In our gospel reading this morning, we come across some very angry folks in Jesus hometown of Nazareth. <\/p>\n

These are ordinary, run of the mill folks. They aren\u2019t Pharisees who have a beef with Jesus. They aren\u2019t disciples \u2013 those people who chose to follow Jesus and who should understand. No, these are small town people \u2013 a lot like you and me \u2013 who are just trying to get by. <\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Last week in our gospel reading, we remember that Jesus came back to his hometown after being away for a while. He walked in through the doors of the church and everyone was so happy to have him back again. I can imagine lots of handshakes and hugs going around as Jesus was passed from one person to the next. I can even imagine an older lady or two wanting to pinch his cheeks. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

Jesus grew up among these folks. They knew him his whole life. And here he returns and they are just waiting for the hometown boy to make good. They are waiting for him to show off all of the stuff that he has learned out there in the big wide world. <\/div>\n

So when the time comes for the reading of scripture, the scroll was handed to Jesus. And he found the place in Isaiah where it says: “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.”<\/p>\n

Now, Jewish custom in church was not to have one person give a sermon, but the leaders of the church would have the opportunity to comment on the reading and to bring up insights. In many ways, that\u2019s what we do in our bible studies \u2013 especially the roundtable pulpit. Every voice is heard and respected. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

Well, Jesus finished his reading and he too had a comment to make about this passage from Isaiah. All he said was, \u201cToday this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.\u201d <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

In Mark\u2019s gospel \u2013 just giving that little speech sets the crowds off in a tizzy \u2013 they can\u2019t believe his arrogance, they want to know who he thinks he is to claim such things. After all, he is the kid they grew up with, that little snot-nosed bugger from down the street. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

In Luke\u2019s version of the story \u2013 that is not what the people are upset by. In fact, they are pretty amazed at first. Oh my, could this really be Joseph\u2019s son? Where did he learn so much? <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

No, what get\u2019s the people mad and upset and full enough of rage that they want to throw him off of a cliff is that Jesus picks a fight with them. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

After he\u2019s been gushed upon and praised, Jesus starts to get a little concerned that perhaps the people need to have a little reality check. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

\u201cThis scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing \u2013 but unfortunately, I\u2019m not talking about for you. \u201c <\/p>\n

In Luke\u2019s gospel \u2013 Jesus has been sent to be a light to the Gentiles. His mission is to bring about the kingdom of God, but he starts not with his own people from his hometown, not with the Jewish people, but with strangers and foreigners\u2026 <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

Maybe to think of a modern parable for this story, it would be as if someone that grew up here in Marengo, someone loved and respected, went off to college and graduate school. And then the came back into town with fanfare and that young woman told everyone \u2013 I\u2019m going to lift this community out of poverty and rehabilitate all of the people in the prison, and I\u2019m going to bring jobs and good things to this town, and I\u2019m going to fill the pews of this church. And then, she choses to do so by working only with illegal immigrants in Williamsburg. <\/div>\n

<\/div>\n

The kingdom was still going to come \u2013 they were just going to have to wait a little bit longer. <\/div>\n

Would you be upset by that? Your hometown hero comes back to raise all of your hopes and then you think that they just dashed them to the ground. <\/p>\n

The people were enraged \u2013 angry enough to kill \u2013 whipped up into a frenzy when they dragged Jesus to the brow of Nazareth Cliff\u2026 but it wasn\u2019t his time, and he walked away from the fray without a scratch. <\/p>\n

Jesus found himself coming home to a lot of discontented people. They were unhappy about how life had been going in their midst. They were hoping that maybe this one would turn out to be their savior\u2026 and he was, and he would be \u2013 but since he wasn\u2019t exactly who they wanted him to be, their discontentment kicked in and they kicked him out. <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/a>There are people who live in a perpetual state of discontentment. In your bulletins, you may have noticed that that word is typed a little funny. That\u2019s because I really want to focus this morning about the states we choose to live in. The attitudes we choose to clothe ourselves with. <\/div>\n

Some people in this world are never happy. They can surround themselves with all of the good things in life and they will still find something to complain about. They can attend the best church in the city and they will still find something to be angry about and they will leave and try somewhere else. They can have the best husband or wife on the planet, and still they will nag and bicker. Do you know any of these people? Have they pitched their disconTENTment near you? <\/p>\n

For the past few weeks, we have been exploring in Sunday school and our special Thursday night study the roots of this discontentment. Yes, we are talking on the surface about finances and money \u2013 but underneath all of that are things like greed, and pride, envy and sloth. <\/p>\n

Underneath all of our financial turmoil is the simple fact that sin is present in the world. <\/p>\n

While there are many ways that we can talk about sin \u2013 I think one of the best images for sin is turning our back to God. We turn our back to the good things that God offers us and instead seek our welfare, seek our happiness in things and money or food or alcohol or power or might. <\/p>\n

In doing so, we are setting up the poles and laying out the stakes of discontentment. We may be erecting a fine and beautiful tent \u2013 it may be expensive and it might keep us warm\u2026 but it will never make us content. It will never make us happy. <\/p>\n

There is only one thing that can bring us joy and happiness in this life. And we find a glimpse of it in 1 Corinthians. <\/p>\n

Paul is writing to a group of Christians who have it all. They have people who are ready and willing to work \u2013 they have resources and money and gifts and talents. But they fight amongst themselves constantly. They are always trying to prove who is better, who is the most fit for leadership, they are always arguing about what color the carpet should be in the sanctuary and about who gets to hand out the offering plates and who should count the money. <\/p>\n

Okay \u2013 well maybe those are a few 21st century things to fight about \u2013 but you get the picture. They may be faithful Christians, but they are still living in their old discontentments. <\/p>\n

This would most assuredly be a church that would try to kick Jesus out of town if he ever really stopped by. He would probably have something truthful and challenging to say to them \u2013 just like he did to the people of his hometown \u2013 and they probably would have nothing to do with it. <\/p>\n

Our Apostle Paul hears about the mess that they have made of their church and so he writes to them. (note: writing a letter is a whole lot safer than showing up in person sometimes!). He writes a letter to them and wants to encourage them to be their best selves. He tells them that they are the body of Christ and that each of them has an important role to play in the church. He tells them that each of them is gifted and that they should pay attention to and rely upon the gifts of others. He tells them they need to give and accept help and to treat all members with respect. <\/p>\n

And then he launches into a beautiful part of his letter that is very familiar to us. <\/p>\n

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
.
All of this stuff that you think is so important \u2013 Paul writes \u2013 all of this stuff that you are arguing about, it means absolutely diddly squat if there isn\u2019t love in the midst of your community. You could have the most money or be the most talented or live in the most beautiful house, or even have the most elegant prayers and the most book knowledge\u2026. But all of it is for nothing if there is not love in your life.<\/p>\n
Paul\u2019s not just talking about the romantic love between two people. He\u2019s talking about deep, sustaining love. He\u2019s talking about the love that knits people and communities together. He\u2019s talking about the love that only comes from God. <\/p>\n
What if, instead of living in discontentment \u2013 we learned how to live content in God\u2019s love? <\/p>\n
How would our lives be different? <\/p>\n
How would the response of Nazareth have been different if instead of being jealous and full of rage when Jesus went to minister among other people they had love in their hearts for the broken and hurting people of Capernum? <\/p>\n
How would the church in Corinth be different if the people stopped fighting with one another and instead worked together to bring God\u2019s love to the people of their city and the world? <\/p>\n
How would your life be different, if you stopped working so that you could get things and be happy, and instead, in all things worked with God\u2019s love at the forefront of your mind? <\/p>\n
3 ways to be content from the book\u2026.
– \u201cit could be worse\u201d
– Count your blessings and give thanks
– Know where your true joy lies \u2013 know that only in the ground of God\u2019s love are we sustained \u2013 only when we pitch our tent there will we find abiding peace.<\/p>\n
Story of a man who was angry with his wife and so he stormed out of the house and grumbled to God. Just like that definition of sin earlier, he turned his back on his wife and the love that was there and he was discontented. But something happened. There was a change in his heart as God worked on him there. He turned around back towards his house \u2013 just like he was turning back to God. And he was reminded of all the wonderful things about his wife and began thanking God for them. <\/p>\n
In our lives \u2013 too often we turn our backs on God and the good things that God blesses us with. We want things our way and we deny the contentment at our fingertips. <\/p>\n
But we also have a chance to turn around. Did you know that the literal definition for repentence \u2013 the greek word – is metanoia. It means to turn around \u2013 to do a 180, to turn from living with our backs to God and instead turn and face him with our faces. To seek him as the source of all our joy and happiness. To live our lives in his love. <\/p>\n
Today \u2013 that is our blessing. That God\u2019s grace turns us around and we have a chance to face God once more. To lay aside all that has pulled us kicking and screaming into our discontented lives and to rest in the joy of God\u2019s abiding peace. <\/p>\n
What tent will you live in?<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In our gospel reading this morning, we come across some very angry folks in Jesus hometown of Nazareth. These are ordinary, run of the mill folks. They aren\u2019t Pharisees who have a beef with Jesus. They aren\u2019t disciples \u2013 those people who chose to follow Jesus and who should understand. No, these are small town…<\/span><\/p>\n
Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[1],"tags":[28,218,326,533,542,598,610,614,658,662,829,916],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7cYpi-8J","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvagedfaith.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvagedfaith.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvagedfaith.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvagedfaith.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvagedfaith.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=541"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/salvagedfaith.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/541\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/salvagedfaith.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvagedfaith.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/salvagedfaith.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}