The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth
When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
How did you cope,
day after day, Lord Jesus
with the questions
and the accusations
and the put downs?
How did you manage
not to simply retreat
and leave them to it-
those who just wanted to trip you up
as well as those who desperately needed your wisdom?
How did you do it
with mettle
with grace
with compassion
with love,
often speaking hard truths
but never avoiding awkwardness
or difficult conversation?
How did you manage
to keep on believing
that truth
and love
would prevail?
Lord, in all the messiness
and hurt
and mistrust
with which we grapple
may that same
calm, loving assured Spirit
be in our midst.
May we know you
who walked this way before
right there beside us
when we tie ourselves in knots,
unraveling the bonds,
bringing ease,
bringing hope, love and grace.
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