Greetings on the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, the end of a week of celebration and calls for introspection and the building of community, reaching across human-devised boundaries to create a better working world.
Our invitation into worship was a reminder we are called by Jesus to bear witness to the Good News and to be made whole as a people of God – exactly where we are. Our Hebrew scripture from Nehemiah recounts the story of the Israelites returning from exile and renewing relationship with God through community. The Psalmist’s refrain lays out the human condition and the need for God’s guidance and blessing to thrive. The letter to the Corinthians is Paul’s reminder to God’s Church that all the gifts, given by God, are necessary to build and sustain the body of Christ doing God’s work and restoring creation to relationship with God. Our Gospel recounts Jesus’ declaration that he is the one identified in the Law and the Prophets who will restore and reconcile the world.
Points worth considering, Paul’s reminder to a church trying to find its way, is that all people are necessary for a properly functioning body of believers. Each person is given gifts by God to be part of God’s plan and that no gift is more important than another. Our actions, for God, should focus on building, not destroying or dividing. Our diversity is what makes us strong.
I invite your comments,
Les+
Readings: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21
