When Jesus was rejected in Nazareth, he found a home in Capernaum. Read Luke 4:28-32. Have you ever been rejected by a group of people? Being rejected is a rather universal experience. Whether we are rejected by peers at school, a group at church, a clique at work, or even by our own family, the pain is real. Social rejection can sometimes lead to depression and isolation. What we have to fight against is making sure we don’t measure our own value based on rejection. Jesus was rejected by members of his hometown, and it started in their place of worship. Jesus was in the synagogue, worshiping with his neighbors, when he declared that the prophecy of the Messiah had been fulfilled in the reading of Scripture on that day. His neighbors could not see past Jesus to discover that perhaps God had chosen Jesus. They not only rejected his message, but they rejected him. They even attempted to throw him off a cliff to kill him. Jesus escaped and left Nazareth. He went to Capernaum and was received with love and admiration. Jesus spent the next three years calling Capernaum home. When we are rejected, we don’t give up. With God at work in our lives, we will find a warm community that will welcome us, love us, and include us. Let’s also be reminded that there is a world of people out there who have been rejected, and they are looking to be included. Let’s be like the people of Capernaum and welcome them home.

Holy God, thank you for accepting us and including us. Give us the compassion of Jesus so that we are welcoming and loving those who have been rejected. May we become a warm community for the rejected. May we become home for someone else. Amen.