A Beacon of Hope
Luke 4:14-22
Why do you suppose that Jesus made that proclamation that he did? Did Jesus make his claim so that he would become famous? Did Jesus hope that he would have a lot of followers so that he could become prosperous? Perhaps Jesus wanted to become a King or a Bishop (yes I know they didn’t have Bishops yet.)
It seems to me that Jesus chose this reading from Isaiah because he knew that now is the time to bring good news to the poor, now is the time to release the captives and bring sight to the blind. Now is the time to let the oppressed go free. I believe that we are being called to continue to find ways to follow our Mission Statement.
Beacon of Diversity
We will continue to be a Church where everyone is welcome to worship and grow in faith. We will work with our local community to bring a better understanding of diversity.
Becoming a Disciple for Jesus Christ
Discipleship is more than a one time event. While it is important to make a commitment to Christ, that initial commitment must be followed by a lifetime of commitments.
We are not inviting others to a quick decision or an easy answer. We are inviting others into a spiritual journey. A journey that experiences the great joy of a new birth. A journey that experiences the grief of death. A journey that has obvious signs of the activity of God. A journey that sometimes seems void of anything Holy.
I believe that there are thousands of people in Longview and Kelso who are spiritually hungry. Our task is simply to invite others to share their spiritual journey with us, and we will share ours with them.
Our efforts to continue to grow are not for our glory. It is not so that the preacher feels good. It’s not so that we feel more popular. Our efforts to grow are so that others can have similar experiences of the living God.
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