Thursday 5 December 2024 The Revd Jacky Embrey,

Thursday 5 December 2024

St Luke 4: 42 – 44

At daybreak Jesus departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowds were looking for him; and when they reached him, they wanted to prevent him from leaving them.  But he said to them, ‘I must proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.’  So he continued proclaiming the message in the synagogues of Judea.

Reflection

Early in his ministry, Jesus preached in his home synagogue at Nazareth. There he was forcefully rejected. At that point, he could have given up his ministry and gone back to the trade he knew. After all, he was presumably the head of the family by then, and family ties can be a very strong pull. However, Jesus knew that God was calling him to a wider ministry.

So Jesus moved on to Capernaum, the home of his new friend Simon, where he was received very differently. There they marvelled at his authority. There he healed many people. There the crowd clamoured for him to stay

Jesus could have stayed there, comfortable in the acclaim of the people. He could still have carried on preaching and teaching, healing and sharing.  However, Jesus knew that his calling was wider than this. He had to go on to other places and other things, leaving behind the security of this place where he had found acceptance.

These are only a couple of the many decision points in Jesus’  life. Earlier he had decided to stay in Nazareth, until he was ready to go into the wilderness and to ask for baptism by John. It can be easy to forget that a decision not to do anything new is as much a decision as the most radical change.

One of our greatest temptations is to stick with the status quo, not risking anything that might disturb us or those whom we love. Jesus was not one to stick to the status quo, however comfortable it might be. Jesus knew that there was a decision to be made each day about where his calling might be taking him next. We too must continue to ask what we are called to next, especially if we are comfortable where we are today.

Prayer

Living and loving God,
We praise you that you know and love each of us,
and that you call each of us to play our part
in your mission here on earth.
Open our hearts and minds to hear your call afresh each day.
Help us, when it is your will, to let go of the familiar and comfortable
and to journey to pastures new with you.
Thanks be to God
Amen