The Hip Hop Gospel - An Epiphany Sermon for Sunday January 26 2025

GOSPEL: Luke 4:14-21

The holy gospel according to Luke.

Glory to you, O Lord.

Near the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, he visits his hometown of Nazareth. In the words of Isaiah, he states and claims his identity, purpose, and mission.

14 Then Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding region. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

  16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
  because he has anointed me
   to bring good news to the poor.
 He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
  and recovery of sight to the blind,
   to set free those who are oppressed,
 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Back in the 1980’s and 90’s,

before folks expected Artificial Intelligence

to solve our problems,

there was a push within various Christian denominations

to use aspects of business strategy

in building a successful church.

Congregations, all of a sudden,

had to have corporate structure,

strategic goals and planning,

and most important of all,

a mission statement.

For a business to succeed,

you have to focus.

There is some wisdom, there.

A couple decades removed from this initial surge,

I hope that we are recognizing that

the church is not a business,

the church is not a corporation:

best business practices will not save the church,

artificial intelligence wont save the church,

Jesus saves the church,

and Jesus already has.

And, frankly, who needs strategic planning

when we’ve got the Holy Spirit

and the book of Acts?

In our own denomination,

we are recognizing, again,

that the Church is all about God’s mission,

joining God’s work in the world.

In our own congregation,

we had a season of discernment,

that we might articulate our own purpose

in God’s mission.

It helps us focus,

it helps us know who we are

and who we strive to be in mission.

By way of friendly reminder,

we discerned our purpose is:

Sharing God’s Love and Acceptance for You.

All we do is about God’s love and acceptance

so we strive to live this out.

We adopted guiding principles,

to help us make decisions

that align with our purpose in God’s mission.

The mission isn’t ours,

it is God’s.

God has a purpose for us.

God doesn’t like to do mission alone.

Like Jesus turning water into wine,

or raising Lazarus,

God invites people like us to do faith,

to participate in mission,

we are God’s hands and feet.

We pour out the water,

we remove the grave clothes.

We are the body of Christ, together.

We are learning that God’s mission is not

about recruiting Christians from other congregations

to help pay our bills.

I hope we have learned that life-long Christians

are in just as much need of God’s grace

as people who never step foot in a church.

The Church’s purpose

is to participate in the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ.

God’s mission is blessing the world,

saving the world.

Every one of us has a role to play,

every congregation has a role to play.

I remember a story about one particular congregation.

They were rather vibrant community,

worship services were well attended,

finances weren’t a major concern,

many people served on well functioning committees.

One such committee was the outreach committee.

Anyone with passion

or even a minor interest for mission,

outreach, evangelism, and service

was welcome to join.

The purpose of this particular committee was,

as you can guess,

about outreach – evangelism, mission –

serving the community,

those in need,

sharing the good news of Jesus Christ

in the community.

One winter,

they struggled to figure out

how to reach out to people right next door

in the apartments.

It was either by pure luck or by the hand of God

that a new couple joined the outreach committee

and they happened to live in this apartment complex.

I say it was the hand of God.

Anyhow, the committee finally had their ‘In’

and they started to plan a couple of community events

for the upcoming summer.

There was excitement in the committee:

they were planning a community BBQ

with music and entertainment,

as well as a couple other

community focused activities.   

I was not told exactly what happened,

but plans changed significantly

in the months that followed.

The direction for these events changed

from tangible community outreach

to holding a potluck lunch after service.

Perhaps the committee was heeding

words of warning from God’s Spirit,

or perhaps it was the fear of failure.

I suspect it was the latter.

Regardless, this committee whose sole purpose is outreach

quickly became inward focused.

They lost sight of their purpose.

Maybe they needed a reminder

of their mission.

However, just because a committee or congregation

has a mission statement,

or a purpose statement,

it does not mean they will automatically live it out.

Jesus returned to his hometown,

and read from the Isaiah scroll in Synagogue.

Some call it the story of Jesus’ first sermon,

or as I hear it – this is the story

of Jesus’ mission statement.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
  because he has anointed me
   to bring good news to the poor.
 He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
  and recovery of sight to the blind,
   to set free those who are oppressed,
 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Each line is essential to what Jesus will do.

These are not just nice thoughts.

This all happens in Jesus.

When Jesus speaks, it happens.    

Jesus was talking to people

who were experiencing Roman taxation,

who had been living under foreign occupation

for 300 or so years –

Jesus was speaking to people whose life expectancy

was in the 30’s

while people on the other side of the hill

live well into their 60’s.

When Jesus says

“The poor, the blind, the oppressed”:

These are not faceless categories,

Jesus is talking about real, tangible blessing

for the people Jesus came to save.

To really hear what Jesus is saying,

We ought to consider

what these words sound like

to those who are oppressed,

imprisoned,

or in poverty.

To really hear what Jesus is saying,

we need to admit that our world is broken,

and confess that we have played a role

in its brokenness,

to admit that poverty,

injustice, captivity 

is happening in our world,

in our neighbourhood,

and in our hearts.

Then perhaps we can hear what Jesus is saying to us.

When we can admit our need,

when we can be honest about our deep hurts,

our fears, and longings,

then perhaps we can hear the Good News

that is Jesus.

For whatever the need,

God is greater, indeed.

Today, we are invited,

not just to hear and receive the good news,

but to be the good news.

Today, God is inviting us

into the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ.

This means taking Jesus’ mission statement seriously.

This means asking ourselves

what would actually be good news

for the poor in our city?

What would it mean for captives to be released here?

How might we clog the spokes

of the wheels of oppression in NW Calgary?

Some of these answers might be scary.

Like that outreach committee,

we might discern a way forward,

and lose focus amidst our challenges.

And, Like Jesus,

joining God’s mission

might lead to rejection in your hometown.

Trust that even though you may face rejection,

God will not reject you.

God delights in you.

God created you,

God wants to create, with you.

So here’s a thought on creating…

Let us join Jesus in creating and proclaiming

a Hip Hop Gospel.

Any fans of Hip Hop music out there?

For those who do not know,

Hip Hop music is about

sampling previously recorded music,

and putting your own spin on it,

making it your own.

For example,

Led Zeppelin’s music has been sampled

in at least 75 hip-hop songs,

Jimi Hendrix at least 76,

Queen at least 109 times,

and the Beatles at least 112.   

Eminem samples Elvis,

Snoop Dogg samples the Police’s “Message in a Bottle”,

Doja Cat samples Dion Warwick’s “Walk on By”

Much of today’s most popular hip hop music

is remaking classic rock,

giving the old words and old music

new meaning and new sound,

giving them new life.

Not everyone likes hip hop music,

many prefer the classics,

but these old songs are now speaking

to a new generation

in new and exciting ways.

Whether you like hip hop music or not,

When you see the DJ with the vinyl records,

putting their own spin on a classic,

or the MC spitting in the mic,

remember that this is exactly what Jesus did.

Jesus sampled from Isaiah and Leviticus

that day in the synagogue.

Jesus took the ancient words:

good news for the poor,

release to the captive,

sight to the blind,

the year of the Lord’s favour –

and Jesus made them his own!

Jesus gave the ancient words new life,

he gave them a new beat.  

and then Jesus dropped the mic:

“Today,

This scripture has been fulfilled.”

The times, they are a changin’

Communities change,

the needs in communities change and shift.

Congregations change and shift,

mission statements come and go,

Popular music sounds way different than the 60’s,

Yet in an ever-changing world,

  God’s mission,

Christ’s mission - does not change.

And, now you are the body of Christ

and individually members of it.

Strive for the greater gifts.

My blessing for you this day:

May we hear the new beat

that God’s Spirit is giving to these ancient words,

and put our own spin on them.

May we recognize the joy and privilege that is ours

in continuing the creative ministry of Jesus Christ.

And May the scriptures be fulfilled today:

as we listen to God’s Spirit, and follow.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

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Mercy - A Sermon for AGM Sunday February 9 2025

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The Good Wine - An Epiphany Sermon for Sunday January 19, 2025