These were the words that Jesus quoted in the synagogue when he began his ministry. When you were baptized into Christ, you (and I) were appointed to do the same. Just as Jesus brought good news to the people, it is our job to bring good news to those around us.
We are to reach out to people in pain even if the only thing we can do is pray for them. We may not be able to go into prison and free those who are there, but there are different kinds of prisons and we can help to bring freedom to people held in bondage there. There are the prisons of addiction, the prisons of closed doors to people who have disabilities, the prisons of injustice.
We can choose to get involved and try to help, or we can decide it's not our problem and turn a blind eye.
We can work to get more facilities to help people with addictions and get funding for those who cannot pay. We can challenge property owners to make their businesses more accessible to those with disabilities. We can work with community groups to help provide housing, educational opportunities, and food to the poor.
I'm sure if we look around our neighborhoods, our communities, our churches, we will find areas where we who are anointed and appointed can fulfill the mission we have been given.
