Good morning!
I can think of many good reasons to live in a small town—where everybody knows everybody and they knew your grandparents, too. What can be bad about that? There is love here and a feeling of connectedness in our community here in southwestern Minnesota.
But it could be a challenge for those who want to break from the family traditions and ways of making a living. Everyone may assume they know you because they know your parents and you will be “just like” your parents. You aren’t the same as your parents, though. And these are different times in which we live. What was right for one generation may not work for the next.
This was a challenge for Jesus who wanted to separate himself from his family when it was time for his ministry to begin. When Jesus walked among us about 2,000 years ago, sons generally followed in their fathers’ footsteps and mostly did what their fathers’ did for a living.
When Jesus got up to preach and teach in the synagogue of his hometown in our gospel reading today, everyone was amazed—and not just because Jesus spoke with such authority and wisdom.
They were amazed because he wasn’t what they expected from his family.
They asked, “Isn’t this Joseph the carpenter’s son?”
And Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown…”
He didn’t let the skeptics and cynics get him down. Nor did he let his family history hold him back. His highest priority was serving and obeying God. It didn’t matter to him what people thought of Him; He wanted to please His Heavenly Father.
On the other hand, Jesus allowed the faith and traditions of his childhood—Judaism—to inform and continue to be a part of His ministry and identity.
So if you are seeking God’s Will for your life, here is my advice. Don’t let the past hold you back. Don’t listen to skeptics and cynics. But do not be ashamed of your origins or what might have happened in your past. Let the past inform the present—it was experience, whatever it was—and God will use it to help mold you into what the Lord wants you to be.
Remember---we are new creatures today—new creatures in Christ.
But whatever you decide to do for your life’s work, may you seek the Lord for His direction, first, and share the priority of Jesus Christ—serving and obeying God, rather than seeking to please other people.
Will you pray with me?
Lord, we ask that your Spirit would guide all those who may be uncertain about how they will make a living in the future. Give them courage and strength to seek to please You rather than human beings. Give them ears to hear your loving voice instead of the noise of cynics and skeptics. May they find their self worth and identity in Jesus Christ and not in any of their worldly accomplishments. May they find peace in the knowledge that You love them and will always be faithful to forgive them and give them strength and grace for every day. In Christ we pray. Amen.
Today’s readings are Esther 7:1-10; Acts 19:11-20; Luke 4:14-30; and Psalm 83.
Blessings in Christ!
Pastor Karen
I can think of many good reasons to live in a small town—where everybody knows everybody and they knew your grandparents, too. What can be bad about that? There is love here and a feeling of connectedness in our community here in southwestern Minnesota.
But it could be a challenge for those who want to break from the family traditions and ways of making a living. Everyone may assume they know you because they know your parents and you will be “just like” your parents. You aren’t the same as your parents, though. And these are different times in which we live. What was right for one generation may not work for the next.
This was a challenge for Jesus who wanted to separate himself from his family when it was time for his ministry to begin. When Jesus walked among us about 2,000 years ago, sons generally followed in their fathers’ footsteps and mostly did what their fathers’ did for a living.
When Jesus got up to preach and teach in the synagogue of his hometown in our gospel reading today, everyone was amazed—and not just because Jesus spoke with such authority and wisdom.
They were amazed because he wasn’t what they expected from his family.
They asked, “Isn’t this Joseph the carpenter’s son?”
And Jesus responded, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown…”
He didn’t let the skeptics and cynics get him down. Nor did he let his family history hold him back. His highest priority was serving and obeying God. It didn’t matter to him what people thought of Him; He wanted to please His Heavenly Father.
On the other hand, Jesus allowed the faith and traditions of his childhood—Judaism—to inform and continue to be a part of His ministry and identity.
So if you are seeking God’s Will for your life, here is my advice. Don’t let the past hold you back. Don’t listen to skeptics and cynics. But do not be ashamed of your origins or what might have happened in your past. Let the past inform the present—it was experience, whatever it was—and God will use it to help mold you into what the Lord wants you to be.
Remember---we are new creatures today—new creatures in Christ.
But whatever you decide to do for your life’s work, may you seek the Lord for His direction, first, and share the priority of Jesus Christ—serving and obeying God, rather than seeking to please other people.
Will you pray with me?
Lord, we ask that your Spirit would guide all those who may be uncertain about how they will make a living in the future. Give them courage and strength to seek to please You rather than human beings. Give them ears to hear your loving voice instead of the noise of cynics and skeptics. May they find their self worth and identity in Jesus Christ and not in any of their worldly accomplishments. May they find peace in the knowledge that You love them and will always be faithful to forgive them and give them strength and grace for every day. In Christ we pray. Amen.
Today’s readings are Esther 7:1-10; Acts 19:11-20; Luke 4:14-30; and Psalm 83.
Blessings in Christ!
Pastor Karen
Comments
Post a Comment