​He forgives them and frees them, welcomes them and changes them. He has been anointed to bring freedom from sin and freedom from sinful structures. He has been anointed to create a new community that breaks down the barriers between insider and outsider, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor. In him, all flesh shall see God’s salvation. – Judith Jones

Luke 4:14-30 (The Voice)
Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Holy Spirit, and soon people across the region had heard news of Him.  He would regularly go into their synagogues and teach. His teaching earned Him the respect and admiration of everyone who heard Him.
 
He eventually came to His hometown, Nazareth, and did there what He had done elsewhere in Galilee—entered the synagogue and stood up to read from the Hebrew Scriptures.
 
The synagogue attendant gave Him the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and Jesus unrolled it to the place where Isaiah had written these words:
 
The Spirit of the Lord the Eternal One is on Me.
Why? Because the Eternal designated Me
    to be His representative to the poor, to preach good news to them.
He sent Me to tell those who are held captive that they can now be set free,
    and to tell the blind that they can now see.
He sent Me to liberate those held down by oppression.
In short, the Spirit is upon Me to proclaim that now is the time;
    this is the jubilee season of the Eternal One’s grace.
 
Jesus rolled up the scroll and returned it to the synagogue attendant. Then He sat down, as a teacher would do, and all in the synagogue focused their attention on Jesus, waiting for Him to speak. 
​
He told them that these words from the Hebrew Scriptures were being fulfilled then and there, in their hearing.
 
They were all saying: “Wait. This only the son of Joseph, right?”
 
He said to them: “You’re about to quote the old proverb to Me, “Doctor, heal yourself!” Then you’re going to ask Me to prove Myself to you by doing the same miracles I did in Capernaum.  But face the truth: hometowns always reject their homegrown prophets.
 
Think back to the prophet Elijah. There were many needy Jewish widows in his homeland, Israel, when a terrible famine persisted there for three and a half years. Yet the only widow God sent Elijah to help was an outsider from Zarephath in Sidon.
 
It was the same with the prophet Elisha. There were many Jewish lepers in his homeland, but the only one he healed—Naaman--was an outsider from Syria.
 
The people in the synagogue became furious when He said these things.  They seized Jesus, took Him to the edge of town, and pushed Him right to the edge of the cliff on which the city was built. They would have pushed Him off and killed Him, but He passed through the crowd and went on His way.”

“When hospitality is viewed as entertainment, the house is never ready.” – Christine Pohl, Making Room: Recovering Hospitality as Christian Tradition

Scripture: Genesis 18:1-10a (Common English Bible)
The Lord appeared to Abraham at the oaks of Mamre while he sat at the entrance of his tent in the day’s heat. He looked up and suddenly saw three men standing near him. As soon as he saw them, he ran from his tent entrance to greet them and bowed deeply. He said, “Sirs, if you would be so kind, don’t just pass by your servant. Let a little water be brought so you may wash your feet and refresh yourselves under the tree. Let me offer you a little bread so you will feel stronger, and after that you may leave your servant and go on your way—since you have visited your servant.”
They responded, “Fine. Do just as you have said.”
So Abraham hurried to Sarah at his tent and said, “Hurry! Knead three seahs of the finest flour and make some baked goods!” Abraham ran to the cattle, took a healthy young calf, and gave it to a young servant, who prepared it quickly. Then Abraham took butter, milk, and the calf that had been prepared, put the food in front of them, and stood under the tree near them as they ate.
They said to him, “Where’s your wife Sarah?”
And he said, “Right here in the tent.”
Then one of the men said, “I will definitely return to you about this time next year. Then your wife Sarah will have a son!”

​Reflection: The last several weeks in worship, we've been focusing on the Core Values of OPCC and the characteristics of Vision as we seek to see through God's eyes.  The last several weeks in our world have also been very hard as we consider the violence and terrorism that has been so stunning on our human family.  The feelings of hopelessness abound as it seems impossible to turn on the news without yet another tragic story of violence.  

In these situations, and in this time, we know we can turn to scripture; scripture is full of situations that remind us to hope, even the ones that don't expressly talk about hope.  This Sunday we will focus on this passage from Genesis that reminds us of the Hope in Hospitality because hospitality is much more than simply getting your house ready for a party.
​
We hope you will join us - the table is simply not complete when we are missing some of our family in faith!

“Has it ever occurred to you that one hundred pianos all tuned to the same fork are automatically tuned to each other? They are of one accord by being tuned, not to each other, but to another standard to which each one must individually bow. So one hundred worshipers met together, each one looking away to Christ, are in heart nearer to each other than they could possibly be, were they to become 'unity' conscious and turn their eyes away from God to strive for closer fellowship.” 
― A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God

Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-14, 25-27 (The Voice)
Now let me turn to some issues about spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters. There’s much you need to learn.
Now there are many kinds of grace gifts, but they are all from the same Spirit. There are many different ways to serve, but they’re all directed by the same Lord. There are many amazing working gifts in the church, but it is the same God who energizes them all in all who have the gifts.
Each believer has received a gift that manifests the Spirit’s power and presence. That gift is given for the good of the whole community. The Spirit gives one person a word of wisdom, but to the next person the same Spirit gives a word of knowledge. Another will receive the gift of faith by the same Spirit, and still another gifts of healing—all from the one Spirit. One person is enabled by the Spirit to perform miracles, another to prophesy, while another is enabled to distinguish those prophetic spirits. The next one speaks in various kinds of unknown languages, while another is able to interpret those languages. One Spirit works all these things in each of them individually as He sees fit.
Just as a body is one whole made up of many different parts, and all the different parts comprise the one body, so it is with the Anointed One. We were all ceremonially washed through baptism together into one body by one Spirit. No matter our heritage—Jew or Greek, insider or outsider--no matter our status—oppressed or free—we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
Here’s what I mean: the body is not made of one large part but of many different parts. That way there should be no division in the body; instead, all the parts mutually depend on and care for one another. If one part is suffering, then all the members suffer alongside it. If one member is honored, then all the members celebrate alongside it. You are the body of the Anointed, the Liberating King; each and every one of you is a vital member.

Reflection: 
​Focusing only on what unites us can be a difficult task.  It seems far easier to recognize how we are different.  Even the simplest  ways of identification, I can easily recognize that my husband has dark hair and I have light hair.  I have blue eyes and my nephew has brown eyes.  

We are pretty lucky.  My husband and I both have families that are pretty close, and do a lot together.  We live nearby; even our extended families are only a few hours away.  When we get together for a reunion or a holiday celebration I may know that there are different skin colors and different eye colors, but I also know that we are from the one family.  Often, our gatherings are more fun when we aren't worried about how we are different ages and might consider different activities as to how we would like to spend our time.  Our meals are easier when we focus on what everyone can agree upon rather than discussing why I don't eat meat, only fish, and why my husband would like to only eat meat, forever.

These seem like trivial examples, and to a certain extent they are.  However, when we focus on the family time and what is best for the family to have an enjoyable evening or weekend together, rather than on what each individual person needs to do in order to enjoy their time, then it seems as if it all naturally falls into place and we have the best time.

The church in Corinth struggled, like most churches even today, about their gifts.  What about me?  I bring this gift to the church.  And what about her, she brings this other gift, which one is better?  Nowadays when people ask me about the church that I serve I often get questions about what makes us different from the church they attend, or something similar.  Perhaps we still have much to learn, like the church in Corinth, about focusing on what unites us, focusing on the Body of Christ.

We hope you will join us tomorrow - it's supposed to rain a lot in Kansas City, so this is a great reason to come worship together, hear some AMAZING music from the Kansas City Men's Ensemble who will be singing, and simply be together.  ALL are welcome to join us, no matter how different you think you might be, we choose to focus on what unites us in the Body of Christ, and you (yes YOU!) are welcome here!

​Scripture: Genesis 32:22-31 (CEB)
Jacob got up during the night, took his two wives, his two women servants, and his eleven sons, and crossed the Jabbok River’s shallow water. He took them and everything that belonged to him, and he helped them cross the river. But Jacob stayed apart by himself, and a man wrestled with him until dawn broke. When the man saw that he couldn’t defeat Jacob, he grabbed Jacob’s thigh and tore a muscle in Jacob’s thigh as he wrestled with him. The man said, “Let me go because the dawn is breaking.”

But Jacob said, “I won’t let you go until you bless me.”
He said to Jacob, “What’s your name?” and he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name won’t be Jacob any longer, but Israel, because you struggled with God and with men and won.”

Jacob also asked and said, “Tell me your name.”
But he said, “Why do you ask for my name?” and he blessed Jacob there. Jacob named the place Peniel, “because I’ve seen God face-to-face, and my life has been saved.” The sun rose as Jacob passed Penuel, limping because of his thigh.

Reflection:
I don't know about you, but I feel like I've been wrestling all week! After the tragic events at Pulse Night Club in Orlando, I wrestle with how to respond. Media would like us to respond in a certain way and politicians would like us to respond in another way, and I'm confident that God would have us respond in still yet another way.

We meet Jacob when he is about to reunite with his brother Esau, in which he is nervous about this meeting because of their history. But God has told Jacob he is to go back to his homeland and he cannot do that without meeting up with his brother, from whom he stole the familial blessing. What does God want him to do? What does society tell him will happen? I wonder what his family is saying?

As Jacob wrestles with a difficult situation, he wrestles with both God and humanity, and as the text reminds us, he prevails and "comes out on top." But Jacob doesn't just "come out on top" receiving a medal or a prize. Jacob wins because he receives a Divine blessing, a blessing in which he will be able to bless others with his blessings from God.

When we as a faith community continue to "wrestle" with what it means to "see through God's eyes" and what it means for us to live into God's vision for us we can wrestle with confidence. As we wrestle with how to respond, how to live as God's love in this world, we can do so knowing that God will bless us in our wrestling so that we can continue to bless our community and world around us.

We hope you will join us on Sunday morning at 8:30am or 10:30am to explore this further!

​Laura

Suddenly they saw him the way he was, the way he really was all the time, although they had never seen it before, the glory which blinds the everyday eye and so becomes invisible. This is how he was, radiant, brilliant, carrying joy like a flaming sun in this hands… and there on that mountain they saw him, really saw him, saw his light.                         
          - Madeleine L’Engle

READING:
“This isn’t pie in the sky by and by. Some of you who are standing here are going to see it happen, see the kingdom of God arrive in full force.” Six days later, three of them did see it. Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain. His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. His clothes shimmered, glistening white, whiter than any bleach could make them. Elijah, along with Moses, came into view, in deep conversation with Jesus. Peter interrupted, “Rabbi, this is a great moment! Let’s build three memorials—one for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah.” He blurted this out without thinking, stunned as they all were by what they were seeing. Just then a light-radiant cloud enveloped them, and from deep in the cloud, a voice: “This is my Son, marked by my love. Listen to him.”  The next minute the disciples were looking around, rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus, only Jesus. Coming down the mountain, Jesus swore them to secrecy. “Don’t tell a soul what you saw. After the Son of Man rises from the dead, you’re free to talk.”
                                         - Mark 9.1b-9 (The Message)

REFLECTION:
Those lucky disciples: Peter, James, and John! Jesus invited them to a high and lonely mountain, and there they saw him, really saw him, for the first time. They were offered something precious; a vision, a glimpse of Jesus as he truly is. But it didn’t last. Even before they descended the mountain the vision faded, and they found themselves rubbing their eyes, seeing nothing but Jesus; no shimmering, no glistening white, just Jesus, a peasant artisan turned teacher with whom they had traveled many dusty roads. There was really no reason for Jesus to swear them to secrecy. By the time they reached the valley his glory, as L’Engle expresses it, had become invisible.

This scene as it unfolds begs the question; what good was the vision? Why bother if it didn’t abide, transforming their lives as they saw it again and again in the following days. The real Jesus had finally shown up, only to disappear again. A vision on a mountain is one thing, but a vision in the valley – smack dab in the middle of daily life – now that would be something! That would change things.

Perhaps the vision was available in the valley, not obscured by the dust they kicked up on their journey. Perhaps there was shimmering and glistening if only they had the eyes to see. Shimmer in the eyes of the one grateful leper who returned to thank Jesus; or a glistening aura emanating from a scene in which Jesus, or even one of the disciples, reached out in compassion to one in need.

This is an important “perhaps” for our faith, because we don’t have the slightest chance of climbing the mountain and seeing the Christ revealed in glory. But perhaps we can “Take the mountain to Muhammad,” as the expression goes. Perhaps we can see the Christ in our everyday experience, if only we have the eyes to see. What would be the circumstances in which we caught a glimpse of the Christ and were ourselves transformed? What type of experience might afford us such a vision of glory? We will consider such questions on Sunday. We hope to see you then.