Yesterday we reflected on a passage from the book of Isaiah, chapter 61:

“The spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me;
 he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted,
 to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor… to comfort all who mourn…”

What is interesting is that if we continue reading, by the end of verse 3, Isaiah has shifted the voice from the first person “I” or “me” to the third person plural – “They.” The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… But then Isaiah says, They… “They shall build up the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities….

And then, by verse 6, it shifts again from “they” to “you.” You shall be called priests of the Lord; you shall be named ministers of our God…

In other words, this empowering Spirit has fallen not just on the prophet, not just on Jesus, but on you…

Build up the ruins… raise up the devastations… repair….

There is a lot of repair that needs to be done right now, isn’t there?

When I think about this text, I can’t help but think about the suffering of the world around us… the ruins of Palestine, the heartbreaking loss in Israel, and the antisemitism that has resurfaced even in our own country.

I think about how a friend was telling me that at the Thanksgiving dinner this year his wife and her sister got into a huge argument about politics. And she got up, stormed off – left right in the middle of dinner…

And then, over this past month, personally, I’ve become acutely aware of a true crisis of mental health in our country… and how it has touched so many of us. And beyond that, I think about addiction and loss… broken families… and hungry children…

Build up the ruins… raise up the devastations… repair….

Today, I wonder in what ways, in your own personal life, God may be empowering you to be a minister and priest, to rebuild, restore, and repair the world around you.

Let us pray: Anoint us again with your Spirit, O God, that we might indeed be your servants, and join you in this holy work of redemption; through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Today’s message was written by Rev. Dr. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

One of the greatest compliments a person can give is to say, “l need you!” The words melt our hearts and impel us to want to help. We all need to feel needed. A crucial part of friendship is to be able to admit our inadequacies and say to others, “l need you!” We can be sure that if we can’t say that to others, they will probably never say it to us. 

Actually, confession of our needs is an expression of healthy self-esteem. We value ourselves enough to believe that we are worthy of another’s care. Those who cannot express their needs usually end up unable to help others. Sadly, a man I knew committed suicide; he did not share his needs. What a loss! We were created for fellowship with God. There will be restlessness, an emptiness within us, until we rest in Him and allow Him to fill the God-shaped vacuum. 

Let us pray: Loving God, without you, we are truly scared stiff of making mistakes, of being ridiculed or rejected or missing out in our always fumbling uncertainties. So today we pray that your Spirit will hover over us to enable us to separate the light from the darkness. Encourage us to keep getting up and going on no matter how many times we have tripped up and fallen down crying. So move in among us that we may grow in your Spirit and live with passion in this amazing life. How wonderful are your ways, O Lord, how marvelous are your gifts of grace. Straighten the backbone of our beliefs and deepen our commitments to your way so that the roots of faith will reach the center of our hearts. God, we need you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Sometime back I was listening to an interview with George Forman. At the end of the interview, he was asked about his father. He never knew his father growing up. He wasn’t around. In fact, he didn’t meet the man until after he had made it as the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. He said about growing up, “My father never helped me. He never gave me anything. I could have said, ‘I don’t have a father.’ (But) Today I can tell my children, ‘Hey, your grandfather fought in World War II.’ Why? Because forgiveness gave me a father. And forgiveness will give my children a grandfather…” 

He went on to say, “Forgiveness is that subtle thread that binds love and friendship.”

In your own life, I hope that you will not cling to old grudges or to bitterness or resentment. Don’t let the idea of revenge eat away at your soul. Remember that forgiveness does not mean condoning. Forgiveness does not mean we don’t have clear boundaries and protect ourselves when needed. But forgiveness does have to do with the state of our own hearts. When we forgive – we are really setting ourselves free.

Let us pray: God of Hope, so often we pray, ‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who have trespassed against us.” But it is not easy, Lord. We thank you the forgiveness, mercy and grace that you have shown us. Help us to share these gifts with others, and by doing so may we find healing and freedom; through Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Today’s message was written by Dial Hope found, the Rev. Dr. Roger Kunkel.

Listen carefully to these words from Walden by Henry David Thoreau, and think of the last few words of it. “I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to confront only the essential facts of life, and see if I could learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”

Friend of Dial Hope, it would be a shock to learn at the end of life that we “had not lived.” But we will come to such a discovery, that we have missed life in its highest sense, “the life which is life indeed,” if we have not had the high experience of knowing God through Jesus Christ and becoming his disciple. That is the highest prize that life has to offer. 

The late Ed Safford shared this quote from Oliver Wendell Holmes: “I find the great thing in this world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving! To reach the port of heaven, we must sail sometimes with the wind and sometimes against it – but we must sail, and not drift, nor lie at anchor.”

Let us pray: O God, how great Thou art! Walk with us day by day. By your grace enable us to see possibilities rather than problems, windows of opportunity rather than closed doors, persons rather than things, life rather than mere existence. In Jesus’ name, who came not to make life easy, but to make us equal for life. Amen.

Yesterday was Baptism of the Lord Sunday. In the Gospel of Matthew (3:13ff) we see that Jesus begins his ministry by being baptized.

Matthew tells us that in his baptism, the heavens were opened and the Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove. And the Father speaks, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

One of the greatest needs of a human being is to belong, to be seen and known and loved. Without that deep sense of knowing that you are wanted and needed and loved – in your family and in your community, it is very difficult to love and accept others as they are – much less begin to address the needs of a hurting world. 

Every year on the church calendar, the second week of January, just as we’re thinking about the new year ahead, new perspectives, and fresh starts, we read these stories of Jesus’ baptism. We’re reminded that before he ever begins, before he has done anything to earn it or deserve it, he is rooted and grounded in love… And so are we.

Sometimes we get those old tapes playing: You don’t belong. you’ll never belong. You’re not good enough. Nobody likes you… But, God says, “You are my son. You are my daughter, my beloved… with you, I am well pleased.”  

I hope you’ll never forget that.  

It is said that the spiritual giant and reformer Martin Luther – a man who had so much courage, a man who risked his life to make a difference – even though he was baptized as an infant, every morning he would wake up – splash water on his face and say to himself: Martin, remember your baptism… remember who you are.  

God says, “You are my son. You are my daughter, my beloved… with you, I am well pleased.”

Let us pray: We thank you, O God, for your unconditional love for us. We thank you that before we have done anything to earn it or deserve it, you have claimed us as your own. Help us to live and give out of that deep sense of knowing; through Christ our Lord. Amen.