Going Beyond the Comfort Zone Luke 4:21-30 There is always a deeper meaning to what we read in scripture than what appears on the surface. When Jesus went into his short speech about and Elijah and Elisha we have to ask:  "Why did the people get so upset?" I think that he was reaching out beyond their comfort zone.  They thought they had exclusive rights to the hometown boy.  After all "wasn't he Joseph's son  who is known to us all".  However, it appears that he did much more outside the local scene in Capernaum than he was doing among them because he saw his work among all people not just an advantaged few.  I believe that they also thought the people there had the  inside track on God.  Underlying what was happening was a sinister attitude being unearthed, an attitude that they were somehow special in the eyes of God.  After all they were God's favourites, God's chosen ones - not chosen for the responsibility of showing God's love to the world but chosen to be  treated as especially privileged.  They felt that they had exclusive rights to God.  Jesus was pointing out that the time for those kind of attitudes were over. All humanity was created by God, in fact God in many ways could be found in and among all people.  Even the prophets of the past showed this truth by their actions.  Even though there were lots of people starving in Israel,  wasn't Elijah sent to help only a foreign widow in Zarephath in Sidon?  There were many lepers suffering in Israel but Elisha was sent to help an alien, Naaman, a Syrian. Jesus was saying It was time for living inclusively rather than living with the attitude that "We are right and everyone else is wrong"  or "We are alright so lift up the ladder Jack" or "We are doing just fine so to hell with the rest of you."  As the old folk song goes, "Time they are a-changing" and the people in Nazareth didn't like it one bit.  In fact it says that they were filled with rage and drove Jesus out of town. * We still face exclusive attitudes in the world today.  In some sense we have to work against this kind of attitude relentlessly at all times. It is and has been the cause of so much trouble in the world such as prejudice, apartheid, nationalism, fascism, racism, tribalism and elitism.  There are even that attitude that exists among Christians in Churches. We often don't want to learn from others who are not Christians.  We think that they don't have anything to give to us. We like to think that we have exclusive knowledge of God  and the ways of God and we want to force our opinions unto them.  But, in truth, others have much to give and we have a lot to learn from them about spirituality.  We have to approach others with the attitude that they have the Spirit of Truth within them just as we do and we all have something to give from our learning and experience. We are going to learn from them as much as they may learn from us. Together we are going to discover the truth  and we are going to reach an understanding that neither one of us has now and that neither one of us could discover alone. We both emerge from such an encounter changed people.  When we can get out of that role of exclusiveness it is amazing what we can learn from the Jews, Buddhists, the teachings of the sages of the Upanishads in India, Yoga gurus, native spirituality from our first Nations and other aboriginal people in the world, Confucianism and a whole other types of spirituality.  We can even learn from those that call themselves atheist or agnostics. We come to understand differences and similarities and practice our Christian spirituality in new and exciting ways. * The attitude that we are somehow better than others can work against compassion. Because we might see ourselves as somehow more privileged than others, having more authority than others, having more  money and resources than others, and seeing ourselves more important than others.  This makes it difficult to see ourselves as "one" with others - that deep within, other people are the same as we are and that we are all part of the same Ground of Being.  Seeing ourselves as "one" is the root of compassion.  We share the same humanity.  We share one another's suffering.  It is a heart felt moment when we see these barriers fall and people reach  out to one another. I have been impressed by a story told by Fred Craddock, a noted and gifted preacher and has been a preaching and New Testament professor Candler School of Theology and Graduate Division of Religion, Emory University of Atlanta. It has been told many times by many preachers It is a story of the time Fred Craddock found himself stuck in Winnipeg during a snow storm. Everything was shut down and his host couldn't even make it to Mr. Craddock's hotel to pick him up for breakfast. So, for breakfast, Fred found himself at a crowded bus depot cafe about two blocks from his hotel. As he entered, somebody scooted over and let him get in a booth. A big man with a greasy apron came over to the table and asked him what he wanted. Not knowing what the cafe served, Fred asked to see a menu. "What d'ya want with a menu?" the man asked. "We have soup." "Then I'll have soup," he said. Just what he wanted--soup for breakfast. The man brought the soup and Craddock says it was an unusual looking soup. It was grey, the color of a mouse. He didn't know what was in it, but he took this spoon and tasted it. It tasted awful. "I can't eat this," he said. So he sat in that crowded cafe warming his hands around the bowl, railing against the world, stuck in Winnipeg. Then, the door opened and someone yelled, "Close the door" and she did. A woman came in. She was middle aged, had on a coat, but no covering for her head. Someone scooted over and let her in a booth. The big man with the greasy apron came over and the whole cafe Everyone in the Cafe heard this conversation: "What d'ya want?" "Bring me a glass of water," she said. The man brought the water, took out his tablet and repeated the question. "What d'ya want?" "Just the water." "Lady, you gotta order something." "Just the water." The man's voice started rising: "Lady, I've got paying customers here waiting for a place, now order!" "Just the water." "You order something or you get out!" "Can I stay and get warm?" "Order or get out." So, she got up; the people at the table where she was seated got up, people around got up; the folks that let Fred sit at the table got up; Fred got up and they all started moving towards the door. "OK," the big man with the greasy apron said, "She can stay." And everybody sat down. He even brought her a bowl of that soup. Fred asked the man sitting next to him, "Who is she?" "I never saw her before," he said, "but if she ain't welcome, ain't nobody welcome." All you could hear was the sound of people eating that soup. "Well, if they can eat it, I can eat it," he said. He picked up his spoon and started eating the soup. "It was good soup. I ate all of that soup," says Fred Craddock. "It was strange soup. I don't remember ever having it before although I remembered eating something that tasted like that before. And as I left that little cafe, I remembered what it was. That soup tasted that day like bread and wine. I wished that had happened in a church." * No matter where that happens whether in the church and wherever we happen to be,  it is a living example of the type of inclusiveness that was so much a part of Jesus' way of life.  It is a way that we are challenged to take unto ourselves in the Gospel today. We are not to drive Jesus out of our lives because he disturbs our comfort zone but to reach out with him in care and compassion to all people. You are visitor number UK Online Casinos This free counter  is supplied by Visible Counter Connect with Deacon Sils Homelical resource Also for more sermon and lectionary resources connect to SERMON AND SERMON LECTIONARY RESOURCES   Check Out my daughter's web site CARLY'S STRENGTH THE GODDESS WITHIN MUSIC PROJECT Each year, thousands of women and children become homeless as a result of domestic violence.  "The Goddess Within" music project is designed to empower those whose lives have been affected by domestic abuse and to raise awareness of this issue. "The Goddess Within" compilation album will showcase artists and their songs, written for or relating to those escaping the cycle of violence.  The C.D. will be distributed throughout North America and proceeds from the sale of the C.D. will be donated to women's shelters. More information on the CD is available at ARTISTS FOR CHANGE My daughter Carly is featured on the album with her song The Mask.  The art for cover for the CD album is the creation of another daughter, Mary Anne Molcan. Another site to access is Ending Domestic Abuse * Mary Anne is a very talented artist.  She has a new web site called Faerie Artist where she displays her Art.   You can access her site at: Faerie Artist