“The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.” (Isaiah 61:1-3 NIV)
Next week, eight others and I will arrive in Cape Town, South Africa to assist missionaries in carrying this message to the very people for which it was intended—the poor, the brokenhearted, the prisoners held captive by the darkness. We will work with people, young and old, who live in what are known as formal and informal settlements, a combination of small houses built by the government and shacks built of just about anything imaginable. Almost half of South Africa’s nearly fifty million people live below the poverty line and the unemployment rate is nearly 25%. Alcoholism, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, and violence are rampant. It’s what one, perhaps, would expect from countries in Africa and other “Third World” nations.
Yet, go to almost any city or town in the U.S. and you will find the same. This past weekend, my wife and I, along with several students, assisted a local ministry in a trailer park. We went from trailer to trailer handing out Christmas gifts. Many of the people we visited were unemployed, alcoholics or drug abusers, and living in very dilapidated housing. I have found people in similar circumstances throughout the country as I have taken students on mission trips over spring break, whether it be in urban areas such as Jackson, Mississippi and Philadelphia, or in rural areas such as in Kentucky or on a Native American reservation in Show Low, Arizona.
The truth is the poor, the brokenhearted, and those held in bondage by the darkness are not far away from us. This message that Jesus came to proclaim (Luke 4:16-20) is for everyone, both near and far. We are going to South Africa to proclaim it, but it is just as needed here at home. As that wonderful Christmas carol, Joy to the World, proclaims, “He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found.” And it is found throughout the world, including in our own communities.
Today, realize you don’t have to go to the other side of the world to proclaim the wonderful message of Isaiah 61. There are people very close by who need to hear it. All they need are people willing to deliver it.
© Jim Musser 2011
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