Today’s Gospel reading starts with Jesus going to his hometown Nazareth to preach the Gospel and to teach his friends and family about God. We know that Jesus grew up in Nazareth but later on as he began his ministry he left it. Now it was the time to go back home, to let his own people know that he is the Son of God and that in him God decided to reconcile the world with him.

Can you imagine? The message itself so unbelievable now needs to be shared with Jesus’ family and friends. We don’t know much about Jesus’ life before he started his ministry, but based on the reaction of people of Nazareth, he wasn’t performing healings or miracles while he lived there. Jesus started to perform miracles after his official beginning of his public ministry. And so we can only imagine what a challenge it was for him to go to his own. He knew it’s going to be difficult for them to accept his message, for he was “just” one of them, he was the carpenter, brother of James. And yet he walked on the Sabbath day into the Synagogue to teach them.

And just as he expected, his message wasn’t very well received. Did he struggle with their response? Their ignorance and rejection? He absolutely did. I would say that Jesus was heartbroken. For his loved ones, the ones he knew the best, the ones he cared for a lot, did not listen to him. We read that he was amazed at their unbelief.

What is the message for us as we read these verses?

Well first of all we can find out something very important about the nature of God. He goes even to places where he knows he’ll be rejected. His love wants to reach every heart even the ones that will laugh at him or take offence at him. The second thing we can find out in these verses is how we treat our God.

For if you think about it, we’re not much different from the people of Nazareth. We consider ourselves Jesus friends. Jesus himself says to us in Gospel of John: I have called you friends. And then in Ephesians we read: So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.

And these verses are very true. God chose us to be his family. He made us members of his household. See God risked this relationship with us. But when he comes to us with his message, when he comes to teach us in our “synagogues” we react with words: “Who is this Jesus to tell us what to do? And why should we believe that what he’s saying is true? How do we know that he really has the power to do all the things he says he can do? And I could go on and on… See God comes to our hometown, to our hearts to start a new relationship.

But every relationship has two sides my friends. We all know that. If we want to have a healthy relationship we need to first of all accept that other person, we need to love that person, and spend time with that person, whether it’s family, friend or God. Jesus came to the people of his hometown but he was rejected. Jesus comes into our lives and hearts and often times, unfortunately he is rejected. That’s how it was in the beginning, that’s how it is now. In Gospel of John we read about Jesus: He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.

And yet it’s not all over. There is still hope. For the following verse we read: Yet all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.

God’s love is a gift. Te be a child of God is a gift. We’re not entitled to it. We’re blessed with it, as God chooses to give it to us. And as it is with any other gift, if we reject it, it becomes only an unknown thing wrapped in the box. But if we open it, accept it, and use it every day, then it truly becomes a valuable thing to us.

God truly cares for us. He sees our struggles, our worries, our doubts. That’s the reason why he came. To touch our lives with his healing, his peace and compassion. He wants to do big things in our lives. He adopts us as his own children because he wants us to be safe with him. Not just here on earth, but especially when that day comes with him in heaven. (pause)

And so question that arises for us is what will we do with this God that comes into our hometown, into our families, into our lives? Are we going to treat him as the people of Nazareth? Are we going to take offense at him and those who witness about him? Or are we going to accept his message? Are we going to let him heal us and comfort us? Are we going to believe in him and listen to his call and share his message with our loved ones?

God is here I have no doubt about that. And he can do great things among us, perform great miracles and healings through us when we put our faith and trust in him, when we’ll give our lives to him and don’t reject his invitation. We see that Jesus didn’t perform many miracles in his hometown. And the reason for that wasn’t that Jesus didn’t have the power, or that he couldn’t do them, the reason was because the hearts of people weren’t receptive. People simply rejected him.

I know that we don’t want to be like people in today’s Gospel reading. We want to accept Jesus and his message and want to see him perform miracles in our lives. And I know that many of you have experienced his presence already, but maybe, and I’m only guessing, maybe right now you don’t feel close to him, you don’t feel like his beloved child, you don’t feel his uplifting presence. (pause) We all go through times like that. And when it happens we don’t know what to do. We try to fix things but it just doesn’t work.

Well, there is a way to fix a broken relationship with our God. Jesus himself told us what to do right in the beginning of his ministry. Remember what his message was about? Repent for the kingdom of heaven has come near. Truly, there is only one way to fix our relationship with God, and that is repentance. Through simply admitting: “Lord I have not listened to you, and I have rejected you, but I don’t want to do that anymore. I am sorry, take me back.”

If someone denies the illness he or she cannot be cured. If we deny the problem it cannot be solved. If we’re too proud to accept help, no one can help us. But God doesn’t want that for us, as he didn’t want that for people of Nazareth. He comes to us as to his own. He made us his own. He loves us and he wants us to accept his love and help. He wants us to come back to him daily in repentance, fall on our knees and in faith give all our problems to him. For it is in time like that, when we’re humbled on our knees in reverence before our God, when God performs his miracles and healings.

As we stay connected to our God, in everyday humbleness, repentance and respect, as we forgive each other, and as we love one another we’ll see Christ’ glorious works among us, whether it’s within our families, our friends or our church community. Let us go out and share this message of our Lord Jesus Christ with people around us and experience the power of God in Christ Jesus. Amen