The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Us a Sermon by June Hardy Dorsey for January 24, 2010, The Third Sunday after Epiphany

At St.Thomas' we've been talking a lot about baptism lately.

On the first Sunday of the New Year, during the children's time, Lindon reminded us of our baptismal promises.  He simplified them and listed them one by one,

Will you come to church?

Will you try to be good?

Will you tell people about Jesus?

Will you try to be kind to those around you?

Will you try to make the world a better place? 

And to those we dutifully replied "yes" - some with great enthusiasm and others with a bit less. 

And then two weeks ago, Susan reminded us that on that day, we were going to make those promises again as we celebrated the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord with eight baptisms!  Two adults, two children and four babies!  We saw Sue dip her thumb into the oil of the chrism and make the sign of the cross on the foreheads of each one of the newly baptized.  We heard her call them by name and proclaim that they are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ's own forever.  And we responded with loud amens.

In today's Gospel lesson we see a scene not unlike the scene with Lindon on the first Sunday of the New Year.  The people are gathered in the synagogue to worship much like we were gathered in church. There was a customary time in the gathering for the reading of Holy Scripture much like the customary time in our service for the reading of Holy Scripture.  On the occasion described in today's Gospel lesson, the text was a familiar text from Isaiah - a listing of the work of the Spirit of God in lives of people.  If Jesus had read the text and paused, it is likely that the people could have finished his sentences. 

Jesus - The  spirit of the ....

People - Lord

Jesus - To bring good news to the

People - battered down.

Jesus - To bind up the

People - broken hearted.

It was a familiar text, one that was a part of worship on many occasions.  One that was a part of the services of many Holy Days. 

But on the occasion described in the text, Jesus puts a new twist, a new spin.  He says, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing. "  He reveals himself as the One in whom these words are made true.   He reveals himself as the One in whom God's spirit lives.  He reveals himself as the One anointed by God. 

Fast forward more than two thousand years.  It's a Sunday morning in January and in a church in Richmond, Virginia  and here we are, reading and hearing those words on this day in this place. 

Through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, those words are now our words, that calling is now our calling, that anointing is now our anointing. 

For you see, the Spirit of the Lord described in the ancient Isaiah text, read by Jesus that day in the synagogue in Nazareth, became the Spirit of the Lord we receive in baptism.  The anointing described in the ancient Isaiah text, read by Jesus that day in the synagogue in Nazareth, became the anointing we receive when our names are called aloud and we hear that we are "marked as Christ's own, forever." 

With the Spirit and the anointing comes the call...

To bring Good News to the battered down,

Bind up the broken hearted

Announce it's time to set the captives free

And proclaim the year of the Lord.

All around us are people who are battered down.

All around the world are people who are battered down.

Sometimes we are the ones who are battered down. 

We are to bring Good News to the battered down.  News of hope and love and encouragement.  News of the love of God which cannot be extinguished.  News that we do not face peril alone. 

We are to bind up the broken hearted.  It's interesting to note that it is the only task calls for action.  The other tasks have to do with what we say - bring Good News, announce, proclaim.... But with the broken hearted we are to act -

It is also noteworthy that the text doesn't say - mend the broken hearted - that is God's work - it says "bind up"  -- to help hold together - to hold.  The image is not unlike a medical image of dressing a wound so that healing can occur. 

We are to announce its time to set the captives free.

This morning our freedom is not threatened by physical captivity.  We do not live, like some of our sisters and brothers around the world, under the threat of invasion.  But captivity appears in many forms and is apparent when we look around us... when we look inside of ourselves... when we look upon those we love. 

The captivity of fear

The captivity of apathy

The captivity of worry

The captivity of thinking too small and trusting too little

The captivity of looking back instead of moving forward

The captivity of believing that how it always has been is how it always has to be

The captivity of being overwhelmed by circumstances beyond our control

The captivity of thinking we are in control

In February, we will be invited to participate in a program on racial reconciliation. Joining the Boaz and Ruth community, through film and dinner and dialogue, we will approach this important issue. 

Later this week, our church will host a supper for refugee families who have come from places in the world where many feared physical captivity.  It is our hope that this will be a step in building relationships with these global neighbors who have come to live and work among us.

This afternoon a group from St. Thomas' will go to Highland Park for lunch and a tour of Boaz and Ruth, the amazing organization seeking to restore and renew faith, lives and communities by ministering to and with the formerly incarcerated. 

Friends, we are to announce it's time to set the captives free.

And we are to participate in that emancipation be it our own, our neighbors or that of strangers.  For the Spirit of the Lord is upon us.

And we are to proclaim the year of the Lord.  The year of the Lord referred to in the Isaiah text was likely the ancient Israelite custom of the Year of Jubilee.  This most unusual observance occurred once every 50 years.

At this year of jubilee all Israelites who had sold themselves into slavery were set free, and all land that had been sold reverted to its original owner. This meant that no Israelite could ever be in permanent slavery; nor could any Israelites permanently lose their inheritance.  It was a year for putting right that which had been wronged.  A year of starting anew....

And here we see Jesus in the synagogue proclaiming it to be the year of the Lord.  And we hear the call for us to proclaim it as well.  Proclaim the year of the Lord!

Let 2010 be the year when that to which we have sold ourselves, binds us no more.  Let 2010 be the year when that which we have let slip away or which we have traded or sold, be restored.   And while literal slavery and real property are not necessarily at stake here, the need for freedom and restoration rings true. 

The tasks are very clear

Bring Good News to the battered down

Bind up the broken hearted

Announce it's time to set the captives free

And proclaim the year of the Lord

And the ways we go about responding to this call are unique.

The Epistle Lesson gives us insight as to how varied the responses can be as it describes the different roles of the parts of the body and the crucial nature of each role. 

Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.  Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

My friends, each one of us sitting here today is called.  And those in our community of faith who are not here today -- are called. 

As we continue in worship this morning and go from this place today, may we experience the presence of the Spirit of the Lord and may we be empowered to live into our calling. 

Amen