Lent

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. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has annointed 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, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”

(Luke 4: 16-21)

It long has been recognized that the more clearly an organization understands its mission and the more nearly it operates by that mission, the more effective it is. This is true of corporations, non-profits, athletic teams, and other organized groups, including churches. So the fundamental question for any group to ask is: what is our mission?

It likewise is true that individuals who discover a personal mission and build vision and behavior around it likely live highly productive and rewarding lives. Therefore, all of us would do well to ask ourselves: what is my mission in life?

As Jesus began his ministry he announced his mission when he preached his very first sermon in his home synagogue in Nazareth. It’s worth noting that this came after he had: 1) Been baptized, and in effect, commissioned; 2) Spent 40 days of preparation and discernment in the Judean wilderness. The mission statement of Jesus, which we read a moment ago, is followed by his declaration, “The scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day.” In other words, Jesus was saying of the Isaiah prophecy, “This is me. This is what I came to do. This is my Mission!”

Those of us who have pledged our allegiance to Jesus as Lord and Savior, who have committed to follow in his steps, should see that his mission must become our own, and we are called to the very people he identified in his inaugural public message. Notice again, who these people are:

1. The poor
2. The captives
3. The blind
4. The oppressed.

It is easy to forget that our Lord saw his mission to the marginalized of society. And Christians, when we understand Jesus, know these are the very people we are to be lifting up. It was his mission. And it’s ours.

Prayer

Dear God, Forgive us when we limit Jesus to what he means to us and what he has done for us. Remind us again that belonging to him means that he sends us out to where there is brokenness and darkness. Help us to make his work our work, and his people our people. Amen.

Today’s devotional was written and read by Herb Sadler.

Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.

If you would like to respond to these devotionals in any way, we would enjoy hearing from you. Our email address is: podcasts@1stchurch.org.

First United Methodist Church is a lively, spirit-filled congregation whose goal is to spread the message of love and grace into our community and throughout the world. We are located on the web at https://1stchurch.org/.