Hello Gloria Dei,
As a congregation we have what we call a Mission / Vision statement. It helps define who we are, what we are about, and what we strive for as congregation. Our Mission Statement is as follows:
Freed by Christ, we Gather, Grow, Give, and Go, All to the Glory of God.
We also have identified Five Core Values that help guide us as a Christian congregation. We certainly could have more, but here are the five:
- Proclaiming & Living Out the Gospel
- Growing in Christ is Essential
- We are a Luke 15 Congregation (Seek the lost)
- Loving and Caring for Our Neighbors
- Our Unity is in Christ
I encourage you to memorize Gloria Dei’s Mission Statement and our Core Values. They help keep us grounded and centered on the good news of Christ and on God’s calling on our lives.
This week in worship we will hear the continuing saga of Jesus getting up in the front of his hometown synagogue and reading from the book of Isaiah. He reads a passage about bringing good news to the poor, sight to the blind, and freedom to the captives. When he finishes, he boldly declares, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
This episode comes at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry as recorded in Luke’s gospel. Jesus was, in essence, telling the people, and us, what his mission will be all about. “Bringing good news to the poor, recovery of sight to the blind, freedom for those in captivity. And Jesus’ even mentions the Year of Jubilee, when all debts were to be canceled and wiped clean.
In this passage, first of all, we hear good news. We are the ones who are too often blind to the ways of God. We are the ones who are captive to sin and death. We are the ones who need our sins forgiven and our slates wiped clean. Jesus brings us new life. And in response to this good news, Jesus gives us our mission as people of God. To bring good news to the poor, not just in word only, but in deed and action. It isn’t enough to tell one who is hungry or without enough shelter, “God loves you”. We are called also to share our food and resources to show the love of God.
In the reading we have for this weekend (Luke 4:21-30) this story continues as Jesus tells the people in the synagogue that God’s love is meant not just for them, but for the Gentiles too. They don’t like this news. They want God’s love. They like being God’s chosen people. But they get angry when others receive it. It’s kind of like the older brother in the Prodigal Son parable. They get so mad that they try to throw Jesus off a cliff.
This is a good reminder to us that God’s love is meant for all people. Even the people that look and act differently that we do. Even the people we think don’t deserve God’s love. The gospel of John puts it this way: “For God so loved the world…” God loves the whole world.
I love this congregation for the way in which it strives to welcome all people; to proclaim the gospel but also to live it out; to share the love of God in word and deed.
Blessings to you on the mission Jesus has given to you to let your light shine as you love and care for others, just as God loves and cares for you.
See you in worship,
Pastor Tim
