“50th Jubilee”
For about four years a while back, I lectured at Laidlaw College in preaching.
And throughout the course students would preach three times in class.
It was always a very nervous time for them.
Most wanted to be the first to preach to get it over with.
And anyway – away they would go and preach.
Naturally there was a wide range of experience and giftedness evident.
There were some sermons which remain prominent in the mind.
Like the one when the student began with an illustration for his introduction.
A story.
But the story went on and on and on.
They have a set amount of time – and his introduction took all his time and he never actually preached the sermon.
Then there was the student who was from the states and studying here for a semester before returning to the bible college in America to continue her studies.
Her sermon was memorable because she used it as an occasion to profess her love of a fellow student back in the States.
Problem was – he didn’t even know she existed. And he most certainly didn’t know he had a secret admirer (although she would say “future wife”).
She even had a photo on PowerPoint of him. She thought it was safe to declare her love in her sermon because it was in NZ and not the States.
For all those sermons – if there is one area students would fall down in it was this:
Application.
Taking a passage of scripture – explaining it and then applying it.
Making it make sense for us today in our lives.
Making connections so that the Living and Preached Word can become the Lived and Experienced Word.
But for all that – I was spared having to deal with one beginning preacher who I heard about.
Like the others – his downfall was application.
The “so what?” of the sermon.
When he began the sermon there was an initial delay because he hadn’t bookmarked the place in the bible from where he was preaching.
So the congregation waited until he found the place.
Then he read the passage but whether it was nerves or whatever – but he didn’t actually read all of the passage and stopped too soon and missed out a really important part.
Then there was silence.
There was a mixture of apprehension and expectation of what will he say next?
It was the moment when this sermon could go really really well or really really badly.
But then he began to speak and redeemed himself quite well.
Very well in fact.
Actually people later described it as nothing short of amazing.
Especially so because some knew him before he began preaching.
But “amazing” unfortunately could not sum up the entire sermon.
Like many beginning preachers – his downfall was his application.
It was quite frankly offensive.
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity and it was blown.
I have the transcript of the sermon – let me read it to you.
[Read Luke 4:14-30]
Allow me to point out for you the good and bad bits of this sermon.
You see the first thing He did wrong was turning up to worship without His own Bible.
And He wasted people’s time by having to find the place to read from.
Anyway – the wait was worth it because Isa 61 is a beautiful and glorious passage of scripture.
So at least He chose a worthwhile passage to work with.
"“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, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”" (Luke 4:18-19, NIV)
Thing is though – after reading “To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” He didn’t read the most important verse.
The next one – “and the day of vengeance of our God”.
That’s important because we need to know that the ungodly are going to be judged.
Those who don’t follow God.
So that is a mark against Him.
It changes the theology of what He is saying you see.
Where He stops instead highlights that it is the Year of the Lord’s Favour; that now is the day of salvation.
And that judgement is for another time but it would be good if He could emphasise that God is judging now.
Instead He is suggesting, actually declaring, that the 50th Year of Jubilee is here and here to stay.
And that He Himself is somehow intimately involved in such an event.
That the Spirit of the Lord is on Him.
That He is preaching good news, and freedom for prisoners, sight for the blind and release for the oppressed.
I hadn’t really thought of it before – but I suppose the Spirit of the Lord is on us all in that regard.
“Pentecost” is the Greek word for Fifty – and so I suppose the gift of the Spirit on the “Day of Fifty/Jubilee” probably has some significance for us.
That we too embody these words here and live in the Spirit of Jubilee.
And so far as that is concerned – by the Spirit it is always the Year of Jubilee.
Hadn’t really thought of that.
Even so – He continues His sermon and really gets above His station.
There are a number there who knew Him growing up and know His family.
They are quite ordinary really and it is amazing that someone of that very working class family could be so eloquent and such an orator.
But preaching is more than just delivery – it’s about content.
And – sad to say- here is where things begin to unravel.
Why did He think it necessary to cause such offence?
That’s no way to win the people!
Here He talks about that period in history when Elijah and Elisha were the prophets of the day and the only miracles God performed were outside of the people of God.
He really drives the point home by using words and phrases that the sky was “shut” (v 25); Elijah was “not sent to any” (v 26) and “not one was cleansed” (v 27).
This is outrageous application.
Saying that the people of God were in danger of missing out on the Year of Jubilee and that as in days past – God’s blessing will rest on those who you would least expect!!
It’s like He has totally inverted the scripture so that the Year of the Lord’s Favour rests on others and the Day of the Vengeance of Our God rests on us!!
What’s going on?
He’s saying the Year of the Lord’s Favour is here; the Year of Jubilee is here – but that the very ones who wait for it; who ought to be celebrating it – are the ones to miss out on it!!
Is that possible?
Really?
So is He suggesting that the widows of Zarephath and the Naamans of Syria are somehow saying something to the people of God?
That somehow they enjoy the Year of the Lord’s Favour while the people of God run the risk of incurring the Day of Vengeance of our God?
What?
That widows of Zarephath and Naamans of Syria are the heroines and heroes here?
Preach too many sermons like that and you’d get crucified.
Widows of Zarephath and Naamans of Syria.
I wonder where they are?
I wonder if you were one?
Are one?
I wonder what they would say to us on this Jubilee celebration if we could ask them.
I wonder what they would make of this sermon in Luke 4 and what they might say to us as we look to another 50 years?
Actually I can think of one Naaman of Syria.
One person who was not of the people of God – in fact hated the people of God.
But the Year of the Lord’s favour rested on him even so.
His name was Saul – but the Year of the Lord’s favour removed the Day of Vengeance from his life and he became Paul.
And he wrote to a young church about the Year of Jubilee.
I think he would say that it is a word for us.
Suppose for a moment that this Preacher in Luke 4 is onto something – I think Paul has something important to help us guard against missing the Year of the Lord’s favour – of helping us live as people of the Year of Jubilee:
He wrote:
"As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
For He says, “In the time of My favour I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.”
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation." (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)
Wow.
There’s a thought.
There is counsel for us as we look to another 50 years.
“Not to receive God’s grace in vain”.
That in now is the time of God’s favour; and in the day of salvation he helped us.
What an insight to sustain us each day of the next 50 years and beyond.
That now is the time of God’s favour; now is the day of salvation.
Wow.
I wonder in that time how many widows of Zarephath and Naaman’s of Syria will show us just how far the grace of God reaches.
And just how close the grace of God is.
Oh – that we will not receive His grace in vain!!!
Presented By: Rev. Geoff New