Psalm 19:7-10, 14

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the decrees of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.

Luke 4:14-21

Then Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding region. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. 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 bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Walking Home to Nazareth

            This morning we return to Luke and the story of Jesus as it continues in chapter 4. Luke 4 begins with the temptation. After his baptism, Jesus leaves the Jordan river and is led by the Holy Spirit in the wilderness where he is tempted for forty days. We will return to this section later on in March during Lent.

            Our reading from chapter 4 today picks up right after the temptation when Jesus returns to Galilee and begins his ministry. He was about 30 years old at this time. So, just to recap, he is baptized, he goes to the wilderness for forty days, and then he goes back home to Galilee, to Nazareth, the town where he grew up. The invitation this morning is to walk with Jesus. Let’s think about what this means for us right now.

            It’s about 65 miles. It probably took Jesus 3 or 4 days to get back home, walking north along the Jordan River. As Luke writes, “Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country.”

            Now, the Jordan River flows from the Sea of Galilee in the north, down to the Dead Sea in the south. And although I’ve never been there, it appears to be a beautiful river– meandering, dark green, an oasis in the desert. It’s a “riparian zone,” a desert location where water-loving plants flourish and create a unique environment, set apart from the surrounding desert. The Jordan is home to rich vegetation: willow, cottonwood, silver poplar, and box elder trees; buffalo berry, black hawthorn, and golden current shrubs; reeds, oleander, and tamarisk all create a rich wetland ecosystem.

            We can imagine Jesus walking along the river, walking back home to Nazareth, getting ready to begin his ministry. He was probably meeting and talking with people all along the way. I imagine there was something about him that drew others to him. I imagine that even the way he walked was remarkable, simply and calmly walking step by step, just being completely present with each step he took. It probably felt good to be in his presence, so calm and quiet, so peaceful.

            When we walk, do we actually experience walking? Walking just to walk. Not rushing, not trying to get something done, not hurrying to get somewhere else, always wanting to be somewhere other than where we actually are. But rather, just walking one step at a time. It seems like most people take walking for granted. It’s just a necessary means, a way to get somewhere else. It’s one of those things we don’t really appreciate until it’s gone, until we can’t do it anymore. But what is walking, after all? Isn’t it simply one step? Just this one step? And then, another. And another. And if we take a look at walking as a fact, this putting one foot in front of another, we might see it in a whole new way. We might see it as a miracle, the same way we watch with wonder when a child learns how to walk. Each step is a miracle in itself. Each step is complete in itself.

            On these cold winter days here in Maine, I like to think about Jesus walking along the Jordan River. I wonder what it was like to walk with him. Most likely there was a group of people walking with him. Maybe they were singing songs as they walked. Maybe they were praying, or just walking silently, listening to the crunch of their feet on the path and the sound of the water in the river.

God’s promise of salvation.

            When Jesus arrives in Nazareth, he goes to the synagogue and reads from Isaiah. He is now stepping into his position as a Rabbi, a leader and teacher. But more than this, he reveals his purpose when he reads: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind.” This is the message of salvation. This passage from Isaiah is also talking about us. We were captives of sin. We were blinded by sin. Now we are set free. Now we are given sight. At the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus is telling the people that he is the Messiah. He says, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” This is because Jesus is the embodiment of unconditional love. God’s love for us is unconditional. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) And this is exactly what Jesus did.

            So when he arrives at the synagogue in Nazareth, he proclaims the gospel message, the message of salvation. Salvation is freedom through forgiveness.   Salvation is the sudden realization of freedom. It is freedom from sin and guilt. Freedom from the painful memories of our mistakes, freedom from the burdens we have been carrying for so long. And salvation is sight. We see God’s love, our eyes are opened to God’s love because we are forgiven, because we are set free. This is such an amazing message. It’s the message of the cross. The guilt and the burden fall away, and we are free.

            This promise is found throughout the New Testament. One of my favorite expressions of it is 1st John 1:9. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

            So, we can walk with Jesus. We can walk with the disciples. Is this not a pleasant thing to do? We are assured we are forgiven, and then, we walk on the path of discipleship together with our brothers and sisters.

Arguing about words and ideas

            When I was in seminary, I went to school with students and teachers from all kinds of different backgrounds. Everyone brought different concerns and varying   beliefs to the school every day. I took classes in ethics and sociology, pastoral counseling and church history, culture and world religion, theology and philosophy–––so many classes, so many ideas, so much talking and writing, so many words, so many arguments about who is right and who is wrong. And I began to see that this kind of thing never ends. There is no end to arguments with words and ideas. But that is not the point of the gospel. And when Christians argue about these things, they are missing the point of the gospel.

            How pleasant it would be to walk with Jesus along the Jordan River. We can imagine the freedom he must have felt, the spiritual freedom he must have felt, while he was walking along the river. It was the beginning of his ministry. He was 30 years old. He was spiritually clean, newly baptized, untouched by the temptation in the desert, and now he was walking back to his home in Nazareth.

            We, too, can walk like this. We can make walking a prayer. Wherever we walk, we can walk as if we are walking along the Jordan River with Jesus. Walking from your car into the grocery store, walking home from church, walking to visit a friend, or even just walking down the hallway, you are walking, step by step. Each time we walk, each step matters. Every step is a prayer along the way.

            And when we walk, we are always stepping into freedom. We have to leave the past behind, walk away from the burden of the past, walk away from the pain and guilt of the past, and go forward, toward our destination.

            This is what salvation is. We walk away from the mistakes of the past, from our old life. We are forgiven in Christ, and we let go of the memory of past mistakes, let go of the burdens we have carried for so long. Put them down, and be free. Walk forward, with Jesus, into a new life, beginning right here and now.

            May it be so for us. Amen? Amen.