When I was a boy, occasionally I would go with my parents on Friday evenings to the Rescue Mission in Roanoke to worship and help serve food to hungry people. There are three things I remember about these visits to the Rescue Mission. One is my mother telling me to stay close to her side as we served the guests at the Rescue Mission. Another was observing how hungry people appreciate short sermons when dinner is waiting. A third memory is my father talking about how all people are hungry for God’s love.
A few weeks ago, I shared about how one of the churches I served as pastor provided onsite sleeping areas and meals for the homeless population of the metropolitan area one week during the winter. Part of this hospitality included offering our guests an invitation for evening prayers. These prayer times were meaningful as persons who relied upon the generosity of others for the gift of daily bread would gather to give thanks for the gift of God’s grace that was sufficient for another day. The following are reflections I wrote after one of these times of evening prayer.
“I have been standing on holy ground with the people Jesus was talking about in the synagogue. They are the poor, the captives, the homeless. People struggling to remember and recover the sight of God’s presence in their lives. We have shared our prayers. No excuses have been made. There have only been the cries of humble hearts searching and seeking to be made whole.
“Their stories have been shared. God has heard our prayers. We have celebrated the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper. The living presence of Jesus has been realized as we broke the bread and drank from the cup of Christ. I have been humbled in remembering what it means to be a servant of my Savior and Lord. I have heard the scripture being fulfilled.
“Their names were shared as prayer concerns were spoken. They were Harriett, Quincy, James, Keith, William, Vernon, Jane, and Penny. Some remained silent. We were all brothers and sisters in the name of Jesus Christ. We were all part of one body as we heard the voice of God speaking in our lives.
“Their prayers were for themselves. Their prayers were for one another. Their prayers were for loved ones. Their prayers were for jobs. Their prayers were for the homeless. Their prayers were for the grieving. Their prayers were for steadfastness in the challenges of life. Their prayers were for forgiveness and reconciliation. Their prayers were for giving thanks to God.”
As I listened to the prayers of that evening, I was reminded of the message of God that Jesus preached as he announced the beginning of his ministry by reading from the scroll of the prophet Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.
God’s Acceptance
by Pastor Marc Brown
November 3rd, 2024
Accompanying Scriptures: Luke 4: 14-21
Fort Hill United Methodist Church
Order of Worship for November 3rd, 2024
Scripture Lesson Luke 4: 14-21
The Good News “God’s Acceptance”
Prayer
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