Recovery church
And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
Luke 4:16-19
Are you in recovery? What's that, you might ask. Have you lost anything? The bigger question is are you lost? Maybe you aren't lost, but you've been found. If you've been found, have you recovered what was lost? What about what was lost before you were born? What about what was lost before your great, great, great, great, great grandparents were born?
My point is, did Jesus come to help you have a better day, get a better job, a better spouse, better health, better kids, better in-laws, a better political situation? Jesus laid out what he was about, quoting from the Prophet Isaiah, at his local meeting place.
Jesus is about what God is about. Jesus is the model for the church, what the church is to be about. Jesus and his church are all about recovery. Recovery is about getting back what was lost. We lose things in our lives, but we were also born in to lost-ness that goes back to the beginning of man and woman. Recovery is far more than being a 12 step member, although there's nothing wrong with that and 12 step fellowships are a good thing. It's bigger than that.
Jesus describes his mission here to people described four ways: poor, captive, blind, and oppressed. Jesus mission is the church's mission. Jesus was anointed by the same Holy Spirit that anoints Jesus followers to do Jesus mission today! The church has or is recovering the good news that brings recovery that it is also meant to walk in. We might have the message, but we need the anointing to proclaim it and for it to have affect. We might have the anointing, but we don't realize it until we take the risk to speak out the good news we have. So, go for it, and see what happens.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives
and recovering of sight to the blind,
to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
Luke 4:16-19
Are you in recovery? What's that, you might ask. Have you lost anything? The bigger question is are you lost? Maybe you aren't lost, but you've been found. If you've been found, have you recovered what was lost? What about what was lost before you were born? What about what was lost before your great, great, great, great, great grandparents were born?
My point is, did Jesus come to help you have a better day, get a better job, a better spouse, better health, better kids, better in-laws, a better political situation? Jesus laid out what he was about, quoting from the Prophet Isaiah, at his local meeting place.
Jesus is about what God is about. Jesus is the model for the church, what the church is to be about. Jesus and his church are all about recovery. Recovery is about getting back what was lost. We lose things in our lives, but we were also born in to lost-ness that goes back to the beginning of man and woman. Recovery is far more than being a 12 step member, although there's nothing wrong with that and 12 step fellowships are a good thing. It's bigger than that.
Jesus describes his mission here to people described four ways: poor, captive, blind, and oppressed. Jesus mission is the church's mission. Jesus was anointed by the same Holy Spirit that anoints Jesus followers to do Jesus mission today! The church has or is recovering the good news that brings recovery that it is also meant to walk in. We might have the message, but we need the anointing to proclaim it and for it to have affect. We might have the anointing, but we don't realize it until we take the risk to speak out the good news we have. So, go for it, and see what happens.
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