Thursday after Epiphany – 1 John 4:19-5:4; Luke 4:14-22a
You see, Jesus is always on the move, filled to the brim with the Holy Spirit’s power. Every word He speaks, every place He visits, and every action He takes is guided by the Spirit’s grace – so much so that news of His miracles and teachings travels well ahead of Him.
From the moment we receive Holy Baptism, we’re also immersed in that same Spirit. We’re equipped to be open vessels of His power and grace. We’re sent out – yes, sent – to bring hope to those in need, free those who are bound, help the blind see again, and announce the year of the Lord’s favour. That’s our assignment, and God has given us the gifts we need to carry it out – to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.
We can lean on Jesus’ promise that we’ll do the same works He does, and even greater ones. After all, He’s the one who promised it! And if in our daily lives we keep soaking up God’s Word – remember how the synagogue was literally called the “house of the word”? – we’ll remain wrapped in His presence. The Holy Spirit will rest on us, just as Isaiah prophesied, and that promise will come alive in us too.