"Take a Risk"

      This story is front and center in Luke's gospel. It's THAT important. At least three things are underlined here in Luke: Jesus' power comes from the Spirit, Jesus' message of liberation is urgent, and Jesus ministry is prophetic.

      Jesus speaks directly out of the Jewish religious tradition the people held so dear. Let's listen for God's word to us from the fourth chapter of Luke, beginning with verse 14:

¹⁴And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

¹⁵And He began teaching in their synagogues and was praised by all.

¹⁶And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.

¹⁷And the book of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. And He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

¹⁸“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
     BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
     HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
     AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
     TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
¹⁹TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

²⁰And He closed the book, gave it back to the attendant and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on Him.

²¹And He began to say to them, "Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing."

      Goin' back home---back to the old home place, where you were born. Goin' to see the teeny little house you were born into. See how small and insignificant it looks now that you're all grown up. Step back in time and see the people who knew you when you were running around in diapers, or in packs of kids playing kickball in the street, or as a gawky teenager with a stammer or acne or. . .

      Go back to the church where you were named and claimed. It looks a bit sad now, in need of updating and repairs. And all the people who never left town. They stayed there, steadfast, not knowing how different it is out there.

      They look at you expectantly. They're proud of you. You are the hometown boy, the down home girl who did well. Went off to college, grad school, got out of town, started a career, travelled around. They think it's a lot more glamorous than it is. They don't really know what's happened to you.

      They look at you expectantly. They whisper. "You'll be big someday. Maybe even great!" They invite you to come and read the scripture. It's open to the book of Isaiah but you can read any part of it you want, they say. "We want you to pick! And then we want you to tell us what it means, being that you've been to so much school and all."

      They are a bit shocked at what you pick. They are even more shocked when you tell them the truth instead of what they want to hear.

*           *           *

      It was our final day in Israel. We'd had a pretty structured itinerary, but today we were free to go and do. Some went shopping. Others slept. Six of us went touring, hoping to cram in a few more sights and sounds before heading back to reality.

      We went to the Israel Museum, which houses the Shrine of the Book. When we entered the building, we stumbled upon a brand new exhibit. Who knew it would be unveiled on the 60th anniversary of Israel's independence, April 28, 2008? President Bush and other dignitaries would be the first to see this new display of the 2100 year old Isaiah scroll. April 28, 2008, that was tomorrow. But today it was all locked away. We might as well have been a thousand miles away.

      We stood literally 8 feet from the sacred doorway. We begged. We pleaded. "We're all ministers! It's our last day in Israel. This is a once in a lifetime trip! We can't come back later. Please, please could you let us peek?"

      The guards looked at one another, then they pulled back the barricade to the door and let us in. "Hurry!" they said, "just for a minute!"

      We quickly filed into the darkened room, dark except for a single illuminated case. We found ourselves holding our breath in awe. Here was the earliest known copy of the book of Isaiah! A 2100 year old scroll. A mere fifteen feet long, a foot wide. Tiny scratches of what we could barely make out as Hebrew. "Oh! But here's a word! I see it! Can you???"

      As the guards ushered us out we were in a state of shock, emotions running high. Someone took our picture. We look like we have just seen something indescribable.

      The scroll of the prophet Isaiah is not just on display in some museum. It is handed to us, just as it was handed to Jesus. It is an ancient book with a still current message. We are, like Jesus, given these words to speak, but not only to speak, but to hear and obey. To take in to ourselves, almost as if we were consuming this ancient word, digesting its weight, ruminating on its meaning.

      God gives us these words. God gives us more than enough clues.

¹⁸“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
     BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR.
     HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES,
     AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND,
     TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED,
¹⁹TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”

      Unrolling it, He located the place. How far did He have to unroll it? How long did He have to search through those tiny black scratch marks to find exactly what he was looking for? And then, the even bigger question. Why did He pick these particular verses to kick off his public ministry? He defined himself by these choices, choosing prophetic texts which underlined good news to the poor, release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind. He took a risk.

      That's what His entire ministry and life were all about. Risk taking mission and service. He did not come to appease people, he came to unsettle them. He did not come to smooth things over, but to ruffle some feathers. He did not come to reinforce business as usual, but to start an entirely different sort of business with completely different rules. He oriented people to things they weren't used to paying attention to, and people didn't like it one bit.

      Against the objections of the religious elite and the advice of his disciples, Jesus touches the bent over woman on the Sabbath, heals the leprous and unclean, risks the violence of the mob to stand up for the woman caught in adultery. The stories of the Good Samaritan, the father risking humiliation to welcome back his wayward son, the man who sold an entire field to obtain one pearl, the rich man ignoring the beggar Lazarus at his gate all consistently show who Jesus is. Through Jesus, we see what God intends for us.¹

      Jesus took a risk that day, and do you know what they did? They tried to throw him off a cliff. He gave them the slip and continued on his way. He continued on His way, getting in deeper and deeper until there was nothing left for them to do but kill Him for it.

      Robert Schnase, in his book The Five Practices of Fruitful Congregations, observes that living, vibrant faith communities are also involved (like Jesus) in RISK TAKING MISSION AND SERVICE. Such communities push beyond ordinary service and everyday missions to offer extraordinary opportunities for life-changing engagement with people.

      Risk taking steps into greater uncertainty, a higher possibility of discomfort, resistance, or sacrifice. Risk taking takes people into ministries that push them out of their comfort zone. God uses such ministries to expose us to people, situations, and needs we would never ordinarily encounter.

      We are a very giving congregation. Risk taking mission and service, however, is different from financial giving. It is about face-to-face encounter. In such encounters, we help others, but more importantly, we follow Christ and WE ARE CHANGED. There is no one who has been involved in hands-on mission who does not experience deep spiritual change. It is impossible to truly encounter others in great need and not be transformed.

      We should never underestimate the enormous impact we can have, even if only a small percentage of our members offer themselves for front-line, risk-taking service. Even major projects begin by God calling only one or two people to do something bold.

      Such has been the case with a few LHPC men who decided we simply must do something for the very poorest people in Central America. More men and women are needed to step forward and take a risk, to be trained to carry on this mission in Guatemala and beyond. God may be tapping your shoulder on this one.

      Such has been the case with a handful of people who had the idea of creating an after school program for children in need, as a part of our Child Development Center. We host nine children who come from what we would all agree are "at-risk" environments. More men and women are needed to mentor and tutor, to provide special learning experiences for these children. Jesus may be tugging your heart strings for this one.

      Such has been the case with the youth of the church as they have been involved in face-to-face encounter with people in need at the White Rock Center of Hope, as they have served the homeless down at the Bridge, and as they prepare to go to work in New Orleans in June. A male sponsor is needed to accompany them. God may be sending you a message to take a risk in His name.

      Such has been the case with church members who deliver meals on wheels. Just last week I spoke with someone who described the caring relationships she has developed with her "people."

      Such is the case with many of you who personally help out families in need, who gather books and clothing and food, who go out of your way to become involved in someone else's life, someone who is not in the church, someone who won't be of much help to you any time, any day, someone who at times drags you down into the deep pit of their own need. You are definitely involved in risk-taking mission and service.

      For those of you who haven't done these kinds of things before, consider yourself forewarned. While I doubt anyone will try to throw you off a cliff, things will happen which you cannot predict. When you take these risks, you will be changed. You will be challenged, and you will be amazed. You will find that you receive so much more than you give.

      This will happen because you will have a face-to-face encounter with the human face of Christ, the Christ who is desperately in need, the Christ who so desperately loves you in return.