Scripture: Luke 4:18
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to the prisoners and recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed…
Thought for the Day: Many scholars view this as Jesus’ purpose statement or his vision and mission. I am struck by the phrase “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me…,” specifically the word upon. The Greek word we translate as upon is ep’ – a preposition that can be translated as upon, by, before, over or on. As I think about the Spirit’s relationship to Jesus, the presence and proximity of the Spirit to Jesus cannot be easily explained. Maybe using all those possible translations could be useful. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, by me, before me, over me and on me…and a few other ways as well. Does the Spirit relate to us in a similar way? I can’t fully fathom exactly how it works, but I imagine the Spirit has the capacity to be in the moment and to be a part of our lives, while at the same time being respectful of our free will. At times, we can sense and even point to that Holy Presence nudging us, but most of the time we are probably completely inattentive and unaware of the Spirt upon, by, before, over and on our lives. Though I imagine it continues to work in quiet and subtle ways.
Prayer: Through the discipline of prayer and meditation, worship and study, service and silence, allow me to grow in my awareness of you, O Spirit of Life. Let me both recognize you and relinquish my ways to your ways. Amen.
FINAL SERMON
Focusing On The Trinity
