Walking with Jesus: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Nehemiah 8:2-4, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4; 14-21

We have come through Advent time remembering and reflecting on the hope the Lord’s people had on the coming of the Messiah. Finally there would be a time of certainty: The Lord would show that He is really with us, loving and caring for us. He had always reminded the Israelite people of His care and promise to send One who would lead them on the Lord’s way.

Then we experienced the birth of our Savior, a birth we never would have imagined for the Creator of the World and each of us. I might have expected a Warrior King or a Kingly King, but never one born in poverty and in a place which had hardly any protection from the wind and storms that whip throughout the winter season. And how could the cruel ruler king be afraid of a little child and send out his storm troopers to kill the usurper messiah? His family ran to Egypt and continued to run until this King had died and then returned to Nazareth to raise their boy.

We have arrived at the “Ordinary Time” part of the church year, which offers moments where each of us is invited to look at our own journey with all of its twists and turns. We can see how we are being led, loved, favored and rewarded by the God who loves us above all others and wants us to be distributors of His love. By doing this we are developing His kingdom of Peace, Love and Forgiveness. This is exactly what is happening in the three readings today: They are leading us to Love itself.

Nehemiah is the governor when Israel has returned after years of exile. They have hoped and longed for this day. They feel God has been mad at them for their infidelity and for latching on to the pagan idols that surrounded them. Nehemiah is doing the rebuilding and Ezra is reading the Law that the Lord has sealed with a Covenant: “I will be your God, you will be My people.” The people know and can hear the Lord’s total care for them. Those assembled are the men, women and children old enough to understand God’s word. The total emphasis is the need to hear and obey God’s word. Commitment to the Lord’s law serves as the only firm foundation for a restored community of faith. “Amen!” they all shout as they pledge their loyalty and faith in the Lord’s plan for salvation. What a wonderful opportunity the Lord has given them to repent, reform their beliefs and start anew as active participants in the Lord’s plan for the world and for you and me. This is a time for us to walk the walk and talk the talk.

Paul shows that the Spirit continues to gift the people, but those same gifts have led them into division. Pride has led them to believe they have received better and more important gifts. Paul says NO, we are a “single body” -- the various parts of the body are necessary to keep us all united as one. No one part can function on its own; all are necessary, just as all the Corinthians' gifts are needed to help each person remain an important part of God’s mission.

Jesus comes to His hometown and delivers His first sermon, reading a passage from Isaiah which explains the mission of the Messiah. He would come from David’s tribe and is foretold as the one who will raise up a new kingdom … a Kingdom of Love, Peace, Justice … a kingdom that will never end. Jesus reads it in a way they have never heard before … they can tell by His inflection and presence that what will follow will be of utmost importance. Today this passage I read to you informs you that I am the Messiah. I am the Promised one. I am the King whose kingdom will never end. If they have trouble believing this, and they do, they will be reminded of this. Down through the centuries many have had problems hearing this. Yet Jesus spells it right out: I Am the Messiah, the only one … sent by God to show you that God’s love and care is always with you. If you love Me you will keep My commandments of loving God … loving all others … and loving yourselves. In this way everyone will know that you have chosen the right way, the only way. This is the rest of the story … this is the bigger picture … this is not open to opinion, discussion or debate … THIS IS AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN GOD’S PLAN. Do it and you will live forever in My Father’s house. Forget it and you will be forever condemned.

Connections sums it up this way:

All of us, at one time or another, doubt we can realize the good we are called to do. We don’t think we can measure up to the expectations of others — and we’re not sure we want to. We struggle to make sense of our lives and to understand what we want to make of them. Isaiah Spirit’s vision read by Jesus in today’s Gospel includes us: The Spirit of God “is upon” us, too leading us to the other side of doubt, setting us to the work of creating God’s Kingdom here and now, enabling us to see our lives and world illuminated with the peace and hope of our Creator. As Jesus realizes His identity in the Spirit of God at His baptism, we find our identity in the Spirit at our baptisms, as well.

So I reflect on:

• What is the evidence in my daily life that I believe Christ’s Kingdom “will have no end?”
• How can I foster a more responsible and reverential love for Scripture and the Church?

Sacred Space 2022 states:

“A ‘year of favor’ was a season when God would ‘visit His people’ — God would come and overturn a situation where His people had been at the mercy of enemies. He would relieve the oppressed, set free the imprisoned, cure the disabled and those who had succumbed to illness. It would be a whole new age — God would lift His people out of their distress.

“Jesus tells His hearers that, with His own coming, God is visiting His people right now. And He’s visiting every single one of his people, from that day to this.”