Sunday 23 January, 2022

Reflection:   "Today"

Psalm 19

Nehemiah 8:1-10

Luke 4:14-21

1 Cor. 12:12-31a

How many of us would describe ourselves as procrastinators.
You know, those people whose motto is “Don’t do today what you can put off until tomorrow.”
Now I’m sure that even those who won’t own up to practicing full-blown procrastination, will probably agree that they’ve dabbled in this black art at times.
 
Sometimes the task at hand just seems too overwhelming and we think that it’ll be easier if we put it aside for a while, but history has shown us that this way of thinking has some serious flaws in it.
Jobs don’t miraculously get easier with the passing of time – in fact, most of the time, they get harder because that inevitable deadline comes around so much quicker and, in the end, you have to hurry – sometimes at the expense of the quality of the finished product.
 
Luckily for us, our role model, Jesus, didn’t suffer from the same ailment.
We read in Luke’s gospel that, on returning home after his 40 days of temptation in the wilderness, Jesus read the scriptures at his local synagogue.
The passage he read was from Isaiah 61 and foretold of the coming Messiah’s ministry of teaching and healing.
 
Tradition had it that the rabbi who read the scripture would also expand on it, so that those who were listening would gain greater understanding.
Instead, Jesus simply says: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”.
 
When an organisation clarifies its mission statement, they often try to simplify it into a motto.
Mission statements can tend to get a bit long winded, but a motto is supposed to be short and pithy.
Even short mission statements like one from the clothing and footwear company Nike, which goes “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world”, is known by very few people.
However, most will remember the motto “Just do it”.
 
So, the motto of Jesus was simply “today”.
 
Today he was commencing his father’s mission for his life here on earth.
Today he was fulfilling the prophesy of Isaiah.
Today he had changed from being a nobody – a tradesman’s son – to being the Messiah, who would become the saviour of the world.
He was focussed on what was happening in his “today” and he was on a mission from God.
 
Those of you who have ever seen the 1980’s film the Blues Brothers, will instantly recognise those words. Joliet Jake and his brother Elwood Blues decide they are on a mission from God to save the Catholic orphanage they had grown up in.  
They reunite with other members of their rhythm and blues band, to make the money that is needed to pay the back taxes to the county, and along the way, they break just about every law they can, to achieve their mission.
 
Jesus, too, was on a mission from God and that’s what he announced in the synagogue in Nazareth, as he began his public ministry.  
Jesus told them that the words of the prophet were being fulfilled - as he was anointed to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind and to let the oppressed go free.  
 
Jesus was clear about why he was being sent by God and from the beginning, announced that to people, knowing that they might misunderstand.  
In fact, the people of Nazareth were so angry with Jesus that in subsequent verses, Luke tells us that they tried to throw him off the cliff above the town.
 
So what’s the difference between Jesus, the Blues Brothers and us?  
It’s an important question, because Jesus makes it clear that we too are on a mission from God, continuing his work to bring God’s love, peace and justice to this world.  
The big difference is that for the Blues Brothers, the end justifies the means.  
They think that because they are working for a good cause, anything they do to achieve that goal is all right. 
So they will lie, cheat, break the law – whatever is needed.
 
Jesus is different - and calls us to be different.  
For Jesus, the means IS PART of the end.  
If we’re working to bring the reign of God to earth, we must show signs of it beginning now.  
We’re called to share in showing God’s amazing love for every human being, especially the ones rejected by the world.  
We’re called to build peace - by peaceful means.  
We’re called to work for justice in our world, beginning here in Australia.  
How we are now, must show signs to people of what the kingdom of God might be like..
 
Australia Day is approaching and, when celebrating it, we have an obvious example of injustice under our noses.
Should aborigines, the first inhabitants of the land we now call Australia, be treated as a less worthy group - who deserve the bad health and the sad poverty-trap in which many languish?
 
Think also about asylum seekers - especially those we call ‘boat people’.
Do they, including their little children, warrant being shut away behind barbed wire in remote places of Australia while their claim to legitimacy is being processed?
 
Are those who have recently come to this land – including those from other faiths, such as Islam or Hinduism, etc. any less worthy than those of anglo-saxon extraction, who can only claim up to 200 years of heritage in Australia?
 
What about the sick, the imprisoned, the uneducated? Are they any less welcome in the kingdom of God?
 
So today, we need to decide whether we’re with Jesus, or against him? 
Are we for his mission, or against it?
Do we live as if all races and classes are equally important to God, or as if some are of lesser value?
Do we carry on this “Jesus thing” which, incidentally, is also the “God’s thing”?
 
Don’t wait for the kingdom of God to come “in the future” because Jesus tells us that it’s here today - right now. Among us, for us, and excluding no-one.
All the vulnerable, the marginalised, the rejected and neglected people of our community, or in overseas countries, are those people whom Jesus came to include.
 
So, as much as I love the Blues Brothers music and the movie about their exploits – they’re not my heroes.
We are also on a mission from God.
Not in their style, but following the Jesus who lived out what he was called by God to achieve.
The only time in which we can live is right now - today.
 
Yesterday cannot be regained and tomorrow cannot be visited.
This day is what matters to Christ Jesus.
Now is the hour when the “Jesus thing” stands before us as unlimited opportunity, so how will we react?
 
As he tells us – “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”
 
Let’s prepare ourselves to head off on our missions.
They probably won’t be overseas, or even into the outback, or into the prisons, but they will be significant – if we allow ourselves to be guided by the Holy Spirit.
 
So, off you go - be Christ’s missionaries wherever you are in the world.
 
Vaya con Dios (go/travel with God)

Pastor Rick