12/6/15---Sent: Jesus Sets us Free

On this second Sunday of Advent, we light the candle of peace. We will hear a word of how Jesus sets us free. And we will partake in Holy Communion.

Peace, freedom, and Communion.

The Scriptures tell us:

Jesus Christ is our peace. (Ephesians 2:14)

He is the Prince of Peace, 
and the fruit of His presence is peace. (Isaiah 9:6; Galatians 5:22)

Christ comes to bring justice, wholeness, and harmony 
to every relationship throughout all creation.
He wants to continually grant us peace in every situation. (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

Luke 4: 16-19, our focus passage for Sunday, says:

When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

“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.”

In our Holy Communion liturgy, we remember that Christ did what God sent him to do:

Your (God's) Spirit anointed him to preach good news to the poor,

to proclaim release to the captives

and recovering of sight to the blind,

to set at liberty those who are oppressed,

and to announce that the time had come

when you would save your people.

He healed the sick, fed the hungry, and ate with sinners.

So come this Sunday, ready to be set free from your burdens, ready to be at peace with God and with others, ready to be nourished by the spiritual food that God has made ready for you in Jesus Christ.