Week 1: Called to Liberation | 2023 Pre-Conference Devotional

Have you ever felt compelled to share a message? Maybe it was mundane, maybe it was important. Who was it meant for? How was it received?

Scripture is filled with accounts of prophets hearing and responding—and sometimes avoiding (cc: Jonah)—a clear and direct call from God. Their messages, often dire warnings of a judgment to come, weren’t typically met with acclaim. 

This Conference’s theme of “Liberated to Love” is predicated on Isaiah 61:1-3a NRSVUE. Isaiah was himself actively persecuted and, per tradition, violently martyred. The passage reads:

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, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; to provide for those who mourn in Zion—to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.

While future devotionals will cover the full text, today we start with that first half-sentence: “The spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me…” If we were reading this for the first time, we wouldn’t yet know what Isaiah has been anointed to do or say. We just know that, according to him, God has placed an unmistakable call to take some kind of action.

While we can assume Isaiah possessed conviction and resolve, what of his fear? Did he lie awake at night in a cold sweat dreading what he knew might come? Isaiah’s message wasn’t just individual, nor was it spiritualized. It had real-world consequences for his nation and the powers of the time.

As the passage so beautifully illustrates, Isaiah’s call was to proclaim a message of good news, what we might call “Gospel,” to a people in desperate need of it.

For the oppressed, for those in his day who were cast to the margins of their society, for the economically disenfranchised, for those mourning great loss: God has something for you.

Freedom. Release. Comfort. Deliverance.

We’re also now in the second week of Advent in the liturgical calendar, a time to contemplate what it was like to wait for long-promised deliverance, to wait for word of a promise fulfilled. May we step into each day with open hands and hearts, willing to answer the Spirit’s call and anointing.

Members of our team have contributed to a series of devotionals centered on our Conference theme and passage. Each Monday until our January gathering, we’ll take the next step in our journey. Even if you don’t plan to attend Conference, our prayer is that these devotionals encourage and enrich your faith. May they remind you that you are not alone, that you belong, and that God is at work in our world.

I invite you to join me in a brief prayer:

God who leads us into liberation,

May this season of anticipation and disruption enable us to expand our awareness of Your presence. So often, we might struggle to discern Your call from the messages, biases, and beliefs we hear first. Just as you anointed Isaiah with a word for his people in his time, may we embody your good and liberating news in all aspects of our lives.

In Your loving name,

Amen.

Join us for Conference!

Have you registered for the 2023 Liberated to Love Conference?

This is your chance! The Q Christian Fellowship Conference is an annual gathering where about 1,000 or more LGBTQ+ Christians, parents, and allies: gather for worship, fellowship, workshops, and keynote speakers; make lifelong friendships or reunite with those friends; experience healing, transformation, and hope; witness the fullness of God's love and affirmation through each other.

Visit the link below to learn more!