Things do not always turn out the way we expect. This is one of life’s little lessons, but not one we always enjoy learning. I remember at age 15, I got a summer job working on a farm. I thought it would be fun to be out in the fields, picking squash and watermelon and cutting collards. On first day of work, the farmer said, “If I tell you to run get “Ol’ Bess” from under the seat of the truck, it’s because there’s a rattlesnake and I need my trusty shot gun”. I didn’t know, nor was I expecting, to be endangering my life in the fields!

Then came the day I badly cut my hand with rusty kitchen knife while harvesting collard greens. The farmer drove me quickly back to his house to administer first aid, which was to be expected. However, the first aid consisted of pouring rubbing alcohol directly on the cut. Indeed, what I expected to be a fun summer where I could work on my tan in the fields turned into a series of unexpected events that are burned into my mind – and not in a good way!

            What about you? What things in your life have turned out differently than you thought? Did you get married, thinking you found the perfect person, but the relationship fell apart? Are you less popular at school than you dreamed and hoped to be? Does work bore you instead of bring you joy? Do you find yourself asking questions like, “Why here? Why now? Why me?” The unexpected can fill us with many emotions and present many challenges. Often, we find ourselves wondering exactly why events are unfolding as they are.

            The same would have been true for people living during the time of Jesus. Life was, indeed, not what they expected. Romans were occupying the land of Israel and the people were answering to leaders who were puppets of the government. The Jewish people were looking for - longing and hoping for- the Messiah to come. Many expected the Messiah to come with mighty strength and blazing power. The hoped the Messiah would overthrow the Roman government, restore the throne of David, and rule with justice.

            It is in the midst of these hopes and expectations that we find today’s gospel story. Jesus goes back home and visits the synagogue. As was the custom, guests were invited to read. He is handed the scroll of Isaiah and he reads the words we just heard. What is interesting is that this part of Isaiah was written to the Israelites as they returned from exile in Babylon. That, too, was a time when they found life was not what they expected. The lands were desolate, the times were hard, and the temple was not standing.  So, the prophet spoke to them, reminding them that God was still acting.

            So, too, the people hearing Jesus are reminded that God is still active, for Jesus says that the reading has been fulfilled in their hearing. It is wonderful good news, but also reveals that the Messiah is not who the people expected. Jesus is not a mighty military leader with power and legions of armies ready to overthrow Rome. Instead, he is the one who brings good news to the poor; proclaims release to the captives; makes the blind see; frees the oppressed; and proclaims the Lord’s favor. Jesus, the Messiah, comes to restore community and to draw people together.

            As the gospel progresses, Jesus does this. He forgives. He heals. He releases. He restores. He proclaims favor. Through his actions, Jesus brings people back into community and reminds us community looks like. Then Jesus does the most unexpected. He goes to cross, where he suffers and dies. Three days later, he is raised from the dead, showing that he is, indeed, the mighty and promised Messiah. He is the victor over sin and death and all the powers of this world. Through his life, death, and resurrection, Jesus restores creation to a right relationship with God.

            As those God forgives and restores to a right relationship, we see the many ways God continues to form community. In the waters of baptism, God claims us as children, marks us with the cross forever, joins us to the death and resurrection of Jesus, and joins us to the church. God joins us not just to Trinity, but to the whole church. God also gives us the community of this congregation, in which God gathers us and gives us the Holy Word. It is not an accident that we hear the scriptures proclaimed to us. This follows the traditions of the earliest church gatherings, as we saw in the Nehemiah text and in the gospel. People listen to scripture texts as they are read to them.

            In these passages, we also see that God calls us to hear scripture in community. In community, we listen to, struggle with, and discern how God speaks to us through texts. It is also in community that God feeds us with holy food of communion, forgiving our sins and knitting us together as God’s holy people, sent to do God’s work.

            Indeed, the community God shapes and forms is vital to us. In this community, we see, hear, and taste how God is active, releasing us from captivity to sin; opening our eyes to sufferings in the world; and freeing us from the oppression of sin and death

            How, then, do we live as this community of faith? We certainly do so through our ministries to children, youth, families, neighbors, and the world. We do so through shared experiences, like a chance for everyone to journey through gospel of Luke together or form centerpieces for tables throughout the church year. We do it through responding to God’s call to continue proclaiming the good news.

            What might this proclamation look like? Maybe it will take the form of developing ministries that address the root causes of poverty. Perhaps it will mean holding our tongues instead of gossiping or looking at our neighbor’s actions in the best possible light. Maybe it will mean welcoming those who are outcasts, for whatever reason, to be an integral part of our community. For indeed, this is what Christ did. By restoring health and wholeness to others, he brought them back into the bounds of community.

            Whatever form our response to God takes, following God’s call will lead us to unexpected people and places and will shape our lives together in unexpected ways. Through it all, God will provide comfort and strength, even when life is not quite what we expect. After all, this is what God does. God acts in ways we do not expect and pulls us together as a community, forgiving us, restoring us, and welcoming us. The good news is that God is always acting, even when we wonder why things have turned out the way they have. Even more powerful is that this active God will meet us and exceed our expectations by leaps and bounds. For God constantly shows favor to us, God’s children and sends us to proclaim that favor to others.  So we go! We go to proclaim the good news of the favor of the Lord. And what do you know? God is with us and active every step of the way.

© 2010, Rev. Todd A. Cutter. Please do not reproduce or distribute without permission.