Jeremiah 17: 5-8; First Corinthians 15: 12, 16-20; Luke 6: 17, 20-26

In our society, there has always been a fascination with those people who are wealthy; those who are celebrities in the world of entertainment; those who have power. Some here may remember the television show “Lives of the Rich and Famous;” where the host would meet and talk with entertainment celebrities or famous people from various walks of life. This fascination continues to this very day; witness the various forms of the “Housewives of (fill in the blank).” The number of newspapers and magazines , all devoted to revealing every naughty aspect of their lives. And now we have rich people, who have invested their wealth in developing space ships, but not to explore, to reveal the mysteries of the universe; but to give fellow wealthy persons the ride a lifetime! While here on earth, there are people who cannot afford a decent place to live; afford to put food on the table for their families; decent clothing for them to wear; and they go about losing hope of a better life!

There is a saying “The more things change, the more they remain the same,”and it applies here! We have become used to a society with an upper class; a middle class; and a poor class. During the time of Jesus, however, as one Scripture scholar put it, the society was just made up of “Haves” and “Have Nots,”. Farmers who were always indebted to their landlords. Shepherds who were indebted to those who owned the pastures. Tax collectors, who often charged higher amounts than what was due, and pocketed the difference. For the poor, it was a very, very, hard life.

And then comes this man from the town of Nazareth, who proclaims good news for the poor, the suffering, the abandoned. This person, this Jesus, promises that there will be time of relief from their sufferings; a time of joy, a time of peace. He gives them hope!

Now, we who profess to be followers of Jesus; we, who by virtue of our Baptism, are members of the Body of Christ, have a calling to bring hope to those in in our world who are in despair, food to those who hunger, justice to those who are oppressed, companionship to those who feel abandoned, and peace to all of them. This is our challenge, to be open to the calling of Jesus, to reflect and to pray, to find out what is our mission in life; how we are to bring the Good News to our own families, our neighbors, our country, our world here and now! Drawing on the waters of God’s grace, in good times and difficult ones, we can help bring the promises of Christ to fruition.