“The ministry of Jesus is a ministry of liberating justice and inclusive love…”
A sermon preached at the October Ministry Fair Days
by the Right Reverend Thomas Clark Ely, Bishop of Vermont
Mountain Echo
November 2007

Every eye in the synagogue was fixed on him that day. The hometown boy, now an itinerant preacher of growing renown was back home and in the synagogue of his youth, as was his custom. His reputation as a gifted teacher, praised by others, was increasing. He read the familiar words of liberation, justice and jubilee from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah and then sat to offer a word of commentary. They were all looking at him, wondering what this rabbi would say to them. And then he spoke: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).

We look back to this account in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 4:14-21) and see in it the inauguration of our Lord’s public ministry, following as it does his baptism at the River Jordan and his temptation in the wilderness. We identify in this narrative the defining quality of his ministry, as Luke would have us understand it. The ministry of Jesus is a ministry of liberating justice and inclusive love, with a particular focus on the poor, the captive, the oppressed and those in need of healing—the blind, both physically and spiritually. We witness in this narrative the declaration of Jesus that he embodies the fulfillment of this scripture and that the mission to which this scripture calls God’s people is his mission. It is the mission of restoration, liberation, transformation, and reconciliation. It is the mission of jubilee justice.

As Luke records the events of this day, the initial response to this teaching is positive. Glancing beyond the end of the Gospel text we just heard, we read, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.” We don’t know what else Jesus said that led Luke to record that reaction, but we do know from reading further in Luke that this initial positive reaction “became increasingly hostile as the magnitude of Jesus’ message sank home.” *

This tension between the reaction of some to his teaching as powerful, transformative and with authority, versus the reaction of those who were none too keen about the tone, content and challenge his teaching presented, was a tension throughout his public ministry and ultimately a significant dynamic leading to his crucifixion. That tension is still present today, both in the world and in the church.

Living into this jubilee justice mission of Jesus is just as challenging to the church and to the world today as it was to the religious and civic establishment 2,000 years ago. We experience this tension close to home in The Episcopal Church when we say gay and lesbian persons are full and equal members of our church and then deny them the blessing of the church on their committed relationships and on their full participation in the ordained ministry of our church.

We experience this tension close to home in our country when we claim our compassion and commitment for those whose lives were devastated by Hurricane Katrina, and yet two years later witness that the poorest among those affected are still waiting for that compassion to reach them, as Ann and I recently witnessed.

And, we experience this tension in the world when the nations of the world make a commitment to eradicate global poverty by addressing the root causes of poverty—hunger, education, gender equality, child mortality, maternal health, disease, and environmental sustainability—and then fail to follow through with the commitment of readily available resources to accomplish the goals articulated in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

God’s justice mission of restoration, liberation, transformation, and reconciliation continues to challenge all of us, but particularly those who are content with the status quo and who benefit greatly from it. The promise of God spoken through the prophet Isaiah that, “I am about to create new heavens and a new earth where the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17), is a direct challenge to the hearts and minds of those who delight in their privilege and whose lives prosper at the expense of others.

Thank God that the divine words of jubilee and mission still echo in the hearts and minds of the many who commit themselves to the liberating, inclusive mission of Jesus. In my mind that divine imperative offers both the foundation and the justification for our commitment as the Episcopal Church to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals.

One of the brilliant things Desmond Tutu has said, among the many superb things he has spoken and written is this: “One of the wonderful things is how God depends on all of us, which is actually mind-boggling because here you have God who is omnipotent and yet waits on human creatures to be God’s partners and collaborators. Each one of us has a contribution, each and every one of us.”

“And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him.” Today, the eyes of God are fixed on us. We can make a difference. We must make a difference. What ONE Can Do: Changing the World. That is the theme of our Diocesan Convention. That is the future-looking mission focus of our 175th Anniversary celebration. May God sustain and strengthen us for that mission.

+Thomas

* Oxford Annotated Bible Commentary