Proclaim the Year of the Lord’s Favor

Luke 4:18,19

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

Because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind,

To set at liberty those who are oppressed,

To proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

These words show up twice in the Bible, here in Luke and in Isaiah 61. Jesus read these words from Scripture on the appointed day as he was invited to read and teach in Nazareth, his hometown as a traveling teacher.

The people in his hometown didn’t take too kindly to his admission that the words were being fulfilled for them. They knew these words looked forward to the arrival of the Promised One who would come and fix things, The GRAND FIXER. They thought they knew everything about Jesus. And because they knew him so well, they didn’t listen as he taught them what his kingdom was all about.

Perhaps we’re guilty of the same thing sometimes because we think coming to church is about listening to good music, allowing the kids to learn stories from the Bible, listening to preaching, getting to catch up with our friends, and enjoying a cup of coffee. While all of that may be true, the CHURCH is supposed to be about the business that Jesus says we’re supposed to be about. We are the extension of Christ’s name and as such should demonstrate his purpose.

We are getting to do that right now through a ministry called “Celebrate Recovery”. Each Thursday we have a beautiful group of people gathering here to worship Jesus and learn how to depend on him and on each other to overcome hurts, hang-ups, and habits.

There is no ministry that we offer here at SFNaz which comes closer to keeping the mission that Jesus offered when he described his own mission and purpose that day. We’re excited to be serving the community in this way.

What can you do? I’m so glad you asked. We need volunteers to help with set-up, food preparation and service, child-care, and building relationships through accountability and friendship. Please show up for Celebrate Recovery if you’re interested in helping or reach out to the office and we’ll get you connected.

Please remember that we’re all in this together and all of us carry hurts, hang-ups, and habits which weigh us down and fill our life with regrets and turmoil. You can discover the year of the Lord’s favor with us by discovering freedom or offering it to a good friend.

Prayer for today:

Father, May 2025 truly be the year of your favor when hundreds of people, myself included discover good news, healing, and liberty. Amen.

Blessings,

Pastor Wes