Sent by the Spirit

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region.  He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring glad tidings to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth. Luke 4:14-22

Points for Meditation:

• To accomplish the works of God, one must be called, given an assignment from God. In what way do you see yourself as having a "calling" from God?

• Jesus' calling was confirmed at his baptism in the Jordan with John. Is there a moment in time that you would point to as confirmation of your "calling"?

• Jesus cites the text from the prophet Isaiah to indicate the nature of the Work he is sent to accomplish. In what way has the nature of your "calling" been revealed to you?

• Do you consider yourself as having the "Anointing of the Spirit"? When did you first experience this anointing?