January 11, 2016

Luke 4:16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read,

Jesus is just beginning to make a splash in the area and now he goes home. From what I’ve read, the way synagogues worked back then any adult male could read and preach at any given meeting. Jesus took this opportunity and if you read the rest of the account you will see that it got him into trouble. This was a gutsy move by Jesus. We all get pigeon-holed by those who know us well, maybe even our own families. He’s the funny one. She’s so smart. He’s a hard worker. She’s always up for a good time. No doubt Jesus was tagged in one way or another. In this story Jesus is willing to stand up in public and challenge these tags in order to declare his identity in God. In the end we are not who others say we are. We are not our roles or our titles, at least on the deepest level. We are who God says we are, beloved children of our heavenly father. Would we be willing to stand up in public and announce that? I’ve found it to be sadly true that many people have the hardest time sharing spiritual things with those to whom they are closest- spouses, children, parents, longtime friends. For a multitude of reasons we find it too intimate or insecure or vulnerable or whatever. But you are who God says you are. This week may you have the opportunity to stand up somewhere and say so.