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

Being known is important and feels good, at least most of the time. At other times it can be very challenging. Being known means people make assumptions about us, they think they know what we may be thinking and what we may do in a given situation. “I know you and you are going to…” is something we might hear. We even do this to others ourselves. It is not intended to show disrespect, but rather to demonstrate connection. Yet, in those moments we aren’t able to speak something new or grow into a new way of being.

Jesus speaks up in his hometown and, spoiler alert, things don’t go well. They think they know him and that he is not supposed to be saying the life-changing things he is.

Letting people change, not thinking we already know, creates space for them to become more of who they are. We each need this space; it is a way of speaking up for the person someone is becoming.

Andrew Kellner

Question to Ponder:

Where do you feel you can’t be yourself? Or where do people think they know you, but it doesn’t feel as though they do?

Pray

God, help me to let others grow.

Help me not to assume I know their response.

I need space; help me to create space for others too.

Amen.

Go

Go with the strength that comes from God.

Go and speak the words God has given you.