given on Sunday, January 24, 2016
In the beginning the Word already existed.
The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He existed in the beginning with God.
–John 1:1-2, NLT
Scripture reference: Luke 44:14-21, NLT
14 Then Jesus returned to Galilee, filled with the Holy Spirit’s power. Reports about him spread quickly through the whole region. 15 He taught regularly in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.
16 When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. 17 The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released,
that the blind will see,
that the oppressed will be set free,
19 and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.[a]”
20 He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. 21 Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
Reflection
Words communicate what we need and/or want shortly after we are born. We hear words of comfort and words of correction. We learn the proverbs of life and discover that sticks and stones may break bones, but words . . . well, words are not suppose to hurt us. Yet, words have power.
The scripture today tells the story of Jesus’ public declaration that he is the fulfillment of the scriptures’ prophecy. Walking into the temple, locating the prophecy from the scroll of Isaiah, he read The Word and then proclaimed to be that person. Powerful words!
The Word is God. Jesus is God. I Am is God. Jesus says, “I Am God.” The scripture is the written record of The Word and the foundation of our faith. The Word is God and translates into power, especially when the faithful follow The Word’s message.
Following The Word’s message can be challenging. The first scriptures were handwritten on scrolls that could not be reproduced in mass so each family could have their own copy. The scrolls were kept safe in the temple and read publically only during worship.
The Word has to have power to survive throughout history making the transition from oral to handwritten scrolls and finally into mass production. The Word also has power to spread from the tribes of the Israelites to homes circling the globe today. The Word is so powerful that it carries the message through the millenniums crossing the cultural and political boundaries.
Wordsmiths or, more academically, linguists continue to studyThe Word, carefully tracking the origin, preserving the message’s accuracy and translating the words into languages for each different culture. Such analytical work has maintained the power of The Word. The work is God-driven.
Consider the various titles that prophets used to identify Jesus: Messiah, Savior, and Redeemer.
- Messiah (noun): 1. the promised and expected deliverer of the Jewish people. 2. Jesus Christ, regarded by Christians as fulfilling this promise and expectation. John 4:25, 26. 3. (usually lowercase) any expected deliverer. 4. (usually lowercase) a zealous leader of some cause or project.
- Savior(noun): 1. a person who saves, rescues, or delivers: the savior of the country. 2. (initial capital letter) a title of God, especially of Christ. 3. (initial capital letter) Classical Mythology. an epithet of Artemis.
- Redeemer (noun): 1. a person who redeems. 2. (initial capital letter) Jesus Christ.
These three terms are very similar but the connotative or emotional meanings demonstrate different ideas of how The Word demonstrates power.
Even King Herod knew about the prediction of “King of the Jews.” Clearly his perception was that a king would be a challenge to his own position or title. As a king, Herod was a political leader, and the news that a new King was born caused him to expect a challenge to his power. Look at the word king:
King: 1. a male sovereign or monarch; a man who holds by life tenure, and usually by hereditary right, the chief authority over a country and people. 2. (initial capital letter) God or Christ.
- a person or thing preeminent in its class: a king of actors.
These definitions place an entirely different understanding of Herod’s concern that a new king had been born. The Word has power even over a king.
Lectionary readings this week focused on the power The Word has on the lives of the faithful whether in the earliest days of creation to the current day in which we struggle to apply The Word in our personal setting. For this very reason, taking time to read and to study the scriptures is critical or the power of The Word is lost.
If we teach children that “sticks and stones may break bones, but words can never hurt me,” then we must teach and reteach ourselves The Word. The Word is a powerful defense to the innuendoes, the slurs, the name-calling, the false statements, the slander and even the ridicule that we sling at each other—even towards ourselves.
The Old Testament is filled with the stories of ancient people facing the very same problems we face today. The environment may not be the same as the ancient settlements along the Jordan River. Lifestyles, careers, communication, transportation and technology may be dramatically different today than when Jesus began sharing The Word.
All these differences today do not change the power of The Word. During the ancient times, the Scriptures were read during Temple and the listeners spent hours listening. They wanted to hear the Law read to them. Today society has changed the way The Word is heard, but the power is the same.
This week Martin Luther King’s speeches echoed along the air waves. His powerful words reflected God’s Word and have driven the dream to value each human equally is one of this country’s most constitutional ideas. The Word to love one another, even your enemies, is powerful.
And still, there are those who have not followed The Word. Many have not even been exposed to it. They live in different cultures, they are illiterate, or they simply are unchurched. The Word needs us to share the good news. As long as there is one person who does not know The Word, Christians—each one—is responsible to share the message of God, The Word. The Word is power, but the power must be sustained,
Today you are challenged to know The Word personally. Read The Word, listen to The Word, study the word, discuss The Word, and practice The Word. The Word is power but it must be activated.
Closing prayer
Dear God, Almighty,
The Word brought Jesus to us so many years ago;
But today The Word seems to be missing.
The Word is power that fuels so much good,
But today the bad seems to disconnect us from The Word.
The Word promises to power us with love,
But today love seems to be losing strength.
Send The Word to empower each one of us
So today we can fuel others with your love.
The Word is power that never runs dry,
So today fill us up so The Word burns brightly.
Amen.
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