In this morning's Gospel reading from Luke, Jesus, in his first public address to the people, stands in the syna-gogue to read from Holy Scripture. The scroll is open to the words of the prophet, Isaiah. And as he reads, Jesus claims those prophetic words for his own life and ministry. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because God has anointed me . . . to bring good news to the poor, recovery of sight to those who have been blind, to set free those captive to any limitation of circumstance or fortune, and to proclaim that the time of God's favor has begun."

My hope this morning is that we would hear those very words anew, for the church, and for our lives. Let me begin with a story about what the calling of this passage can mean within the life of our denomination, The United Methodist Church.

In the summer of 1984, I went to El Salvador to learn more about the work of the church in that region. At a time when being faithful to Jesus Christ often meant putting one's life on the line, I was humbled by the witness and courage of those I met. Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, working together for justice and peace in a way that will again be honored tomorrow night at our neighbor St. Monica's in our annual Christian Unity service. I hope many of you will choose to be a part of it.

One of my most vivid memories from that trip is of flying in to land at the airport in San Salvador, the capital. The view from the plane window is breathtaking. Seen from above, El Salvador is a gorgeously beautiful corner of God's creation-the sea, the mountains, the green hills, the sky . . . it's a place that could easily grace the cover of any brochure advertising an idyllic tropical resort paradise.

Once on the ground, however, another part of the reality emerges. Alongside a certain measure of wealth and power, the vast majority of the Salvadoran people live in conditions of crushing poverty, poverty such as I had rarely seen. Ramshackle houses, lack of sanitation facilities, spotty medical facilities, dirt roads, ratty old clothes, minimal nutrition, water we couldn't drink . . . the majority of the people had very little in the way of material comforts, yet often shared a sense of joy in living, a deep, vibrant love of family and friends, a commitment to community that is inspiring.

I have thought of them so much during this last week, as news of the damage from the earthquake continues to come. A hillside of houses buried in mud. Many hundreds dead and missing. Danger now of disease spreading, cholera and dysentery. Tens of thousands homeless. And the faces on the news of them that mourn. We weep with them. We are reminded of our fragile existence on this earthquake-prone land. The earth trembles and roars, and we are all driven back to the foundations of our faith.

Though we in Southern California might like to think otherwise, the Lord God does not give to us mortals the knowledge of stopping the earth from quaking. And while our retrofitted buildings may be stronger and more flexible than those sprawling ramshackle houses on the Salvadoran hillside outside the capital city, we are vulnerable, too. For ourselves now, we might pray that this latest earthquake in our hemisphere might serve to remind us of our dependence on one another and on God, which we seem to remember best when the walls come tumblin' down.

For finally, what we have from God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, is our ability to respond, to reach out to one another in our need. To bring good news when there seems to be none. To remember the poor and lift them up. We are anointed with the Spirit to serve, to empower, to love, and to give.

I take some comfort and give thanks to God for knowing that the United Methodist Church is already at work in El Salvador on behalf of the quake victims, and has been for over a week now. Through the United Methodist Committee on Relief, which we call UMCOR, we are working in partnership with the Methodist church in El Salvador and the ecumenical organization ACT--Action by Churches Together--sending money and supplies now that they can be distributed. In a couple months, volunteers will be needed to go and help the people rebuild, and through our denomination we have a structure in place to make that possible. Thanks be to God. The Sentinel newsletter which you will receive this week contains information on how you might give through UMCOR-and remember, 100% of your contribution will go to Salvadoran relief.

We do all this because as a global church we take very seriously the Gospel passage read this morning. The United Methodist Church, since its beginnings as a renewal movement on a college campus in England, has always linked a strong life in the Spirit with real help for God's people, most especially the poor.

As Jesus' ministry begins, the scripture helps us see more of what that means for the world, for the church and for our lives. Last week's passage spoke of the joy of abundant love in his birth and message. Today we glimpse the joy that will come for all the people of the world through the sharing of that love in tangible, material ways with those who need it most.

We participate in that joy through the church and we participate in a variety of ways in our lives. For today we hear that Jesus begins by owning this ministry for himself. When he reads: "the Spirit of the Lord is upon ME. . . ." he claims his baptismal identity. God has chosen ME, says Jesus, to give good news to the poor, to heal the afflicted, to announce freedom to the prisoners and to give sight to the blind, and to proclaim that the year of God's grace has commenced.

He knows that the power that the Spirit brings sets his feet on a course he himself might not have chosen. He accepts his responsibility to join God in the work of liberation and hope. Perhaps Jesus did not know in advance just where his own path of faithfulness would take him. Most of us do not, when the Holy Spirit calls to us and we respond in faith and trust.

Today I want to lift up one faithful disciple and her journey of faith. I want to celebrate the life and witness of Nancy Lightfoot, a Methodist missionary in Liberia, who sadly died in an automobile accident last week. Known personally to some of you, Nancy was born and raised in Michigan, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree and Master of Arts degree from Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. She first worked as an elementary school teacher, then as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ethiopia.

Nancy's work as a missionary in Ivory Coast and Liberia centered around the translation of the Old and New Testaments into the Klao language, the primary language of Liberia. The work on this translation had begun in the 1960's with the development of an alphabet and literacy training, all at the request of the then Methodist bishop. By 1980, work on the scriptures had begun. Co-workers urged Nancy into the work. At first she said: "I'm not the one." Nothing happened on the translation for three years, and she was approached again. She replied: "I'm not able. Send someone else." Finally she wrote that she said to God: "OK, God, I'll do it, but I will need help." And God said: "I know that. I will help."

And God helped. By sending Liberian translators to help. By carrying them through a time when termites devoured parts of the newly translated text, and through wars which caused everyone to flee the region. When war broke out in Liberia in May of 1990, Nancy remained in Jerusalem until it was safe to return to Liberia. As the war intensified, one by one the Liberian translation workers were also forced to flee to Ivory Coast where together they continued the work of translation. The house where they had been working in Liberia was never looted during the war, and afterwards, all their floppy disks which contained the translation of the books of the New Testament were found safe.  The new Bible was dedicated in January last year.

Nancy once said: "Watching the faces of the older women in a Klao-speaking congregation as they hear God's word read to them in a language they understand is an experience one would not forget."

United Methodist missionary Nancy Lightfoot had heard the word of God speaking in her life. The Spirit of the Lord was upon her and her team of translators, just as the Spirit was upon Jesus Christ. And they labored long to make the same possible for those who otherwise would not have heard.

The invitation to each of us today is to listen and hear the spirit calling to us. What might it mean for YOUR life to hear these words spoken of you: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon ME . . . because God has chosen me to. . . ." How do you finish that sentence? Where is God calling and leading you in this new year? How might you live out that calling?

I want to close this morning with a prayer poem written by Peter Gomes, Chaplain at Harvard University, from a sermon entitled, "Identity Crisis." It could have applied to Jesus that day in the synagogue when he stood to read. It certainly speaks to each of us this day as we ponder the Spirit's call to each of us:

"Formed by God, nourished by his love, preserved by his mercy, open to his promises, expectant of his future: You are the human expression of the Divine hope. You are God's best and last chance in the world. You are the means for hope and for love in the world. Who are you? That is who you are. You are all of that and more. And for that, we praise God."

Dear friends, God has chosen each of us for a life of praise and service. May you be blessed with new insights as to how that call might take shape and may the Holy Spirit grant you the courage and determination to go forward.

NOTES

1. Peter J. Gomes. Sermons: Biblical Wisdom for Daily Living. New York, Avon Books. 1998.
2. Nancy Lightfoot. News from Nancy Lightfoot in West Africa. West Michigan Conference. August 2000.
3. General Board of Global Ministries. United Methodists Assisting El Salvador Earthquake Victims. January 2001.
4. General Board of Global Ministries. El Salvador Earthquake. January 2001.

© Patricia E. Farris, 2001. Permission is given for brief quotation with attribution. All other rights reserved.