SCRIPTURE: Luke 4:14-21
To appreciate this reading, we need to step into the lives of those mentioned.
What was life like for the poor, prisoners, the blind, the beaten down?
Would this lead to depression, despair, wanting to give up on life and hope?
What would good news be like for them?
That God is stepping in to help, that God is finally doing something for them?
Jesus says that this hope of God’s help is finally coming true.
Somehow, through Jesus, God is coming to help the desperate.
Do we appreciate this good news, or are we too comfortable in this life?
Notice that the message of Jesus is growing in the places where poverty and oppression abound, while churches are closing here in the affluent west.
God’s help is offered to all who need it (and we all do), but it seems that only those who struggle really appreciate this help.
Do I hear Jesus’ message as good news for me, is it speaking to my desperation?
Or am I too comfortable in this world to realize my need for God’s help?
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, show me my desperation enough to make me appreciate You. But may I not get stuck in desperation, may I experience You for the good news You are!