THE FOURTH SUNDAY AFTER EPIPHANY
January 28, 2007

THREE READINGS, THREE THOUGHTS
Jeremiah 1:4-10
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30

          As I read through the Readings for today, each elicited a significant thought.  So I would like to share these insights.

4Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,
5   “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
    and before you were born I consecrated you;
          I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
These are certainly powerful words from Jeremiah.  They shaped his call to the world and its subsequent history, as he became one of the four Major Prophets.  Now Jeremiah was unique, not because he was called by God but because of the office to which he was called.  Yet he is not alone.  In Baptism God has called each of us.  The offices to which we were called may have varied, but not the fact that all of us have received a special call.  And when God calls us, He does not simply give us a particular role to fulfill.  He also makes sure to grant us the gifts we require to succeed in that role.  Through the infusion of the Holy Spirit God has given all of us very special gifts.  We have a very gifted congregation here.  Some people may have been raised to higher levels than others as the world judges these things.  But guess what?  There are some special talents that you alone possess.  And there are some special roles to which you have been called that no one else has received from the hand of God.  Part of our job as Christians is to work with other believers to discern that very special call and by the power of the Spirit to grow within it.

          13And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.  I suppose this is one of the most beloved segments of scripture.  Sometimes it is important to state the obvious because we can often lose sight of it.  In thinking about the centrality of love in our faith, I came upon the following reflection concerning the apparent triumph of matters of the head over matters of the heart.  “If something in us is still able to respond a little, then all is not lost.  The heart is alive and kicking, able to be coaxed into generosity, able to prioritize its focus.  Love of God should be the first priority, for true love of self and of neighbor both flow from this.”  We in the church must never forget this basic truth.  Other voices may be more eloquent, other buildings more impressive, other songs more beautiful, and other institutions more affluent.  But we in the church have the greatest power of all because we have God and God is love.  If Reformation has seen much growth over our 75 years it is because we have constantly attempted to keep this love in our hearts.  It is a focus we must always maintain, as we must use the gifts and the power they represent to grow the love that God first gave us.

          Now this may sound simple, but let me assure you it is not.  When we try to exercise the gifts we have been given for God, that is to be an incarnation of God’s love, don’t be surprised if we meet some stiff resistance.  Here we have the example of our Lord Himself.  One would have thought that when the hometown boy came back in triumph and assured his former friends and neighbors that now they have been set free, He would have been hailed as their great hero.  Hardly.  To quote the evangelist.  28When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. 29They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff.   Invariably we will also be challenged but must nevertheless remain faithful to God. 

It has been my great privilege to work with many gifted leaders both within Reformation and the wider Monmouth community.  I consider this a great personal blessing because I have gained so much from those around me.  There is one theme I constantly hear, however.  Leadership is growing increasingly difficult.  Where once leaders could expect respect, now they are mostly met with challenge.  Should we give our leaders unquestioning obedience?  I think we understand some of the dangers here.  Do we have to agree with them on all points?  Hardly.  Just ask Bishop Riley if I have ever questioned him.  But we at least owe them the courtesy of listening with respect.  And on the other side, when we are called to lead, we should understand the burdens we will bear and follow our Lord’s own example of sacrificial service even if the road be hard.  There is a reason the sign of our faith is a cross.  It is not an easy thing to use our gifts for the benefit of others.  For in so doing we will find we shall bear our own crosses.  Yet it precisely here that we will find our crucified Lord and Savior.  Amen.