For the third sermon in the series on the new Mission and Vision statements of the United Church of Canada, Rev. Cari preached on Luke 4:14-21.

The text is itself a “self-definition” statement from Jesus, proclaimed in public, in the synagogue in Nazareth. So how appropriate that it forms the basis of this sermon, on the United Church’s “self-definition” of its purpose today.

Jesus (of course) doesn’t appear out of nowhere. He is grounded in his tradition of Judaism, and in this text he quotes from Isaiah 61 and alludes to the Levitical concept of “Jubilee.” All of this is about God’s promise of justice, which requires some “daring” on the part of God’s people.

Listen to the full sermon to hear where Rev. Cari presents the challenge to the Crossroads congregation, today.