Responding to Truth

February 2, 2025
Responding to Truth

Scripture Reading: Luke 4: 24 - 30 (NIV)

“Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Message:  Responding to Truth 

Intolerance to the Truth

During the US president’s inaugural ceremonies, there was a church service - it is a traditional part of all the ceremonies

The cameras were there - imagine the scene:  The new president and his wife in the front pew, flanked by the vice president and his wife

There he is, quiet - not speaking for 15 minutes - listening to the sermon (a rare moment captured on camera!)

And then the minister says:  “Let me make one final plea, Mr. President, millions have put their trust in you. And as you told the nation yesterday, you have felt the providential hand of a loving God. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now… There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and independent families, some who fear for their lives… The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals, they – they may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors…” 

The president turns to his left to look at the vice president… the vice president shakes his head, and the president responds with very negative body language…

Afterwards, the president calls the minister “nasty” and insists on a public apology

Some of the supporters of the president accused the minister of mixing church and politics, saying that she crossed a line

One even insisted:  “The person giving this sermon should be added to the deportation list.”

Many labelled her the “Woke preacher”

In some church circles, she was hailed as brave and a true prophet - I must say, she was really brave standing there saying what she said face-to-face with the president!

Do yourself a favour, go listen to the whole sermon of Bishop Mariann Budde (15-minute sermon)

[Watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xwwaEuDeqM8]

Today, we are reflecting on how we respond to the truth

The sermon of Bishop Budde and the response to it, gives us insight into some of the ways we respond to truth…

Jesus preaching an uncomfortable truth

In our reading from the lectionary today, Jesus was speaking in the synagogue in his hometown, Nazareth

And Jesus is being very direct in what is He was saying…

I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.”

And: “And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.

Jesus was making an argument that God is not always doing as we think God is supposed to do

We don’t have a handle on God’s actions - as simple as that!

Things happen, and our ideas of how they should go do not always align with what God does

Not always a nice message to hear, but the truth none the less

But this message did not sit well with the religious people of the synagogue 

They were furious - they chased Jesus out of their holy place… to a cliff

They just wanted to get rid of Jesus by throwing Him over the cliff…

But Jesus was not intimidated, He had none of it and just stood up to them, walking through them and leaving…

How do I respond to Truth?

So today, we get to reflect on how we respond to the Truth…

Truth is a difficult idea these days, isn't it?

We live in a post-modern era where there’s the idea that “everyone has their own truth.”

There’s algorithms on our social media feeds that feeds us what we like to hear so that we would stay on social media for longer and being exposed to more adds 

And yes, there are politicians saying things as if they are true, while what they are saying is a total fabrication… (think cats and dogs and Springfield)

Closer to home… how do I respond to the truth when it is uncomfortable to hear?

How do I react when I am being made aware of my mistakes and shortcomings and sins?

It’s never nice to hear about these, but we will never grow if we are not confronted by our blind spots by being made aware of them

I really do think that growing in our faith has something to do with Truth growing in our lives… by Truth changing our lives bit by bit… shaping and forming us to be who God created us to be

Responding to Jesus

While we are reflecting on our response to the Truth today, let us remind ourselves as believers that the Truth is not an idea but a Person!

Jesus said:  “I am the Truth…!”

Our faith is the firm belief that Jesus is the Truth

We believe that we know Truth when we know Christ

We grow in the Truth when we grow in our relationship with Jesus

We grow in the way we respond to the Truth when we learn to respond to the life-changing encounters we have with Jesus

In this crazy world where there is so much confusion about the truth…

Let us respond to the Truth 

Let us respond to Jesus

Let us not get sucked into the confusion

Let us walk away and follow in the footsteps of Jesus, the Truth, the Way and the Life!


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