“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Luke 4:18-19
Dear HBIC Family,
During this Eastertide season, we are celebrating the good news of Jesus’ resurrection by remembering how he is revealed as God in the New Testament. God calls us to remember, even though it’s so easy for us to forget. Like many of you, I find it really easy to focus on the present, or to keep my eyes looking downward. Nevertheless, our God calls us to remember. God invites us to look back to see his goodness and faithfulness, and to look up to keep our eyes trained on Jesus and God’s mercy and love.
Remembering how Jesus is revealed strengthens our hope for the future. We know that Jesus fulfills promises because he has done what he said he would do. We have hope for the future and what Jesus will do because of his goodness, faithfulness, mercy and love that we have seen, experienced, and been blessed by in our pasts and our present. Our lives are a testament to who our God is and we can be witnesses that live to tell what God has done for us. I love that all of our hopes are centered on Jesus.
This week, we’ll be continuing the second part of our Remembrance series by looking back on what Jesus defined as his calling and mission. To prepare for this week’s services, I would like to invite you to read and meditate on Luke 4:14-30. As you reflect, I would like to ask you to focus on the following questions:
When has Jesus been revealed to you?
What are the different ways Jesus is revealed as God in this passage?
How do the people in this passage receive Jesus?
Who does Jesus reveal himself to be?
Where is Jesus calling you to reveal God to your world?
I grew up going to a worship service each week where I had to basically answer the questions, “Who is Jesus? What has Jesus done? How was Jesus revealed to you this week?” This reflective worship service was such a blessing to me because it taught me that Jesus is alive, Jesus is at work, and Jesus is revealed to us in our lives. What a blessing for all of us that Jesus is revealed to us yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Jesus came to fulfill many promises. In fulfilling these promises, Jesus gifts us hope in our present and for the future. In Luke 4, we hear directly from Jesus about his mission and calling. In the Gospels, we see him living that out. Before going to heaven, Jesus calls us to go and make disciples and to teach them what he has taught. By remembering what Jesus has done and his calling, we are inspired and accept the call to join the work on mission with God, the Spirit, and the people of God.
God bless you all.
Love in Christ,
Pastor Hank (Luke 4:18-19)