of love in the world around us…
If we go back a few verses to Luke, chapter 3, we recall that Jesus has just been baptized… and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
And immediately following his baptism, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.
Jesus emerges from the wilderness time, full of the power of the Holy Spirit, ready to begin his public ministry…first in Galilee…where he was praised by everyone…then on to his hometown, of Nazareth.
The Spirit led him and guided him in the wilderness time, in a time of temptation, and the Spirit is upon him now…as he answers the call to proclaim the good news to all in his presence that day in the synagogue, and as he sent out into the world to proclaim the good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.
Some have called these past couple of years of the pandemic a wilderness time. It’s surely been a time of struggle, and temptation to abandon our faith and our hope that anything will ever get better or change for the good of everyone…It surely has been a time that has left us wearied at times, and unable to see any clear opening or way forward in front of us…
It’s surely been a time of wondering and questioning…what can I do to help the poor, the hungry, and the homeless; what can I do that would proclaim release to the captives, those who are stuck in fear and hopelessness; what can I possibly do to help others see the hope that is present in this moment that can enable us to imagine a hope and a future before us; what actions can I take to set the oppressed free; what words can I offer to another; what words of love and support could I share with someone today, to set them free to know they are a beloved child of God…and set them free to love others, too…
I think that Jesus’ examples of being filled with the power of the Spirit, acknowledging and relying on the Holy Spirit to guide and prompt one into taking the next small step, gives us a starting point to discern what we can do.
As blogger, preacher girl Kate says, If Jesus, whom we believe was at once fully divine and fully human, needed to be filled with the Spirit of God – his own Spirit – to be effective in ministry, what does that say about us?
Perhaps, as baptized Christians, it reminds us to pause and pray for the Holy Spirit to open our eyes, and ears, and hearts and minds, as we explore our wonderings and questions…because when the world wants us to look away from the poor and the suffering, and only think about our own survival, the Spirit says …look here…listen here…open your heart and hands to help…
Perhaps, as baptized Christians, it reminds us to pause and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us in all our decisions…because when the world tells us there isn’t an answer, the Spirit opens doors over and over again to new possibilities, new ways of doing things…
Perhaps, as baptized Christians, it reminds us to pause and pray for the Holy Spirit to help us recall our baptismal vows, and lead us in ways that help build up the body of Christ in the world…because when the world says just think about yourself…the Spirit prompts us to strive for the greater gifts…to love and respect the dignity of every human being…
Perhaps, as baptized Christians, as the Body of Christ, made up of many members, united by the one Spirit, here on earth and in heaven, it reminds us to pause and pray for the Holy Spirit to help us discern our call and the gifts given to each one of us to uniquely proclaim and share the good news of God’s love, revealed to us through Jesus and his marvelous works…To share this good news with all those we meet…at home, in church, in our communities or our workplaces…because when the world tells us we are not smart enough, good enough, gifted enough…the Spirit whispers a reminder from God that each one of us needs to hear…You are beloved…with you I am well pleased…You are enough….
In the words of Teresa of Avila….
“Christ has no body now but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes through which he looks compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good. Yours are the hands through which he blesses all the world. Yours are the hands, yours are the feet, yours are the eyes, you are his body. Christ has no body now on earth but yours.”
Let us pray now for the Spirit of the Lord to be upon us and to unite us in the work and ministry we will be called to do in the coming days and months as the Body of Christ here on earth…In the name of our Savior Jesus Christ, and by the power of a Gracious Spirit and loving God, we pray…
Hymn after the sermon: Gracious Spirit, give your servants – (WLP) 782
(sung by Ali Hosford)
Gracious Spirit, give your servants
joy to set sin’s captives free,
hope to heal the brokenhearted,
peace to share love’s liberty.
Through us bring your balm of gladness
to the wounded and oppressed;
help us claim and show God’s favor
as a people called and blessed.
Word made flesh, who gave up glory
to become our great high priest,
taking on our human nature
to redeem the last and least:
let your courage and compassion
shape and guide our ministries;
as our Savior and our Shepherd,
lead us to the truth that frees.
Loving God, who birthed creation
from the nothingness of space,
kindling life where all was empty,
turning chaos into grace:
when we feel confused and fruitless,
dawn upon our restless night;
give us faith’s imagination,
hope’s renewing, love’s delight.
Triune God, eternal Being,
never ending, unbegun,
boundless grace and perfect justice,
righteous and forgiving One:
so enfold us in your mercy
that our wills and yours unite;
through us may the world behold you,
find your love, your truth, your light.
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, AK