This is the Year - Countdown Day 10

"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

“God’s favor” is a popular subject these days. Since we are materialists, we often envision God’s favor in terms of physical comfort and material provision. Our preaching then draws upon Old Testament passages to produce a New Testament gospel that makes God the cosmic vending machine and the coins our faith. ‘Put in enough faith and you’ll receive God’s favor.’ It’s Christianity’s counterpart to “Think and Grow Rich.”

But Jesus draws upon a passage in Isaiah to proclaim that the Lord’s favor is at hand. It has arrived. “This is the year of the Lord’s favor.” It has come with the arrival of Jesus. No more waiting. It’s here!

The good news of the Lord’s favor is for the “poor.” It’s for people whose souls are restless and desperate. That includes me. I hope we all have a sense of how poor we are. I hope we have a deep recognition that apart from God’s mercy and unmerited favor, we are bankrupt spiritually. If we have a sense of this poverty, Jesus has good news for us. It’s a message of freedom, a message of clarity, a message of release.

Do you feel captive to a series of thoughts, emotions, and circumstances? Jesus has come to free you from this prison. You are free. Are you unclear about God’s purposes? Perplexed about your future? Jesus has come to make you see clearly. He wants to heal your blindness. Are you oppressed today? Do you have a burden that is too great for you to bear? Jesus has come to free you from this oppression. No more burden.

The Lord’s favor is not for us just to receive, but to pass on. Who do you know that is suffering from captivity, blindness and oppression? Can you take some time to pass along the good news of the Lord’s favor? Sometimes this might just mean listening to them, encouraging them and praying for them. Sometimes it might mean that you are the physical source of God’s favor to them.

This is “the year of the Lord’s favor” at Fellowship of Memorial. Not because we are anticipating material abundance, but because we are hoping that he will use us to “free prisoners, recover the blind and release the oppressed” in our community. I’m looking forward to sharing in the Lord’s favor with you this year.

------------------
Pray that God would provide guidance for youth outreach and ministry