Any Cliff Will Do! Luke 4:14 - 21

This coming Sunday's Gospel lesson is taken from Luke 4:14-21. The event marks Jesus' first appearance in his hometown synagogue since his baptism and commissioning. Imagine all of the townsfolk who gathered to hear what the local boy had to say. At first blush, it seems that Jesus spoke words of hope and promise. But then he answered a question posed by someone, and by the time he finished his answer, the local folks were in search of the highest cliff over which to toss him. And so, a question arose in my sometimes fertile imagination: When we ask God to speak to us, or offer us a sign of God's presence for our lives, do we really want that? Or do we want God to confirm what it is we already believe? Are we open to being surprised, even ticked-off, by the Spirit? I cannot help but think that"localized" Christianity, that is, the brand of Christianity that each of us identifies with, wants answers that feel familiar, and safe and that legitimate that which we already believe. After all, the folks in Nazareth were, at first, really happy that the "anointed" one came from their locale. However, once he began to speak in the synagogue, many of them wished that he belonged to another synagogue in another town. My first parish assignment was just four miles from home. On the whole, folks were very welcoming of this "kid" fresh from divinity school, whose father was born in that very town. But I recall clearly an open meeting when the construction of a new post office was being discussed. Behind the scenes, much was already decided upon before the required open meeting was held. When I expressed my reservations about the plan and the process, a man in the front row told me to shut up or he would kick my.........well, you get the picture. At that moment, I realized with horror that said town had seven hills from which I could be tossed. Our faith should make us uncomfortable at times, or else, it may not be, truly, our faith, but a hand- me- down set of beliefs that we simply accepted without thinking about their ramifications in real life. So, read the Lukan passage again and picture yourself there. Would you have been the one reading and offering commentary on the Isaiah passage, or would you have been a member of the crew scouting for a precipice?