Inauguration Day
This sermon was preached at our Sunday morning service on 26th January 2025, the first Sunday following the inaugration of Trump as the 47th president of the United States of America. The gospel was Luke 4:14-21.
Do you have a technique for getting through a sermon? My kids have a snack. It started, when Isaac was a lot smaller, as a way to ensure he was quiet and didn’t fidget. A decent-sized apple could keep him going through the affirmation of faith and the intercessions too.
I’m sure you’ve seen videos of Trump’s inauguration service on the news or social media. I bet that presidential party would have given anything for a way to get through Bishop Budde’s sermon. Trump really looked like he could have used the distraction of a snack – something like a whole bucket of chicken into which he could bury his head. When we take Isaac and Miriam out to the pub, we let them have their tablets and headphones to watch cartoons or films for when they’ve finished their tea. I bet Trump would have paid good money (well, maybe not “good” money) for an iPad, noise-cancelling headphones and about three or four episodes of the Teletubbies at that point.
Alas, for him, that wasn’t to be.
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| Bishop Mariann Budd and Donald Trump |
The rest of us were hooked though, weren’t we? What a sermon that woman gave.
In today’s gospel, we heard what is often thought of as Jesus’ first sermon. At any rate, it was most certainly his shortest. Anyone with a sermon-snack back then would not have got through a single fruit pastille:
“Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing”
That was it. He read from the scripture, sat down (because that’s how rabbis preached back then, not standing up at a pulpit, but sitting down), and said this tiny sentence. Nine words in English. Fewer in Aramaic.
And that was his sermon. And that’s how our Gospel ends today. But Luke goes on to say what happened next.
First of all, everyone who heard it was amazed, and they wanted Jesus to perform miracles right there in Nazareth, his home town. But he replied, talking instead about great prophets of old, who were sent away from Israel, and performed healing and feeding miracles for the poor and the outsiders in other countries instead.
And the crowd grew angry, and chased him out. What on earth was he doing talking about helping other places when he could stay home and make Nazareth great again instead?
What was it that made them so angry? What was the scripture he read that they suddenly realised was not just for them, but might apply to others too? That might apply to the very people for whom Bishop Budde appealed to Trump for mercy; for people who are scared, for the LGBTQ+ and transgender communities facing persecution, for the poor, for immigrants, illegal or otherwise, and for refugees.
This is it – this is what is fulfilled when Jesus speaks:
“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,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
You know what, that’s a pretty short scripture reading too. I bet synagogue finished really early that day.
And now, you’re ready for my sermon. The rest of this has just been pre-amble. Let me read that bit from Isaiah again, and then I’ll give my sermon. I’ll stay standing up though, if that’s ok?
“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,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
Not through me. Well, not just me. Us.
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon us,
because he has anointed us
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent us to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”
Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
It is fulfilled, because it has to be.
In a world where the most powerful man in the world can demand an apology from a bishop, and for that matter, the whole Church for appealing for mercy, in a world where that same man can appoint his friend, the richest man in the world to a position of power in government who then goes on to perform fascist salutes in front of thousands of people, in a world where that same man on gaining power immediately releases over a dozen leaders of far-right militant groups who led riots attempting to overturn democratic elections and plunge the US itself into fascism, in a world where that same man can claim he was saved by God to enable all this to happen, and be believed and supported by people who claim themselves to follow Christ, well…
...us fulfilling this scripture is no longer an option, is it?
Christ urges us, compels us.
The world has heard a truly prophetic sermon from Bishop
Budde this week. They have heard, through her, Christ himself cry out
for mercy for the poor, the captives, the blind and the oppressed.And the world has recognised Christ's voice.
Now is our time for the Church, for us, to stand with her, and with Christ, and do the same. We can no longer be silent. We are anointed. Our own holy inauguration, if you like.
We are anointed by God to bring good news to the poor.
We are anointed by God to proclaim release to the captives.
We are anointed by God to open the eyes and minds of those who cannot see God’s truth.
We are anointed by God to lose the chains of oppression.
We are anointed by God to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour – the time of jubilee when injustices are righted, and slaves are freed, and land and wealth are shared and God – who is Love and not Hate – is known throughout the world.
Today, this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.
It is on me.
It is on us.
It is on you.
Make it true. God has anointed you with the power to do so.
Amen
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