“Speaking the Word” - Pastor Hines January 23, 2022

 

“Speaking the Word” - Pastor Hines

January 23, 2022

Do we ever wonder if there is more to ministry than handing out cans of soup? When we are hungry soup helps. When we are hurting…we need help. God has plans for our healing and help. A friend reminded me this week of the Max Lucado quote: “God wants our whole heart and God wants our hearts whole.”  

God has plans for our healing and help. God has plans for us to bless others so that they can be healed and helped! Don’t you want to be a part of God’s plan?

We have access to the same anointing that Jesus had, the one that he read about from the Prophet Isaiah. He is anointed – called, commissioned, given authority, guided…

Number 1, Jesus says he is anointed to bring good news to the poor. Have you given good news to the poor lately? I had a friend who was homeless for a minute. The reason I say for a minute was because he had gambled his rent money away and was evicted from his apartment. He was leaving town, but his train would not be leaving until the next day. He had nowhere to stay. He slept illegally in the empty apartment haven turned in the key, but he left the door unlocked. As I prayed for him, the Holy Spirit comforted me with the words, “He will only be homeless for a minute.” Homelessness is homelessness, but it is a blessing to only be homeless for a minute. He had made poor decisions, but my good news to him was that I was concerned and praying for him. I could not, would not give him any money, but I did give him good news that I was a friend who was praying for him and would follow the Lord’s lead on helping him where I could.

2. Jesus was able to proclaim release to the captives. Has he spoken a word that gave you freedom when you were stuck? What’s your testimony? Have you proclaimed release to any captives lately? What are some of the ways you see people being stuck, or captive, or caught up in something that is less than good? Is it a relationship, addiction, depression? If we stand still long enough, perhaps God will give you the words that can set someone free in their mind. God may give you the money like Tim Tebow is using his money to set trafficked women and children free from slavery. There are many ways to set someone free. Perhaps there is someone to whom you can speak forgiveness that they might be set free. Perhaps you can do a kind deed and release someone from the prison of isolation during this pandemic. What would life look like for you if you proclaimed freedom to someone who is captive to something

3. Jesus was anointed, chosen to bring recovery of sight to the blind, not just those who were physically blind. I recorded a book for a blind man when I was at Baltimore City Community College. He was one of the meanest men I have ever met. He cussed up a storm. He had a foul, mean vocabulary and a nasty tone. He seemed angry all the time. He was cruel to his wife and given half a chance, he would be rude and irritable to me when I was doing him a favor. Most would agree that given a choice it would be more important that he be healed spiritually and emotionally than physically. Some might say that he was a mean and nasty man because he was physically blind. No matter what our circumstances, It’s not so much what happens to us so much as what happens in us. Is your light shining so that someone can see their way to being a better person today? Can we appreciate the idea that when we draw closer to God, God draws us closer to one another? That’s true for couples, countries, teams and toddlers.  

4. Jesus was anointed to let the oppressed go free. This is God’s word. What a wonderful thing that we have God’s word. God’s word puts the most important people and things right in our face so we can’t miss them. As good Christians, we find it hard to look into the eyes and the lives of anyone who is suffering oppression.  Who has ever been oppressed and does not want to be free? No one wants to be oppressed. No one wants to be down or out. No one. Is there anything you can do, great or small to let the oppressed go free? You’re probably already doing something small or great to ease someone’s suffering. Yet, it is good to keep our hearts and minds open. What would happen if we prayed daily, “ Lord, is there someone you would have me serve today?”  

5. Jesus was anointed to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. The year of the Lord’s favor is associated with the year of Jubilee. Ancient celebrations of the year of Jubilee meant your debts were wiped off the books.  That was good news for people who took out loans and had mortgages, but it was not necessarily good news for bankers, except that it is indeed better to give than to receive. Jubilee, like the year of God’s favor that Jesus proclaimed, was a proclamation of a windfall, a wonderful restoration of property, or a release from servitude.

Favor was not so much about God doing us a favor as it was and is today about God reminding us that we are special. We are all God’s favorites. God has promised to bless all of us and never leave any of us and even invites all of us into a covenant, an agreement - to become all we can be, to bear much spiritual fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  

How wonderful it is to be invited into a loving covenant since there is so much uncertainty in this world? Aren’t you glad you don’t have to maneuver in this world without the help of a higher power?  

 

Jesus proclaimed the year of the Lord’s favor and we can too. We can do so by learning how to treat all God’s children as favored and special, which first begins with our treating each other as human beings…God will do the rest. Go forth today and #1 let God help you be the good news to the poor, #2 release someone who is stuck in poverty or violence, #3 shine a path bright enough for someone to find their way out of bad behavior, #4 free the oppressed and those crushed underneath the strong and greedy and finally #5 let someone know with or without words that God knows they are special and you know it too! Amen.