The boy from Nazareth has made good for himself, and now Jesus makes a rousing return to his childhood temple. But is his shocking brand of preaching too much for the hometown crowd to handle? He comes proclaiming a kingdom that includes many they didn’t expect, including people like us today. That message both comforts and challenges us.
Worship with Holy Communion this week:
Saturday – 5:00 p.m. in the chapel
Sunday – 8:30 a.m. Traditional Worship
9:30 a.m. Sunday School
10:30 a.m. Contemporary Worship
Devotions for this week:
Sermon at Nazareth January 15, 2017
SHARE: What was a high point of your day? What was a low point?
READ: Read the following daily readings to deepen your understanding:
Sunday: Sermon at Nazareth, Luke 4:14-30
Monday: Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit, Luke 4:31-37
Tuesday: Jesus Heals Peter’s Mother-in-Law, Luke 4:38-39
Wednesday: Jesus Heals and Casts Out Demons, Luke 4:40-44
Thursday: The Spirit of the Lord, Isaiah 61:1-3
Friday: Elijah Helps a Widow, 1 Kings 17:8-16
Saturday: Elisha Heals Naaman, 2 Kings 5:1-14
TALK: Consider some of these ideas:
And he said, “Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown.”
Luke 4:24
Although Jesus didn’t begin his ministry in his hometown, it was one of the first places he visited during his ministry. Word had already spread to Nazareth that Jesus had been teaching and healing throughout Galilee. At first, people in Nazareth welcomed him openly, marveling at his words in the synagogue. But the tone took a turn when Jesus implied that the good news was not just for them, but for outsiders.
- How does Jesus’ ministry begin?
- Who are the outcasts in your community? How might you welcome and serve them?
- When have you felt pressure to speak harsh or prophetic words to people you are close to? How were your words received? What, if anything, might you do differently the next time?
PRAY: Lord God, You have fulfilled your word in the person of Jesus, your son. Gather us into your adopted family that his proclamation might be ours as well. In the name of Christ, Amen.
BLESS: Speak your voice. Speak the voices of others. God hears you. Amen.
