1 Thess 4:13-18 / Luke 4:16-30 (2019)
Debuts are important in that they form the foundations for the next step ahead.
It is usually associated with the first public appearance, as of a performer, or a beginning of a course of action.
So it may be an actor, a singer, a musician or a footballer, that first formal public presentation may be a make or break situation.
Because if the debut comes crashing down, it may mean the end of a career or aspiration or dreams.
In the gospel, Jesus made His first "debut" by preaching to the people of His own hometown.
It was going quite well and they were even astonished by the gracious words that came from His lips.
Then things suddenly turned and in the end the crowd got so enraged that they hustled Jesus out of the town and even intended to throw Him down the cliff.
If it were us, we would have been very bitter about this and given up the whole mission altogether and never talk about it again.
Yet Jesus moved on with His mission. Because He had the conviction of who He is and what He came to do.
May the Spirit continue to anoint us with His power and follow Jesus to bring Good News to the poor and may we bring about a new beginning of the Lord's favour.