Jesus and the Temptation of Belonging

What does love look like, when Jesus goes home to Nazareth?

Luke 4: 21-30 

In Luke 4:14-21, Jesus attends synagogue and reads the Isaiah 61 prophecy proclaiming good news for the poor, freedom for prisoners, sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed and the year of the LORD’s favour, which was the jubilee, the year when all debts were to be forgiven and just equilibrium in society would be re-set.

Jesus tells his neighbors, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

Mic drop.

BOOM.

At first, everything is great. At first, in Luke 4:22, “All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.” But within just a few verses, “All the people in the synagogue were furious” and as a mob they “drove him to the edge of the nearby cliffs with the intent to throw him off.”

What a scene.

Our endeavour this year as we work through the book of Luke is to encounter Jesus in a fresh way by asking “What does love look like, now?” 

So, in 4:20-30, in the aftermath of Jesus’ announcement, what does love look like?

Jesus showed love by staying true to himself and his sense of calling, no matter how big that was, and how unfathomable to his hometown friends and family.

Jesus knew that he could do only what he saw the Father doing. He knew that his attunement to the Father was special and it enabled powerful  preaching and healing that was not to be used for smaller purposes.

In the story immediately prior to this one, Jesus in the desert refused three times to use his power for any smaller purpose. He refused to use his power to benefit himself, or to throw it away on “proving” himself.  Now, back home where it was maybe mosttempting to want to prove himself or to benefit his family and friends, he held his commitment to the bigger vision.

Love also looked like allowing others to misunderstand. Divine love is a dance of consent. Consent is the agreement about what we will be “with and for”. Jesus was with and for something that was beyond whether his hometown believed him. It was beyond whether they wanted to use him for their own advantage.

He invited them into a massively beautiful work of God, and he did not shrink it to fit their comfort. Then he allowed them to choose, even if it meant being misunderstood. 

Then he went on his way, back to Capernaum, to continue his work.

— Christie Goode

Many thanks to Christie for stepping in with this week’s meditation when Anne could not be present.

Sun Mar 30 Sunday Brunches — No Service at Sunnyside
Luke 15: 1-7

Anne Baxter Smith

Fri Apr 18 Good Friday
(Stay tuned for more info)

Sun Apr 20 Easter Sunday
Luke 24:1-12

Anne Baxter Smith

Sun Apr 27 All Out
More information to come

New to Southpoint?

At Southpoint, it all begins with God’s love. Just as a plant grows, it receives sunshine, so we grow as we receive God’s love. At Southpoint, we are growing in our capacity to love God, ourselves, one another, and Creation.

We seek to be a community of grace that is intentional yet organic, spacious yet authentic, grace-filled yet accountable. * We are fully welcoming. *

We encourage relationships rather than run programs, yet we recognize the importance of intentionality and structure as we nurture life together.

As a community, we seek to put our love in action. We value helping out on Sunday mornings, sharing food, and showing up in hard times. We keep our church life simple so folk have time to build relationships with family, friends, and neighbours. We encourage folk to serve in tangible ways within the wider community. We rent space rather than own a building, allowing us to do more with less, supporting missions at home and abroad.

Curious to know more?

These six slides express what motivates our ministry (best viewed on a monitor). Here’s the bio of our Pastor, Rev. Anne Baxter Smith.

If you’d like to really peek inside, sign up for our weekly Southpoint News (scroll to brown footer at bottom of page). The Southpoint News is a MailChimp distributed email—you can unsubscribe anytime and will not be added to our contacts list. Email us at office@southpoint.ca. Website: southpoint.ca.

Sun Feb 9
Madison Friesen
Luke 5: 1-11

Sun Feb 16 All OUT (Brunches)
No service in the Sunnyside building
Luke 6: 17-26

Sun Feb 23
Rev Janice Young
Luke 6: 27-38

Sun Mar 2
Luke 9:28-36 (37-43a)

Sun Mar 9
Brent Unrau
Luke 4: 1-13

New to Southpoint?

At Southpoint, it all begins with God’s love. Just as a plant grows, it receives sunshine, so we grow as we receive God’s love. At Southpoint, we are growing in our capacity to love God, ourselves, one another, and Creation.

We seek to be a community of grace that is intentional yet organic, spacious yet authentic, grace-filled yet accountable. * We are fully welcoming. *

We encourage relationships rather than run programs, yet we recognize the importance of intentionality and structure as we nurture life together.

As a community, we seek to put our love in action. We value helping out on Sunday mornings, sharing food, and showing up in hard times. We keep our church life simple so folk have time to build relationships with family, friends, and neighbours. We encourage folk to serve in tangible ways within the wider community. We rent space rather than own a building, allowing us to do more with less, supporting missions at home and abroad.

Curious to know more?

These six slides express what motivates our ministry (best viewed on a monitor). Here’s the bio of our Pastor, Rev. Anne Baxter Smith.

If you’d like to really peek inside, sign up for our weekly Southpoint News (scroll to brown footer at bottom of page). The Southpoint News is a MailChimp distributed email—you can unsubscribe anytime and will not be added to our contacts list. Email us at office@southpoint.ca. Website: southpoint.ca.