Wesley Word- Jan. 19, 2022

Jessica Hall   -  

To go along with service on: Sunday, January 23, 2022 

Experiencing Grace

Exploring Truth
Epiphany: A Season of Signs – The Sign of Good News
Luke 4:14-21

This week we continue our Epiphany series, Epiphany: A Season of Signs, with the Sign of Good News. 

Our text today is Jesus’ first recorded sermon in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus has been preaching throughout Galilee and finally comes to his hometown of Nazareth. On the Sabbath day, he goes to the synagogue and is invited to be one of the readers. The text he reads is from Isaiah 61:1-2, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor…” Then he sat down and said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

We usually use this text to talk about Jesus’ mission, what he came to do. Then we automatically jump to our mission, what we should be doing. That is certainly there, but it misses something important. The season of Epiphany, and this text, is primarily about who Jesus is.

The text Jesus read from Isaiah is a prophecy about the Messiah. Everybody in the Nazareth Synagogue understood that. When Jesus said, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing,” he was claiming to be the Messiah. That claim would eventually get him killed, it almost did that day. The Good News is for everybody, but not everybody thinks it is good news.

As followers of Jesus, the Spirit has now anointed us to proclaim Good News. Let’s get to it, but remember, there may be risks involved.

Questions for Reflection/Discussion:

  1. How can I be a sign of Good News to someone this week?

New Testament in a Year: https://wesleyonline.org/biblereading/ 

  • January 19 Matthew 12:46-13:23
  • January 20 Matthew 13:24-46
  • January 21 Matthew 13:47-14:12
  • January 22 Matthew 14:13-36
  • January 23 Matthew 15:1-28
  • January 24 Matthew 15:29-16:12
  • January 25 Matthew 16:13-17:9
  • January 26 Matthew 17:10-27

Expressing Love: Family/Mission Activity

Sharing the Good News: Select a treat the whole family loves. When everyone is gathered, begin eating the treat in front of everyone and talking about how good it is. When everyone starts complaining about how unfair it is, pull out more you’ve had set aside. 

Sharing the Good News of Jesus is a lot like sharing this treat. Once everyone sees the treat, they want some. Sometimes the only reason people don’t know to follow Jesus, is because they don’t know about him or understand why he’s so special. If you’re unsure of what to tell people, just remember John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not die, but have eternal life.” You have a special treat in your life with Jesus; be sure to share it with everyone you know!

Announcements:

  • WOW (Worship on Wednesdays) TONIGHT at 5:30!
    • Meal, worship, small groups
  • Ministry Summit, Saturday, January 22, 10-2
    • Help us celebrate ministries past & present, but also help us to dream BIG about the call for Wesley in the future! ALL are invited & encouraged to come!! Please RSVP by Thurs, Jan. 19 so we can order an appropriate amount of lunch!