Jesus and Community | Lent Devotional Day 38

Exploring the Meaning of Jesus’ Death
March 27, 2026
Written by Charity Goodwin

Jesus and Community

Scripture:

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue,as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
    because he has anointed me
    to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
    and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
(Luke 4:14-21)

Reflection:

My grandparents were sharecroppers and so were their parents - just years removed from the Emancipation Proclamation.

I stand amazed and in debt to them for making it out alive and with faith! I stand on the shoulders of those who’ve gone before me and I stand with and for a community of people unashamedly.

The Exodus story of Moses leading the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land is central to the hope my greats and grands had and that I hold on to today.  For me faith in Jesus Christ is yes, about scripture, it’s also about family.  And for me, faith is about an entire people’s liberation - not just then but still now.

In the same way that God through the first Moses liberates the Israelites, (the second Moses being Harriet Tubman who led enslaved people to freedom), Jesus is the liberator from injustice, systems of oppression as well as individual and collective sin. Jesus is also the one who understands our suffering and is in solidarity with the lived experiences of Black people.

Prayer:

God, remind me that my life is not just mine. I’m part of a community from humanity, to a neighborhood, church, my family chosen and by blood. May I remember them in my prayers and decisions. May I increase my gratitude for being part of a collective. In the name of the liberator, Jesus. Amen.

Reflection Question:

How has faith been a source of liberation or freedom in your life?

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