Creekside Church Sermon of February 1, 2004 "A Sabbath Surprise" Luke 4:21-31	Rev. David Bibbee
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When I travel I look for towns with unusual names. Down the road from Wartburg, Tennessee is a little municipality that proudly displays its name on a billboard. "Welcome to Stupidville! Population varies." I can't recall the state, but I remember going through a town named, "Conception Junction." We thought it best to just pass on through. North of Duluth, Minnesota is a town called, "Twig." On the way back from Canada this summer I think I'll visit Twig. The women there are all probably tall, attractive, and wear pajamas to church! One of these years I'm going to check out Ding Dong, Texas and Toad Suck, Arkansas.

Particular places have associations attached to them. For example, what comes to mind when you hear Mayberry? Gary, Indiana? Plains, Georgia? Auschwitz? Scharzeneau? Waco? Roswell? Our associations with these places elicits responses from pleasant to horrific. The residents of Dallas would rather have you link their city with the Dallas Cowboys instead of the Texas Schoolbook Repository from which Lee Harvey Oswald assassinated President Kennedy.

I remember Jim Garber's description of North Manchester, Indiana. He said, "It is a nice place to live, but you wouldn't want to visit there." Where you are from can either be a source of embarrassment or a reason for pride. There are some towns that aren't associated with anything because nothing noteworthy happens there. Such was the case with Nazareth. It had no historical significance. No one with any notoriety lived there. Whenever Nazareth was mentioned, someone was sure to say, "Can ANYTHING good come out of Nazareth?"

And yet, God who chose a stable as the birthplace for his son, chose Nazareth as the place to rear his son. There he was nurtured by Mary and worked side by side with Joseph. We don't know when, but Jesus left Nazareth. Immediately after his baptism and testing in the wilderness, Jesus traveled through the countryside, teaching in the synagogues and announcing that new thing that God was doing. The response was enthusiastic, and word of what he said and did traveled quickly.

From Capernaum Jesus went back home. Nothing had ever generated such excitement. His picture was in the paper; above it, the headline: "Nazareth Native and Popular Motivational Speaker to Address Community."

On the Sabbath, Jesus went to the synagogue. It was filled to capacity with people anxious to hear Jesus. The time came for the scripture to be read, Jesus stood and was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He read. "God's Spirit is on me; he's chosen me to preach the Message of good news to the poor...." As he read, there was whispering. "What a nice boy he was. Never got into trouble. I used to babysit him, you know." "Oh really?" another woman said. "Well, I had him in the second grade. So respectful. A straight A student. I could see back then.... he was going to make a name for himself."

"You've just heard Scripture make history," Jesus said. "It came true just now in this place." At last, Nazareth had reason to boast. They could tear down that dilapidated sign that said, "You Are Entering Nazareth, Home of Nothing Special," and put up another that said, "Welcome to Nazareth: Home Town of Jesus." What a moment it was. Everyone spoke well of him. BUT, it was all about to change.

A few years ago I was invited to speak at the 90th anniversary celebration of my home church in Ohio. I don't recall what I preached on that celebration Sunday. I'm sure I said something about all they had done for me, their years of faithfulness, why celebrations must focus the church on the future, and why it must change if it is going to reach people in a new era. I THINK that's what I said, but I'm not sure that's what they heard.

After the service a young woman said to me, "That was great! You really tromped on some toes in there!" ("I did?") "You told them what I've been telling them-- 'If you don't change you're going to DIE!'" ("We said that?") Now that I think about it, they weren't as inspired as I had hoped. They were nice to me. I was invited to the potluck and given a nice honorarium. No one was visibly upset, but I haven't been invited back since! I got off easy compared to Jesus.

He surprised the home folks with his authority. They wanted him to stay. They wanted Jesus' mission to put down roots. "Do here what you did in Capernaum." They wanted exclusive rights to God's blessings. They wanted to confine the wonders of his love to the Nazareth city limits.

But Jesus wasn't to be their "home town" boy. His mission went beyond Nazareth and beyond Capernaum. It was much larger than they imagined. It extended to Judea, to Samaria, and unto the ends of the world."

When the Pharisee prayed, "God, thank you that I'm not like other sinners," Jesus let it be known he was on the side of the sinners. When the elder brother threw a fit because his Father threw a party for his "no good" brother, Jesus declared he was on the side of all prodigals. "I'm for the poor, the prisoners, the blind, and burdened." His sermon soured in a hurry. As she left the building, Jesus' second grade teacher was heard saying, "I never did like the brat!" Then they took Jesus, the home town boy, threw him out of town, and tried to throw him off a cliff!

When we sing, "Crown him Lord of all....," it doesn't mean Jesus is only crowned Lord of the saints, or Lord of believers, or Lord of the Church of the Brethren. He is Lord of ALL, which means Lord over all people who are not like us.

The Cornerstone Team is visiting churches to study how their ministries have shaped the design of their buildings. I spoke to the receptionist of a church and asked if we could schedule a time to visit their facility. She said, "We can't do that!" Thinking she misunderstood, I again explained the purpose of the visit and she replied, "We don't want other churches copying our building." I thought of saying, "Look, sister, we aren't interested in stealing your blueprints, and we certainly aren't interested in copying your hospitality!" I "thought" of saying it.

This encounter with the receptionist reminded me of the story about a tourist who said to his guide, "You have a right to be proud of your town. I was especially impressed with the number of churches in it. The people here must really love the Lord." His cynical guide replied, "Well, they may love the Lord, but they sure as hell hate each other!"

In a little while we will sing, "For the love of God is broader than the measure of our minds..." I must continually remind myself of this fact. It is easy to impose limits on God's love, especially when dealing with foul church receptionists. It is easy to include only those who share my values and believe as I believe. But God's inclusivity gives me fits!

Jesus loves the poor, the rich, the blind and sinners. He includes the polluter who could care less about the environment when there is a profit to be made. He includes the CEOs whose greed ruined their companies and the financial future of thousands of employees. He includes men who abuse their wives and parents who neglect their children. He includes the company you wish your children wouldn't keep. He includes people who think nothing about smearing you to gain advantages for themselves. He includes racists, pushers, and pimps and people who could care less about him.

Jesus isn't a citizen of our little Nazareths who judges those on the outside. I heard it said that, "... some Christians have the idea that they are to love the church and judge the world. But what is needed instead are Christians who judge themselves and the church and love the world." "Don't think that I've only come for the righteous," Jesus said. "I've come to help those who are sick and need it most."

The Russian dissident, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn has written: "If only there were evil people somewhere, insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing the good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"

In those Western "gun-slinger" movies there was a line that often preceded the showdown. "This town ain't big enough for the both of us." Nazareth wasn't big enough for the town's grasp and Jesus' reach. God's love and mercy cannot be tamed or contained, but is being taken beyond Nazareth and beyond Elkhart to Judea and Samaria unto the ends of the world.

From WW II comes a story which I take as a parable of the power of Jesus' inclusive love which points to our responsibility as disciples to continue it. In the Algace Lorraine region of France, three French freedom fighters came upon a country church. They were bearing the body of a fallen comrade. Approaching the church, they saw a little cometary out back, and asked the priest permission to bury their friend. He listened attentively and compassionately. As they finished their story, the old priest just stood there looking across the fields with tears welling up in his eyes. When he spoke, this is what he said, "There is one question I must ask you. Was your friend baptized into the Roman Catholic Church?"

They had no idea. Apologetically, the priest said, "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you'll have to bury your friend outside the fence. Discouraged, they buried their friend as they were told. Before they left in the morning they visited the grave a final time. They were confused when they couldn't find the grave. They searched the perimeter of the fence and couldn't find a sign of it.

As they searched, the old priest appeared. His burdened look of the day before was gone. He said, "Boys, I spent a long time last night praying about you and your friend. I felt absolutely awful abut what I told you. So God woke me in the wee hours of the morning and told me to work in the cemetery. I moved the fence."

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