The Shepherd’s Voice
Archive for January, 2010
Readings for Sunday, January 24th
Neh 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
Ps 19
1 Cor 12:12-31a
Lk 4:14-21
Filled With the Power of the Holy Spirit – The Shepherd’s Voice from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church on Vimeo.
What does it mean to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit? As we put this term into context we see Jesus has just completed his wilderness experience where hunger, holiness and height all played a role. Three times, Satan tempted Jesus, but failed in the process and Jesus, ‘filled with the power of the power of the Spirit returned to Galilee.’
From that context we can see that evil offsets good, there is a conflict between good and evil that exists in this world, but many of us want to turn our heads and ignore or avoid this confrontation. We often want to say to our kids, our friends, our family, our coworkers, it’s okay, it wasn’t that bad that you didn’t stand up for the truth, it’s not so bad to just listen to gossip, it’s okay to withhold honoring God on the weekend, it’s okay to hang on to your money even when you see someone else in need.
It wasn’t okay for Jesus in the wilderness, he said no to temptation and he was ‘filled with the power of the power of the Spirit.’ If you want to be filled with the power of the Spirit you must learn how to say no to evil, no to temptation, it requires discipline with God’s help.
After returned to Galilee he (Jesus) came to Nazareth and went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. Jesus filled with the power of the Spirit went to the synagogue. Luke said it was his custom, which means it was a habit or discipline.
We don’t always think of Jesus as a person of discipline, but going to the synagogue was a discipline, a habit, a custom to be followed for him. Often how we live, what we do with our time, our talent, and/or our treasure is a matter of discipline, a way of life.
Jesus made going to the synagogue a discipline, even though he was a person filled with the power of the Spirit. Or, is it that because he went to the synagogue in a disciplined way, he was filled with the power of the Spirit. Perhaps this is one of those chicken and egg situations.
In my own life I boil it down to ‘what you believe in you have time for.’ I have noticed this over the years with exercise. How many here exercise 5 times a week? Doctors recommend it. Our bodies need it in order to stay healthy and yet I can come up with at least a dozen reasons why I should skip it today.
Wendy called, it was important I talk to her, I couldn’t get to exercise today. Lulu needed some attention, for those that don’t know Sharon and I have adopted a new puppy, and yes Lulu the puppy needs attention. I have a sore foot today, it’s better I not exercise today. I needed to get to work early today to meet someone; I had to skip my exercise today.
See how easy it is to skip exercise with just a little logic and of course good reasons. If I were truly disciplined I wouldn’t continue to make excuses.
Jesus, even though he was filled with the power of the Spirit went to synagogue as a matter of discipline, custom.
This particular day when Jesus was reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah something rather surprising happened. Now before we go into that let me point out something about reading scripture.
We can also see this in our first reading from Nehemiah 8 where they told ‘Ezra to bring the book of the law of Moses,’…. ‘He read from it facing the square before the Water Gate from early morning until midday’….. ‘all the people answered, “Amen, Amen,” lifting up their hands. Then they bowed their heads and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.’
Reading God’s Word in the synagogue (the meeting place of discussion) goes back thousands of years and honoring God’s Word as we do in this church has a rich tradition. The reason we stand when the gospel is read is because it shows a reverence, a respect for God’s Word. We could call this a spiritual discipline or tradition for us.
In our gospel Jesus, in dramatic fashion unrolls the scroll and 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,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
He re-wraps the scroll and sits down.
Often we look at this text and highlight that Jesus was the fulfillment of scripture and it is made very clear here. That’s true, important, and substantial, but it’s not what I want you to wrap you mind around this morning.
Isaiah said it, Jesus read it, when the Spirit of the Lord is upon us it changes us. When we avoid temptation, as in Jesus did in the wilderness it changes us, we become filled with the power of the Spirit. So it would seem that becoming filled with the power of the Holy Spirit starts with spiritual discipline. The discipline of reading scripture, the discipline of going to church, the discipline of staying connected to God.
If we don’t exercise we become frail, weak, brittle, and flabby. The same is true in our own spiritual lives, our connectedness to God fades, we become flabby.
Powell recalls a story about a woman who came to him early in his life as a parish pastor and asked him ‘How can I love God more?’ They don’t really focus on answering these kinds of questions in seminary, I can attest to that, so he was at a loss.
He said he could recite all the should’s from scripture, but he found this wasn’t helpful. How can you make your heart love God? It was then that a verse came to him that seemed helpful. It was something Jesus said, which is found both in Luke and Matthew.
(Matt 6:21, Luke 12:34) For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Some people use this to mean that where your heart is that’s where you will spend your money, but that’s sort of backwards. If we take a critical look at this phrase and study the Greek it really says where you put your money, spend your time and talents your heart will follow that trail or path. Where you put your treasure, time, and talent that’s where you heart will end up. You do have control!
For some of us, this may sound like some very bad news; however, I say this is really good news. We have control over where we want our hearts to be, to go. How can I love God more – do more for God and your heart will follow.
Our secular society has turned this biblical concept on its head always talking about love this, love that, making us think that if we don’t feel like giving time or talent we shouldn’t do it. Stewardship is NOT about feeling, it’s a matter of the heart.
In fact “Mortals look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7) Religion that does not come “from the heart” is rejected in the Bible as mere “human doctrine.” (Mark 7:6-7)
Jesus said over and over again, what we do with our treasure, our time, talent, and energy affects our hearts – in fact it determines who we are inside. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
God loves us and wants our hearts to be turned toward Him. We can know all the should’s, we can hear all the law, we can be told that we should love God and love one another, but how can we love God more? Only through spiritual discipline, only through stepping out in faith and giving to God.
This is NOT rocket science. God made it so easy for us to understand, if we want to love God more, we need to love God more — with time, talent and treasure. Here love is a verb, an action word.
When Sharon and I went to Marriage Encounter we learned something very surprising about the word love. We learned love is NOT a feeling; it’s an action, something we do.
Maybe it could be stated this way. Love is a discipline where it is easier to act oneself into a new way of thinking than to think oneself into a new way of acting.
Isaiah said it, Jesus read it, if you want to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit bring good news to the poor, proclaim release to the captives, help the blind receive their sight, and enable the oppressed go free.
All actions, all require discipline, all allow you to be filled with the power of the Spirit. Think about God’s call on your life today as we sing ‘Here I Am, Lord.’
Amen
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