Isaiah 61:1-4

It is a total transformation of lives when the Year of the Lord’s favour is here.

1 The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. (Isaiah 61:1-4)

Today’s Old Testament lectionary is on Isaiah 61:1-3 which announces how God will accomplish the great salvation through the Anointed One. Through works of the Anointed One, the good news is proclaimed to the poor, the broken heart shall be healed, to proclaim freedom for the captives, release prisoners from darkness. It is a total transformation of lives when the Year of the Lord’s favour is here. What a hopeful message for all of us.

He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” (Luke 4:21)

But when we see the world today, we see that it is still in chaos. Ukraine-Russia war is still ongoing after nearly two years. Hamas-Israel war caught us by surprise and is growing to be a humanitarian disaster. The civil war in Myanmar is still ongoing. Closer to home, we see the degradation of society values and deterioration of our mental health. It seems that sin still reign in this world.
In the midst of all these, let us be reminded that our Lord Jesus Christ has overcomed the world. In Luke 4:21, Jesus says, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” He doesn’t reign from the throne that we usually see in movies or the White House. When he finally makes the journey to ascend onto the throne, it is by the way of the cross. When the cross is being lifted up, the whole world saw the King, who is so willing to bleed for us, to die for us so that we can live. This is Jesus Christ, our King, who reign from the Cross.
Dear Brothers and Sisters-in-Christ, as Disciples of Jesus Christ, Disciples of the Anointed One, the works of the Good News, the Gospel need to be preached continually in this chaotic world. John Wesley says, “Give me one hundred preachers who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, and I care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen; such alone will shake the gates of hell and set up the kingdom of heaven on Earth.” As we prepare ourselves for the second coming of Jesus Christ our Lord, let us be the one who fear nothing but sin, and desire nothing but God, to fulfil the mission that our Lord Jesus Christ gave us, with one heart and one mission. Amen!