Listen

Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been raised. On the Sabbath he went to the synagogue as he normally did and stood up to read. The synagogue assistant gave him the scroll from the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me.
He has sent me to preach good news to the poor,
to proclaim release to the prisoners
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to liberate the oppressed,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Luke 4:16-19

Think

What incredible words we hear from Jesus in this scripture! These words, first written by the prophet Isaiah and spoken here by the savior of our world, are words that inspire a congregation. You may read these words and quickly think, “Yes! I want to join in with that!” Of course, actually joining in action in the community around us tends to be much more difficult. Yet, Christ here makes clear the ways that we as Jesus’ followers can fight for justice, and that he joins us on the journey.

Because of all the ongoing hurt in our world, thinking about a place to start can feel overwhelming, even within your own community. When I am overwhelmed, I remember to take things one step at a time. A few tips to get started: (1) Find an issue you are passionate about, (2) research opportunities to volunteer time, and (3) prioritize investing in the community around you. When we all seek to do our little bit of good around us, we can make a big impact.

Milligan Burroughs

Pray

God of Justice,

Help me to see ways I can be like you in my community.

You are the one who inspires; please help me feel your inspiration in my life.

Help me to see how I can make an impact in the lives of others, just as you called us to do.

Amen.

Go

We are one in the Spirit;
we are one in the Lord.
And we pray that all unity
may one day be restored.
And they’ll know we are Christians
by our love, by our love.
Yes, they’ll know we are Christians by our love!

from “They’ll Know We Are Christians” by Peter Scholtes (1966)