Daily Readings - Mon Aug 31 2020
1 Corinthians
1When I came to you, brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.2For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.3I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling.4My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power,5so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.
Luke
16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read.17The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:18"The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed,19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."20Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,21and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."22All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. "Isn't this Joseph's son?" they asked.23Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to me: 'Physician, heal yourself! Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.'"24"I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.27And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian."28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter profound lessons about humility, faith, and the challenges of living out our mission as followers of Christ. The first reading from 1 Corinthians reminds us that the power of God’s message does not lie in human wisdom or eloquence but in the simplicity and truth of the Gospel. Paul humbly acknowledges his limitations, trusting instead in the Spirit to convey the transformative power of Christ crucified. This passage invites us to reflect on our own reliance on God’s grace rather than our own strengths.
The Gospel from Luke presents Jesus in His hometown synagogue, where He announces His mission to bring hope and liberation to the marginalized. Yet, despite His words of grace, the people’s admiration quickly turns to anger when He challenges their expectations. Jesus’ experience reminds us that living out our faith can lead to rejection, even among those closest to us. Like the prophets before Him, Jesus faces resistance, but He remains steadfast in His mission, trusting in God’s plan.
These readings call us to embrace humility and trust in God’s power as we navigate our own challenges. Like Paul, we are to rely on the Spirit’s strength, not our own. Like Jesus, we are to remain faithful, even when our efforts are met with opposition. In our daily lives, this means living with courage and compassion, willing to take risks for the sake of the Gospel. Let us ask for the grace to trust in God’s power and to persevere in our mission, no matter the obstacles we may face.