3 Epiphany C January 27, 2019
Neh. 8:2-10 Ps. 19
1 Cor. 12:12-27 Luke 4:14-21
Lectionary Link
What does good news mean for you and me today? Good news changes depending upon the needs of the situation for each person in their lives. Good news thus needs to be adjustable to each human situation.
Gospel is the English word for the Greek word euangellion. Gospel is the name for a certain type of biblical genre. The Christian Bible has four Gospels. These books are writings which basically are narrative presentations of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. And since they were written later than some of the writings of St. Paul, they are narratives written with theological and teaching purposes within the various early church communities.
Today's Gospel reading indicates to us that the gospel meaning did not originate with Jesus or the New Testament. In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus was at a synagogue for the Shabbat liturgy. He read from the scroll of Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor...." Good News in the Hebrew language is "basar," so long before the Gospel of the New Testament we should appreciate that the Gospel for Jesus derived from the prophet Isaiah.
I would like to present to you my belief that the Gospel is a very adjustable notion. It is what the people of belles lettres literary movement called propriety. The Gospel is the word, deed or fortuitous happening that is most appropriate for the situation.
What is the good news for the poor? Having enough for oneself and for the people that one is responsible for taking care of? What is good news for the oppressed? To be delivered from the oppressor who uses power to steal the dignity and freedom of people. What is good news for the prisoner? To be freed from the confines of wrong imprisonment. What is good news for the blind? To be able to see.
Some times we limit the good news simply to the people who have really bad situations in life happening to them. But what does good news mean to the wealthy? Good news for the wealthy would be that they have been blessed with the resources to share with the poor.
Oxfam, the organization that distributes aid throughout the world released a statistic this year. They said that 26 of the wealthiest people in the world own the equivalent of 3.8 billion people or half of the world population own. How can this bee good news? It might be good news that 26 people have been able to be so wealthy because of the free market, but what about some more good news for them? What if they truly believed that the free market gave them the freedom to make sure that the rest of the world had enough in food, clothing and shelter. Wouldn't that really be free market good news?
The good news for the oppressors and the captors is that they can use their power to release and free those who are unjustly imprisoned and oppressed. And those who have the blessing of sight have the freedom to help all who are blind and impaired to get equal opportunity for qualitative life.
The Gospel is good news for those where are sinners and for those who are sinned against. The Gospel seeks what is appropriate for each situation.
In our lessons, from the Hebrew Scripture, the Gospel was the discovery of the importance of the Law. The law is the revelation of recommended behaviors which best serve the common good. When Nehemiah helped his people re-discover the law, it brought great joy. The Psalmist rejoiced in the law of the God. The goal of the law was perfection, truth, justice, clarity, purity, righteousness and enlightenment. For Nehemiah and for the Psalmist the Law was good news.
What did the Good News or Gospel required for the Corinthian Church? Apparently they had experienced some bad news. What was their bad news? It was disharmony. Some roles and ministries of the contributions of some members were being regarded as inferior and unimportant for the success of the Corinthian church. When people's worth is discounted it does not result in harmonious community life.
St. Paul wrote to his church about good news. What was the Good News? Each person has a worthy and worthwhile gift and value to the community. It is incumbent on the community to find and to bring to expression the different gifts of everyone within the community.
When the community comes to the harmonious expression of all of the gifts of its members, then the good news of Christ is known.
What does the Gospel mean for you and me right now? The Gospel is an adjustable propriety to what each of us needs right now. If we are sinners then the Gospel is forgiveness and amendment of our lives. If we are those who sinned against or those who suffer from the hardships of life, it is health, deliverance and recovery to a place of having all that we need.
Let us not limit the Gospel to writings in the Bible today. Let us understand the Gospel as the needed and relevant message of God to each of us, right here, right now.
What do you and I need to restore our lives in the direction of what is perfect, true, right, just, clear, pure and enlightened? That is the Gospel for us and it is available to us if we will arise to receive it. Amen.
Neh. 8:2-10 Ps. 19
1 Cor. 12:12-27 Luke 4:14-21
Lectionary Link
What does good news mean for you and me today? Good news changes depending upon the needs of the situation for each person in their lives. Good news thus needs to be adjustable to each human situation.
Gospel is the English word for the Greek word euangellion. Gospel is the name for a certain type of biblical genre. The Christian Bible has four Gospels. These books are writings which basically are narrative presentations of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. And since they were written later than some of the writings of St. Paul, they are narratives written with theological and teaching purposes within the various early church communities.
Today's Gospel reading indicates to us that the gospel meaning did not originate with Jesus or the New Testament. In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus was at a synagogue for the Shabbat liturgy. He read from the scroll of Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me to because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor...." Good News in the Hebrew language is "basar," so long before the Gospel of the New Testament we should appreciate that the Gospel for Jesus derived from the prophet Isaiah.
I would like to present to you my belief that the Gospel is a very adjustable notion. It is what the people of belles lettres literary movement called propriety. The Gospel is the word, deed or fortuitous happening that is most appropriate for the situation.
What is the good news for the poor? Having enough for oneself and for the people that one is responsible for taking care of? What is good news for the oppressed? To be delivered from the oppressor who uses power to steal the dignity and freedom of people. What is good news for the prisoner? To be freed from the confines of wrong imprisonment. What is good news for the blind? To be able to see.
Some times we limit the good news simply to the people who have really bad situations in life happening to them. But what does good news mean to the wealthy? Good news for the wealthy would be that they have been blessed with the resources to share with the poor.
Oxfam, the organization that distributes aid throughout the world released a statistic this year. They said that 26 of the wealthiest people in the world own the equivalent of 3.8 billion people or half of the world population own. How can this bee good news? It might be good news that 26 people have been able to be so wealthy because of the free market, but what about some more good news for them? What if they truly believed that the free market gave them the freedom to make sure that the rest of the world had enough in food, clothing and shelter. Wouldn't that really be free market good news?
The good news for the oppressors and the captors is that they can use their power to release and free those who are unjustly imprisoned and oppressed. And those who have the blessing of sight have the freedom to help all who are blind and impaired to get equal opportunity for qualitative life.
The Gospel is good news for those where are sinners and for those who are sinned against. The Gospel seeks what is appropriate for each situation.
In our lessons, from the Hebrew Scripture, the Gospel was the discovery of the importance of the Law. The law is the revelation of recommended behaviors which best serve the common good. When Nehemiah helped his people re-discover the law, it brought great joy. The Psalmist rejoiced in the law of the God. The goal of the law was perfection, truth, justice, clarity, purity, righteousness and enlightenment. For Nehemiah and for the Psalmist the Law was good news.
What did the Good News or Gospel required for the Corinthian Church? Apparently they had experienced some bad news. What was their bad news? It was disharmony. Some roles and ministries of the contributions of some members were being regarded as inferior and unimportant for the success of the Corinthian church. When people's worth is discounted it does not result in harmonious community life.
St. Paul wrote to his church about good news. What was the Good News? Each person has a worthy and worthwhile gift and value to the community. It is incumbent on the community to find and to bring to expression the different gifts of everyone within the community.
When the community comes to the harmonious expression of all of the gifts of its members, then the good news of Christ is known.
What does the Gospel mean for you and me right now? The Gospel is an adjustable propriety to what each of us needs right now. If we are sinners then the Gospel is forgiveness and amendment of our lives. If we are those who sinned against or those who suffer from the hardships of life, it is health, deliverance and recovery to a place of having all that we need.
Let us not limit the Gospel to writings in the Bible today. Let us understand the Gospel as the needed and relevant message of God to each of us, right here, right now.
What do you and I need to restore our lives in the direction of what is perfect, true, right, just, clear, pure and enlightened? That is the Gospel for us and it is available to us if we will arise to receive it. Amen.
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