“No Stopping the Spirit”

Third Sunday after Epiphany

January 26, 2025

Holy Spirit in Fire

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10

Luke 4:14-21

Children’s Message:

Have you given any thought to what you want to do when you grow up?

Even when I was in college, I was absolutely sure I was NOT going to be a pastor. Oh well. Let me share this book from Al Yankovic called “When I Grow Up.” Young Billy has all sorts of ideas about what to do when you grow up.

What do you think? Do any of those sound good? I wonder if Jesus knew what he would be when he grew up. Well, today we hear that as an adult, he definitely knew. And he told his family and friends. He was sent by God to be the savior of the world. And you know what God wants us to be? God’s children.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank you for sending making us all your children. Show us the way to follow you faithfully. Amen.

Message:

In the power of the Spirit, Jesus returned to Galilee as he taught across the region in their synagogues and among their people. In the power of the Spirit. Forty days after his baptism in which the Spirit encompassed him and God anointed him as God’s own Beloved and Favored. In the power of the Spirit. As soon as he returned from the wilderness and the temptations, driven there by the same Spirit. In the power of the Spirit, he claimed his anointing, he claimed his ministry, he claimed his message—and he began to teach and preach.

In the power of the Spirit. Because there’s no stopping the Spirit.

I’m not sure how I feel about how the lectionary splits up the whole story between this week and next. Because they belong together. Today, we hear how Jesus was initially received. All the people were loud in their praise. They celebrated him. They welcomed him. They loved his message and heard the good news he offered.

Until he came to Nazareth—his home town. This wasn’t his first time in this synagogue. It was his custom to go there—to learn, to read, to worship, even to teach. And the synagogue, unlike the Temple, was a place where all cold gather—men, women, children. It wasn’t segregated.

Jesus read from the prophet Isaiah—what we get are portions from chapters 61 and 58. So far, so good. They’ve heard it before, they’ll hear it again. But today’s reading ends with Jesus dropping the bomb: “Today, in your hearing, this scripture passage is being fulfilled.” Today. Today, I AM. And that will change everything.

Next week, our reading will start with that and go on to tell about the reaction of the people. And it’s not good. Oh, at first it seems okay. What he says today isn’t the turning point, really. But it’s the foundation of the turning point. What will really get the people is how Jesus refuses to do these very miracles—heal the blind, release the captive—in Nazareth. They’ll hear him remind them about the miracles performed for outsiders, Gentiles, people who don’t even believe. And they’ll hear him point out that just because they are descendants of Abraham, just because they are Jews, just because this is where he grew up, just because they belong to Israel doesn’t make them special. It doesn’t make them closer to God. And it doesn’t put them first above all others.

He will call them out, and they will fight back. But it all begins with bringing good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, sight to the blind, and release to those in prison. It begins with a Jubilee—the year of God’s favor. A turning point that decentralizes the chosen people of Israel.

Because Jesus knows what the people have forgotten. There’s no stopping the Spirit.

The Spirit doesn’t follow party lines or national borders. The Spirit doesn’t care about genealogy or names. The Spirit isn’t deferential to wealth or power. The Spirit will not be boxed in—by anyone.

Rev. Dr. Cheryl Lindsay points out that the Good News is always communal. It is always restorative. It is always generous. Anything less isn't good news. She goes on to say,

“In the synagogue that day, the listeners were amazed…almost as if they had not heard this message before. Perhaps, they heard it anew…with new emphasis and impact. Perhaps, the people in that room who had grown accustomed to the idea of waiting for their Messiah were surprised at the reminder that they were not the ones the Chosen One would come to save. Those who expected a conquering king did not look forward to a compassionate companion.”[1]

And then she challenges us before we get too self-righteous by asking what it is that WE proclaim? What do WE tell people about the good news—with our words, our worship, our witness? What do WE have to say for the oppressed, the vulnerable, the marginalized? She says, “Have we become preoccupied with our own salvation? Has the maintenance of our structures become the focus of our communal energy and efforts? Has the survival of the church (or, I might add, our country), as we know it, superseded the condition of our neighbor as our primary concern?”

We celebrated MLK Day this past Monday—an auspicious day as the country also inaugurated a new president. Many have forgotten that Martin Luther King, Jr. was a deeply polarizing and unpopular figure in his day. To most, he was considered a troublemaker and rabble-rouse. Many actually cheered upon hearing of his death. Now, we celebrate him. We sanitize his message—much like we sanitize the message of Jesus. To make it palatable. To make it ‘nice.’ To make it easier to hear for those who find themselves on the side of the oppressors.

The day before he was murdered, King declared, “Somehow the preacher must be an Amos, and say, ‘Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.’ Somehow, the preacher must say with Jesus, ‘The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to deal with the problems of the poor.’”

His message of liberty and freedom got him killed. Jesus’ message of liberty and freedom got him killed. Because good news for the poor is often bad news for the wealthy and powerful, and they will not want to hear it. The Spirit of Truth, Hope, Grace, Love, and Mercy is often not well-received by the powers-that-be. But there’s no stopping the Spirit.

In fact, we are compelled to follow the Spirit when and where she leads—even when she leads us into the wilderness. The African-American gospel hymn says,

“I’m gonna sing when the Spirit says ‘sing.’

I’m gonna sing when the Spirit says ‘sing.’

I’m gonna sing when the Spirit says ‘sing.’

And obey the Spirit of the Lord.”

I’m gonna preach when the Spirit says preach,

I’m gonna preach when the Spirit says preach,

I’m gonna preach when the Spirit says preach,

And obey the Spirit of the Lord.

Because, my friends, there’s no stopping the Spirit.

Pastor Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE

[1] Rev. Dr. Cheryl A. Lindsay, “Sermon Seeds: Proclaim,” commentary on Luke 4:14-21. https://www.ucc.org/sermon-seeds/sermon-seeds-proclaim/