January 22: Anointed by the Spirit
Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

This Spirit is disturbing. Its gifts are for the upbuilding of the church, to be sure. But that is not enough. Jesus knew.

Luke 4 recounts his first public appearance in the synagogue in Nazareth. He was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah, and he knew just where to turn in it. The Spirit had anointed him for a mission: to bring good news to the poor, to heal the blind, to free the prisoners and the oppressed.

He came "to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor"-the year of Jubilee, in which debts were erased and slaves were freed. Every 50 years, everybody started over again with a clean slate. All were forgiven and received into the community of faith on equal footing.

With the words "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing," Jesus concluded his reading and launched his mission. It was a shrewd and stunning announcement of his purpose. The message had become political.

JOYCE HOLLYDAY, a former associate editor and now a contributing editor for Sojourners, writes, leads retreats, and works with survivors of domestic abuse in western North Carolina. She is the author, most recently, of Clothed With the Sun: Biblical Women, Social Justice, and Us (Westminster/John Knox Press, 1994).