The Spirit of the Lord is Upon Me…

“The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me; he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor…” — Isaiah 61:1-2a (NRSV)

As Advent continues, I find myself once more focused on the prophet Isaiah. These words of Isaiah were also the words that Jesus read in the Synagogue where he grew up in Nazareth as recorded in Luke 4:18. This happened immediately following his forty days of temptation by the devil in the wilderness. Not only did Jesus read these words from Isaiah, he boldly proclaimed that this prophecy had been fulfilled in the presence of those gathered in the synagogue. Needless to say this pronouncement set off a bit of a firestorm in Nazareth! Jesus boldly proclaimed these words and was very nearly thrown off of a cliff by his neighbors. I guess you could say that this was a preview of coming attractions for Jesus as he would face many other times of trial before finally being tortured and murdered by the Empire in Jerusalem.

If you are called to proclaim the Word of the Lord, you aren’t always going to be popular with the established powers that be. Jesus essentially came to turn the tables on the status quo. The power-brokers were threatened by the fact that Jesus was reaching out to the poor, the captives, the blind and the lame, and the oppressed. And sometimes this calling comes with a cost.

The man who is immortalized by the statue above at the Gettysburg Battlefield National Military Park knew the cost of such a calling. Chaplain William Corby was a Roman Catholic priest who left his position at Notre Dame University to be a Chaplain to the 88th New York Regiment of the famed Irish Brigade for three years during the Civil War. He left a very comfortable situation as a professor at a good university for a life of tents, lice, long marches, and perilous battle where bullets and cannon balls didn’t distinguish between combatants and non-combatants. Why did Chaplain Corby do this? From my reading of his autobiography and other sources, I believe he answered this calling because the Spirit of the Lord was calling him. The next two paragraphs are an overview of Father Corby’s ministry to soldiers of all faiths. The reference is: http://www.gettysburg.stonesentinels.com/Individuals/Corby.php

“Although Father Corby accompanied his men on many battlefields, giving comfort to the wounded and absolution to the dying, perhaps his greatest moment came at Gettysburg. Little more than 500 men remained of the original 3,000 veterans of the brigade, but they were to be sent to the rescue of the crumbling Union flank in a vicious maelstrom that would become known to history as The Wheatfield.

Father Corby donned his stole and mounted a large rock as the men of the brigade knelt, Catholic and Protestant alike. He offered absolution to the brigade, reminding them of their duties, warning them not to waver and to uphold the flag. Their attack bought precious time for the Union defenses but cost them dearly, with over one third of the brigade becoming casualties in a few moments.”

Father Corby heard the voice of the Lord and responded to that call. He ministered in the name of Jesus as a Catholic Priest and Chaplain to soldiers of any and all faith groups in the midst of the horrors of war. He served honorably and was a beacon of hope and light to many during some of the darkest hours of that war. He responded to the Lord’s call and didn’t look back.

In Luke’s Gospel, we hear Jesus warning about the cost of discipleship and what was required to follow him: “No one who puts a hand on the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” — Luke 9:62 (CEB) Jesus answered the call of Isaiah to proclaim the good news to the poor, release to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, and freedom for the oppressed. He moved forward to do the work of the Kingdom of God without looking back. What he asks his disciples to do, he has already done.

How is the Lord calling us in our lives? How are we called to share the good news? For 21 years I did so in the uniform of an Air Force Chaplain. And now, post-Air Force, I continue to serve where God leads me as a pastor. The Spirit of the Lord calls… are you ready to answer that call? Answering that call won’t always make you popular. There will be opposition to you, perhaps even Empire opposition!

In this season of preparation, take some time to be still and listen for the Lord’s call to you. The Lord is calling… will you listen? Will you obey? Remember this, Jesus promises that his yoke is easy and his burden is light. There will be burdens… their will be times of trial as you serve the Lord… but you are never alone. God help us to listen and to respond to that call with our lives.