Third Sunday after Epiphany – Texts: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Psalm 19; 1 Corinthians 12-31a; Luke 4:14-21

May the words of my mouth, and the meditations of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer – Amen.

There is a place to the east of Pasadena, north of Palm Springs—a two hour’s drive from here—called Joshua Tree National Park. It is dry, rocky, and mostly desolate. Much of the land there looks almost like a moonscape.

A first glimpse of Joshua Tree reveals precious little life: watermelon-sized, purple barrel cactus at your feet, small jackrabbits scampering among the rocks, large and pointy yucca plants and of course eerie Joshua trees. These are strangely human-like trees with wild limbs, covered in course fronds, almost like fur but more like armor. They were called Joshua trees because they looked to early Mormon settlers like the biblical figure Joshua holding his hands up, pointing them to the promised land.

The delicate system of life in the desert is an unconventional beauty. The resources available to sustain life are scarce, and the primary source that makes all the life there possible is of course water.

Recently, we took some friends from the east coast out to Joshua Tree, and one of the hikes we took was a hike that led over two rocky ridges and down to a genuine desert oasis. The oasis is called the 49 Palms Oasis because, apparently, there were exactly 49 palms found there when the oasis was discovered. The oasis was a source of life not only for plants and animals, but for Native American communities which had inhabited the land for centuries.

When we hiked toward the oasis, it was hot, and the vegetation was sparse. When we arrived at the oasis, the first thing we noticed was how the temperature dropped dramatically. We found pools of water springing out of the ground surrounded by a grove of palms and other plants. It was like an explosion of life. Experiencing the oasis underlined the vital importance of water.

Like with the 49 Palms Oasis, like with a garden, like with a body, water provides the possibility for life.

***

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians about the various members of a body. There are many members, but one body. All serve different purposes, but to the same end of furthering the one body. There are hands, eyes, knees, toes, and so forth.

While an ear may be no good at seeing, and an eye is no good at hearing, these members of the body combine their gifts and purposes, and work together. All are valuable, ultimately.

We can see this idea playing out in communities on large and small scales. We need each other. Here in a parish community like ours, some are gifted at welcoming newcomers, others at teaching, others at leading community outreach and service. Others may simply give to the community by bringing their presence. Together, we are all called to ministry.

Paul speaks of us all being different parts of one body. But he was not merely writing poetry in this letter. This was a real letter written to a real community. Paul was trying to help them through a problem that they were having. Some members of the community had certain gifts, and others had different gifts. Paul was trying to show them that all gifts were valuable. All gifts went toward the greater whole, and the new Christian community in Corinth should stop bickering about whose gifts were the most important.

And you may have noticed that our passage ends at verse “31a.” When you see a letter at the end of a verse, it usually means that the last sentence or verse is being cut off, and if the last verse gets cut there is usually a reason.

Here is the final sentence in its entirety:

But strive for the greater gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Paul continues on:

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

Here is Paul’s ode to love. And the way that this relates to the image of the body is that love is the blood that flows through us all, uniting us and animating us. Jesus’ love is his blood, which was poured out for us both literally and spiritually.

While water gives the gift of physical life, it is Christ, the living water, who gives us our spiritual life.

And as Paul says: without love, we are nothing.

***

Turning to the gospel, we have a very interesting passage. Jesus has just overcome temptation by the devil in the wilderness, and he travels into his hometown of Nazareth.

We are told that it is his custom to go to the synagogue on the Sabbath day. On this day, he stood up to read, and was given the scroll from the prophet Isaiah.

He chooses from the scroll to read this passage:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,

because he has anointed me

to bring good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives

and recovery of sight to the blind,

to let the oppressed go free,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Here he announces his identity. He is the anointed one, the Christ. He is the one for whom the people have waited.

His message is not to the powerful, but to those who are in need. It is a message of hope for the world.

And it is a message of hope to all of us, that Jesus might bring sight to our blindness, and freedom to those places in our lives in which we have become captive or oppressed.

Likewise, we are called not only to receive the gift that Christ offers, but to become part of the flow of God’s grace.

If we feed the homeless, but have no love, we are only performing a duty.

If we treat our neighbors well, but have no love, we are left empty.

But if we have love, good news will come to the poor, sight will come to the blind and release to the captives.

We are the body of Christ, and it will be through our lives that the love of God will flow, and will be shared with the world.

Amen.