Two women were at a well; each had a bucket. The first, looking sad and bitter, remarks, “Life is terrible. Every time I fill this bucket, it just gets empty over and over again.” The second, at peace with herself, says, “Life is wonderful. Every time this bucket is empty, I can simply fill it up again.”

That is what God does here. He fills buckets that are empty!! If you find yourself empty because of all that you have to expend in a week, empty because of how the devil touches your life, empty because of what you face in your life emotionally, spiritually, physically and mentally then you have come to a good place today. God in His generous care and mighty salvation through Jesus fills buckets that are empty. And that is what I ask Him to do here today, for you and me.

Did you know that you are God’s favorite? How do I know that? I can say that because God has spoken to us. He chose to communicate to us. Our reading from the Old Testament, from the little known book of Nehemiah, is a gem to show us about God’s favoritism. It says that “He [Ezra] read it [The book of the Law of Moses] from day break till noon…And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. They read from the Book of the Law, making it clear and giving the meaning so the people could understand what was being read.” As the Word was being read the people wept and mourned. But Nehemiah told them, “Go and enjoy choice food and drinks and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Sections of Nehemiah 8) God’s biting Law and soothing Gospel were given that day.

We take for granted this favoritism of God – we have Bibles all over the place. Many of us have more than one, or many different translations. And we don’t even consider the importance of this Book. But in that day, when the people stayed in church for some six hours, listening to Scripture and hearing sermons, the Word moved them. (Let some preacher try a six-hour sermon today – the congregation will quickly find someone else to be the preacher!!)

In our Gospel reading for today the favoritism of Jesus was shown in His sermon. It was the Sabbath and Jesus had gone to worship and He was handed the scroll from the prophet Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18-19, a quotation of Isaiah 61:1) And then when He is done and it says that all the eyes of the synagogue were fastened on Him, He says, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” He is the sermon. He is the Word. He is the message that they needed to hear!!

That is how I know that you are His favorite. Into your bucket and mine He gives us His Word, He speaks to us, He doesn’t leave us without promises, direction or wisdom – He speaks to us!! And then the written Word took on shape, in Jesus. For everyone that is poor in their soul, bankrupt because of sin’s debt, for everyone who gave up freedom to live under the influence of darkness and knows that they are shackled, or for all who are spiritually blind, Jesus came. For us. His favorites.

You’re His favorite. He made you and formed you in a wonderful way. In the opening verses of Jeremiah this is said, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (1:5) I enjoy what the Psalmist says about this favored position, “You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from You when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are Your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them.” (Psalm 139:13-17)

Treasure this great forgiveness, cleansing and life that God has given to you and I through faith in Jesus Christ. He chose us in Him before the creation of the world. That is favoritism!! And then consider all of creation and how God has made all things so well, including us!!

Today is Life Sunday. This is a day when we try to say clearly that life, from conception to birth and from birth to older age, and into eternity, is God’s great gift. The taking of life in the womb, the demeaning of life outside the womb, the failure to receive the fullness of life through the gift of Jesus is failing to live life abundantly, the gift that God desires us to have!!

You’re His favorite – that is pretty special. But don’t get too big of a head here!! You’re not the only one!! That is what got Jesus in trouble here!! Initially after Jesus’ sermon the people spoke well of Him. But then things changed. They said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” (Luke 4:22b) They understood that He was claiming to be the Christ, the fulfillment of that Messianic prophecy. “Come, on, you’re Joseph’s son – Do you know what you’re saying??”

Jesus spoke about the favorite heart that God had for those outside of the chosen people, His favorites. During the time of Elijah, when a famine came, God sent His help not to Israel but to a widow in Zarephath, a lady who was not Jewish. And then a man from Syria, again not one of the Chosen, had leprosy and Elisha was sent to him. He was cured of His disease. Jesus expanded the list of favorites. And they did not appreciate that. “All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. They got up, drove Him out of town, and took Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him down the cliff. But He walked right through the crowd and went on His way.” (Luke 4:28-30)

They didn’t have room for any other favorites. But Jesus did. He desires all people of all countries and colors and languages and needs to be His favorite. He died that our sin that causes such a dilemma and distances us from God would be answered and forgiven. He came to bring all sinners into His favored care. He calls for everyone to turn from sin and come in faith to Christ. The unborn child is His favorite. The one with special needs is His favorite. The one whose bucket is empty is His favorite. And you and I are His favorite!!

When someone has a favorite they do things for them in a timely fashion. The widow of Zarephath was helped at just the right time. Naaman, the Syrian was helped at just the right time. And so are we. There was a lady who had gotten out of her car and walked into a store. A little girl came running into the store and asked her, “Is that your blue Ford?” The woman, a little bit snotty, snarled, “I don’t own anything blue! My car is turquoise; blue without a touch of green is appalling.” The girl tried to interrupt, but the woman went on and on about the differences between blue and turquoise. When she finished she said, “Now what do you want to know about my TURQUOISE Ford?” The little girl said, “I just wanted to tell you that it was rolling backwards, but I think it’s too late now!!”

God’s timely Word will show us His way and our need and open our heart to seek Him. We are His favorites – He has spoken to us. At just the right time Jesus came to this world, all in God’s design for us, and in amazingly great time He has entered our life, given us faith in Jesus, assuring us of His favor by His death and resurrection. At just the right time, because we are His favorites He made us just as He designed us to be, placing us by His design into our unique lives. And God’s timely work is not just ours but also theirs. In God’s great design and work He wants others to come to this wonderful favored status with a heart that confesses the saving name of Jesus and follows Him daily.

Lyn Brockman is one of the folks that calls Ascension Lutheran her church home. Lyn has an amazing life that has been filled with God’s grace. And she is thrilled to share her journey of God’s goodness in her life with you. But Lyn has recently been noticing that her mental abilities have been declining. She gets confused easily. She gets lost on occasion. Once sharp, at times she isn’t. Her friends have asked her if she is angry about this change and she tells them that she is not angry. She reminds them that God has given her blessings in the good times and He will give her blessings in the hard times.

It sure sounds like it is one who can come and get her bucket filled even after it has been emptied. And it sure sounds like you. You know, you always were His favorite. Amen!!