Alive in the Adventures of Jesus

by Traci Hubbard

Isaiah 42:1–3 & Luke 4:18–19

There’s a wonderful line that shows up in both Isaiah and the Gospel of Luke—God is on the move. Isaiah 42 paints the picture of God’s chosen servant who brings justice, hope, and healing: “Here is my servant… he will not cry out or lift up his voice… a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench.”

And then centuries later Jesus stands in the synagogue, reads from Isaiah, and says: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me… to proclaim good news to the poor… to set the oppressed free… to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

Friends, Jesus doesn’t just give us a belief system. He invites us into an adventure—His adventure. Walking in the ways of Jesus, this kind of life is not a museum of old religious ideas. It is an intentional way of living into the ongoing adventure of Jesus being lived out in real time, in real people, in real places, including ours right here, right now.

Our Creator’s adventure begins where we actually are. Isaiah says God’s servant does not snap the bruised reed, nor snuff out the smoldering wick. Jesus launches His mission in Luke by saying He is here for the poor, the captive, the blind, and the oppressed. In other words, Jesus’ adventure begins, not with the strong, but with the struggling.

We often think the Divine is waiting for us to “level up” spiritually before She uses us… like we need to show the Spirit our spiritual résumé. But Jesus isn’t interested in résumés. If He were hiring disciples today, the job posting would probably read: “Messy humans’ welcome. Perfection not required. Must be willing to follow and learn on the go.”

A woman I know—let’s call her Carol—went on a grocery run determined to “live more like Jesus today.” Big ambitions for a Tuesday. She prayed in the parking lot:“ Loving friend, lead me in Your adventure today.” Beautiful prayer. Simple and intentional. Well, the Holy answered. Just… not the way she expected.

While pondering whether to buy organic bananas or the regular ones (the eternal struggle we all face – first world problems), she noticed an elderly man staring helplessly at the shelves. Not the “I’m confused about quinoa” stare—more the “I shouldn’t be shopping alone” stare.

She felt a nudge: Help him. But she argued with the Spirit: “Okay Mysterious Life, I said an adventure, not a quest.” Still, she went over to the man. Turns out he was recovering from surgery, couldn’t lift much, and his daughter, who usually helped him, was stuck at work. Carol spent 20 minutes helping him finish his list. As they parted, he touched her arm and said, “You know…I prayed this morning that someone would help me.” She told me later, “Well, I wanted an adventure, but I didn’t expect God to send me to aisle 7.”

Friends, we come alive not when life is dramatic, but when we make ourselves available to LOVE.

We find Jesus’ mission statement in Luke Chapter four. He’s not running a quiet, contemplative retreat center. Jesus is starting a rescue mission. Good news to the poor. Freedom to the captive. Sight for the blind. Release and inclusivity to the oppressed. This is movement language. This is adventure language. This is Jesus saying, “Come with me—this is what we’re doing.”

The adventure of Jesus is not about becoming busier for the Divine but becoming aligned with Holy awareness and love: Seeing what LOVE sees. Loving who LOVE loves. Stepping where LOVE steps. And sometimes that mission unfolds in the biggest moments… and sometimes in the smallest, in the sacred ordinary. Adventure brings us to life.

If we read the Gospels long enough, we begin to notice that Jesus is always wandering off into adventures. Most rabbis stayed in the expected places with the expected people. Jesus? Jesus keeps taking holy detours.

We see how Jesus lives out his mission in John 4 opening with one of many famous detours. Jesus is traveling north, and the text says, “He had to go through Samaria.” Had to! Hum. Not geographically. Jews often went around Samaria. Jesus had to because Love had an appointment. Mercy had a meeting. Grace had plans. And the disciples are concerned that Jesus has ignored the GPS again. Jesus arrives at a well at noon, the hottest time of day, the time no one collects water unless they don’t want to see anyone.

And here she comes, a Samaritan woman with a story, reputation, and reasons to avoid the crowds. Jesus asks her, “Will you give me a drink?” And right there, the adventure begins. We can almost hear her thinking: “Sir… you know you’re not supposed to talk to me, right? Wrong gender, wrong ethnicity, wrong social category… and I didn’t brush my hair or teeth for a conversation.” But LOVE is never daunted by the barriers we build.

LOVE, Jesus sits where others avoid. He talks to those others ignore. He sees who others shame. Jesus steps right into her world, not to expose her but to restore her. Not to judge her story but to empower her to rewrite it. This is the adventure of Jesus, He meets people where they are and loves them toward where they can be.

I always imagine the disciples coming back from town with humus and pita bread, and Peter has purchased a souvenir camel keychain. And then they see Jesus having a heart to heart with a Samaritan woman. I imagine their faces looking like yours might when I suggest a 10 am or 2 pm Christmas Eve Service so people aren’t driving at night and can spend the day with their family.

Last Wednesday, I went foresting with Melanie and her daughter-in-law Danielle, and her grandsons, Cedar, and Shepherd to find cedar and pine branches for my Christmas decor. Danielle and her boys know their way through and in the woods and they were scared of nothing while I am imagining giant spiders like the ones Harry Potter and Ron encounter in the forbidden forest outside of Hogwarts. I’m thinking to myself, “It’s called forbidden for a reason folks,” and then Cedar shouts, “Cool, a pig without a head, come see!” Again, I’m thinking, “Not today, Satan! And thank goodness I took a selfie and sent it to my daughters so they could see what I was wearing and tell the RCMP when they are sent out to find my body.” Cedar and Shepherd could wield saws like Olympians.

They were tough and bold. But they were also tender and kind. Cedar sat behind me in the SUV and began rubbing my shoulders as we drove through one lane dirt roads in the middle of nowhere in Lumby. We eased into conversation, questions, and laughter like we were old friends, and I can’t wait to have another adventure with those two adventurous souls. While I was with them, I felt like a lipstick toque wearing wanderer with experienced capable guides who were intentional in helping me find the best branches. I have invited them to my Christmas Open House, and I hope they come so you can meet their energy.

Isaiah describes the servant of the Lord as gentle enough not to break a bruised reed but strong enough to bring justice. Jesus mixes tenderness with boldness. And when we follow Him, He grows tender boldness in us. As Brene Brown writes, ‘Our front, our countenance, becomes softer, our backs, our resilience, becomes stronger, and our hearts become wilder.’

Luke writes, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Jesus” And because of Pentecost, that same Spirit is upon us. Folks, foresting through life with Jesus, coming alive in the adventure of Holy Love isn’t empowered by our personality, our talent, our energy level—or our caffeine level (though caffeine can feel like spiritual empowerment some days). Our divine foresting is empowered by the Spirit of HOLY LOVE.

The life and ways of Jesus call us to join Him, not because we are strong, but because He is. Not because we don’t know the outcome and we feel afraid, feel out of our element, but because the Spirit is with us, leading us, and will empower, bring to life in us, the presence and words others need. I guarantee you, if I am free when Cedar and Shepherd invite me to go on another adventure with lions and tigers and bears oh my! Be sure I am going – with thick baggy socks, no ticks please, work gloves, not my soft embroidered flowered ones, learned that on Wednesday, and a smile on my face with 100% trust in my gut that these two souls know how to get me from here to there with a lot of fun and bonding along the way. And yes, I will be wearing lipstick. I know what you’re thinking! Saying YES to every possible adventure with Jesus is like this and more, and lipstick isn’t required. I know that’s important for most of the men here today. Just sayin. But Don Lemp, next time you go hunting, I think a nice deep warm rose-tinted lip balm would go well with your natural coloring.

Isaiah assures us: Jesus doesn’t break bruised reeds. Luke assures us: Jesus sets people free. The Samaritan woman assures us, no matter the story, every human has value. Friends, Jesus is still moving, still healing, still calling. The good news is maybe all we need to join the adventure is to walk across a room or pay attention on an aisle in the grocery store. Why are we hesitating?

The adventure of LOVE is already unfolding around us. All we have to do is simply say, “Here I am, is it I Lord, I have heard you calling in the night. I will go Lord if you lead me. I will hold your people in my heart.”

May we come alive in the adventure of being the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus. May the Spirit of the Lord be upon us. And may our lives become one more chapter in the ongoing, unfolding mission of LOVE in the world. And may we be attentive to others while shopping on any aisle. May it be so, amen.