Please find the AUDIO RECORDING of todays Service (2nd Feb) immediately below,
followed by a video reflection by Brian.
(The Audio Recording of the Service includes a History of Eldership in Presbyterianism and the NSPCI.)
followed by a video reflection by Brian.
(The Audio Recording of the Service includes a History of Eldership in Presbyterianism and the NSPCI.)
Luke 4:22–30 - Invitation to Boundless Love
In today’s passage, Jesus has just delivered a powerful message in the synagogue—what some call his "mission statement" in Luke’s Gospel. He proclaims that Isaiah’s vision is being fulfilled right then and there: good news for the poor, freedom for the captives, sight for the blind, and liberation for the oppressed. It’s a bold, beautiful vision of God’s love breaking into the world. And at first, the crowd is impressed. They marvel at his words for they were an occupied oppressed people who longed for liberation and freedom from their own foreign Roman oppressors.
But then things take a turn for the worse. Jesus reminds them that God’s grace isn’t just for them as the people of Israel—it’s always been bigger than their boundaries. He brings up two uncomfortable examples: in Elijah’s time, God provided for a Gentile widow, and in Elisha’s time, a Syrian leper was healed. Suddenly, admiration turns to anger. They feel exposed. Their sense of entitlement is shaken. And instead of celebrating the wideness of God’s mercy which goes beyond their narrow nationalistic boundaries, they turn on Jesus with such anger that they try to throw him over a cliff on the edge of town.
This moment is crucial because it shows us that real spiritual awakening isn’t just about feeling inspired—it can also be disruptive, challenging our assumptions (and the assumptions of society), and forcing us to rethink who we are in relation to others. Aldous Huxley, in his book The Perennial Philosophy, speaks of a universal spiritual truth at the heart of all great traditions: the idea that the divine is present in everyone, even if it is often obscured. And the awakening to this truth leads to an awakening to a love and grace transcend all barriers. But this kind of realization is deeply unsettling wherever we try and define our narrow identity by keeping divisions intact.
And this is where 1 Corinthians 13 speaks so powerfully. Paul reminds us that at the heart of our faith is love. A Love that is patient and kind. A Love that doesn’t insist on its own way. |A love which Jesus shows doesn’t draw neat lines between insiders and outsiders. This is the love that Jesus embodies, a love that reaches beyond boundaries, a love that is always expansive, for God’s Love can not limited by our human boundaries. It is a love that cannot be contained, but constantly moves outward. And in the end, it invites us into something far greater than ourselves—the boundless and infinite Love of God Itself.
In closing, at a personal level, we might ask ourselves two questions: Where am I holding onto an identity that separates me from others? What fears keep me from embracing a wider love? Amen.
In today’s passage, Jesus has just delivered a powerful message in the synagogue—what some call his "mission statement" in Luke’s Gospel. He proclaims that Isaiah’s vision is being fulfilled right then and there: good news for the poor, freedom for the captives, sight for the blind, and liberation for the oppressed. It’s a bold, beautiful vision of God’s love breaking into the world. And at first, the crowd is impressed. They marvel at his words for they were an occupied oppressed people who longed for liberation and freedom from their own foreign Roman oppressors.
But then things take a turn for the worse. Jesus reminds them that God’s grace isn’t just for them as the people of Israel—it’s always been bigger than their boundaries. He brings up two uncomfortable examples: in Elijah’s time, God provided for a Gentile widow, and in Elisha’s time, a Syrian leper was healed. Suddenly, admiration turns to anger. They feel exposed. Their sense of entitlement is shaken. And instead of celebrating the wideness of God’s mercy which goes beyond their narrow nationalistic boundaries, they turn on Jesus with such anger that they try to throw him over a cliff on the edge of town.
This moment is crucial because it shows us that real spiritual awakening isn’t just about feeling inspired—it can also be disruptive, challenging our assumptions (and the assumptions of society), and forcing us to rethink who we are in relation to others. Aldous Huxley, in his book The Perennial Philosophy, speaks of a universal spiritual truth at the heart of all great traditions: the idea that the divine is present in everyone, even if it is often obscured. And the awakening to this truth leads to an awakening to a love and grace transcend all barriers. But this kind of realization is deeply unsettling wherever we try and define our narrow identity by keeping divisions intact.
And this is where 1 Corinthians 13 speaks so powerfully. Paul reminds us that at the heart of our faith is love. A Love that is patient and kind. A Love that doesn’t insist on its own way. |A love which Jesus shows doesn’t draw neat lines between insiders and outsiders. This is the love that Jesus embodies, a love that reaches beyond boundaries, a love that is always expansive, for God’s Love can not limited by our human boundaries. It is a love that cannot be contained, but constantly moves outward. And in the end, it invites us into something far greater than ourselves—the boundless and infinite Love of God Itself.
In closing, at a personal level, we might ask ourselves two questions: Where am I holding onto an identity that separates me from others? What fears keep me from embracing a wider love? Amen.
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