Luke 4:14-21

That's the question some are asking today as Jesus returns to his hometown of Nazareth.

I mean, here is the son of Mary and Joseph. You know, the young couple over there on Maple Street, the ones with all the kids - James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon, and…that whole gaggle of little redheaded girls? The ones who live above the Carpenter's Shop. You know who I'm talking about.

He's the kid who pulled off that wild prank up at Jerusalem a few years ago when he sneaked out of the family caravan and spent a couple of days wandering around the big city, and the Temple, all by himself. Remember? He's that big, strapping kid who decided college wasn't for him and went to trade school instead - played tackle on that Vo-Tech football team that went undefeated a few years back. And I guess he became a pretty good carpenter. Worked in his old man's shop. You know who I'm talking about, don't you? Jesus. Joe's kid.

Well, something's gotten into him. Gone off the deep end, I think.

What I heard is that he got religion. Now, I know the family is pretty religious, and like the rest of us, their custom is to go to church on the Sabbath. But I'm not talking about your usual go-to-church-but-don't-take-it-too-seriously kind of going to church that normal people like us do. I'm talking about…well, weird stuff. (Twilight Zone music here). Twilight Zone stuff. Haven't you heard the stories? About voices from heaven…and descending doves…and hanging around with lepers…and reports of actual physical healings of people over there in Capernaum.

That's the question people are asking today as Jesus comes home to Nazareth. And come to think of it, a similar thought may be a good question for us to ask ourselves today.

Now Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us that Jesus' homecoming was a huge event. I'm not sure it quite compares with the goings-on in Washington, D.C. this week, but, for that time and that place, Jesus' arrival back home was a major breaking story. Maybe we'll compare it with the Super Bowl because just about everybody was watching. And by the way, you'll note that I have demonstrated great restraint today and not lowered myself into the indignity of commenting on that silly game or by coming out in favor of one team or another. How unseemly it would be to do that from the pulpit.

You may have heard the story about Einstein dying and going to heaven. He tells St. Peter he isn't sure he wants to be there in heaven for, with his great intellect, Einstein questions whether there'll be anything to talk about with the people there. St. Peter says to the genius, "Well, Mr. Einstein, why don't you just interview some of the people here in heaven to see what they have to offer." And so Einstein takes him up on the deal.

The first person he runs into is a woman and Einstein approaches her and says, "Excuse me, madam, but would tell me your I.Q.?" The woman says, "Well, my I.Q. is 280."

Einstein is thrilled! "Wonderful!" he says, "we can discuss the theory of relativity!"

The next person Einstein sees is a man. "Excuse me sir, " Einstein says, "would you mind telling me what your I.Q. is?" The man quickly answers, "Well I don't think its any of your business, but if you MUST know, my I.Q. is 180."

Einstein beams! Wonderful!" he says, "we can talk about the progress theory as it relates to the theory of evolution."

Then a third fellow comes along. "Can you tell me your I.Q.?" Einstein asks.

"Well, uh, the last time I checked it was about 8," says the man.

Einstein blinks, and thinks for a moment about what he could possibly discuss with a person with an I.Q. of only 8. Then a smile of knowing spreads across Einstein's face and he says, "ALL RIGHT! GO PACKERS!!!"

Now back to our top story.

Luke tells us that Jesus' return to his hometown of Nazareth is greeted with massive interest. They invite him to preach in the synagogue. Everybody wants to see him, to hear him, to check him out. And so on the Sabbath, when the doors open for business, the synagogue is overflowing with people. Sort of like Easter, except Easter hasn't been invented yet.

Then, the moment comes. Jesus stands and takes the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He finds the sixty-first chapter, the first verse (although the scroll in that day would not have had either chapter or verse markings). He reads the words we heard a moment ago. And then he sits down which is how people preached in that day.

His sermon is short and sweet.

That's it. That's all. No more. A short while later, there will be more conversation, but that will be as a result of this, probably the shortest sermon ever preached.

And before we get to the meaning of the sermon, I should probably tell you that the result of this sermon is that the people of his old hometown of Nazareth will try to kill Jesus by throwing him off a cliff. Talk about a tough congregation! But that's next week's message.

This week's sermon poses the question, What in the world has gotten into Jesus?

I think I would try to answer that question by saying that what has gotten into Jesus is God's plan for his life. God's agenda. God's mission.

You may remember when the late John Belushi and Dan Akroyd came together a number of years ago as The Blues Brothers in a very funny film by that title. Some of the best moments in the picture are when people ask these two ne'er-do-wells why they are behaving so outrageously. They can't come right out and say that they're trying to help save a local orphanage. So they become very serious and lower their voices to almost a whisper, and looking through their dark sunglasses, cryptically answer, "We're on a mission from God."

And behind the humor of the movie is the provocative thought that ordinary people like you and me may in fact be tapped on the shoulder and sent on a mission from God.

You see, that's what Jesus' short sermon is really all about. There in the jam-packed synagogue in Nazareth, he reads an ancient prophecy:

And then Jesus sits down to preach, and in effect says, "THIS is what's gotten into me!"

And I dare say, you and I don't begin to even remotely touch the essence of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ until we become receptive to the idea that the fulfillment of being a Christian is to be a person sent on a mission from God.

Now there are a lot of people who describe their faith by saying things like, "I can worship God just as well out in the beautiful outdoors as I can in a church somewhere." Or by saying, "It's really what's in your heart that counts." Or by saying, "To be a Christian is to try to live a good life and follow the rules." Or by saying, "My faith is very personal - between me and God." You know the kinds of things people say to describe their faith.

And you've probably noticed that, when you look at people like this, you never have to ask the question what in the world has gotten into THEM? Because clearly, nothing has!

Now contrast this with Jesus in the story. I'm on a mission from God…to the poor…to the captives…to the blind…to the oppressed!

There is a purpose that drives Jesus. Its why he is here. Its what he is about. It defines his world-view, and prescribes his conduct, and shapes his every relationship. He's on a mission from God to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom to the oppressed.

May I ask, What mission are YOU on?

In Connecticut, a young woman and her family - her husband and children - spend a delightful day at the Mystic Aquarium before heading home. As they happily drive along after a wonderful day together, a drunk driver crosses the centerline and, in an instant, the young woman's family is gone. During her long and arduous recovery from injuries suffered in the accident, this beautiful woman learns to trust Jesus for every day. And as the days turn to weeks, and the weeks turn to months, a vision slowly emerges about how she can share her experience of God's amazing grace to help others going through similar times. She's on a mission from God.

A young couple whose first names are Linda and Millard attain great success very early in life. They are millionaires, and still in their twenties. But inwardly, they sense something is missing. Life begins to unravel. Their marriage falls apart. Linda leaves and moves to New York. He follows, and eventually finds her in a hotel. And there they confront the emptiness of their lives and their marriage. They weep in each other's arms, and pray, and ask God to help them find their way. They commit their lives to Christ, and a vision begins to emerge about how they can rebuild their marriage on God's principles. And along with that vision comes an idea for helping others who are less fortunate. They just about literally give away all their money, but in the giving, an organization known as Habitat For Humanity is born. Linda and Millard Fuller are on a mission from God.

An older man, an active churchman, attends a lay renewal weekend at his church and hears something about Jesus Christ he's never heard before. He realizes that, as many years as he's been involved in church, he's never really made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ. And now, he feels he wants to. Later, at home, when everyone else is asleep, he prays. He asks Christ to come into his heart in a new way and to show him how he can serve the Lord. Over time, a vision begins to emerge about how he's never really given himself in any real intimate way to his children. And that very day, he starts writing letters to each of the kids, beginning with the words, "I don't know if I've ever really come out and said 'I love you', so I'm writing this to say I do…" He's on a mission from God.

What mission are you on?

Today, I wonder if you'll take home with you the opening words of the prophet Isaiah, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me. He has anointed me… to…."

And then take some prayerful time to fill in the blanks that describe your mission for God.

And as you do, I think you'll discover, that the Spirit is upon you, anointing you and sending you on a mission for God - to your family - to our church - to particular people you know - to special needs you see - to the poor, and the weak, and the hungry.

What an adventure it will be to discover that, like Jesus - something's gotten into you - something that can change your life, and bless the world, and bring glory to God Almighty.