We readily accept words of wisdom if we hear them from the pulpit, or from a learned lecturer in theology. We are less likely to accept words of wisdom if we hear them from a TV soap, the man in the corner shop, or from our own children. We need to trust our source of information before we trust the information itself. At the end of the day, in our eyes some people are qualified to dish out words of wisdom and others are not. The danger of this outlook is that we can end up believing absolutely everything from the mouth of someone highly qualified, and nothing from the mouths of those who haven’t a qualification to their name. This is sad, because anyone can have an insight to share, and by closing our minds we do not hear the wisdom and an opportunity is lost.

When Jesus returned to his hometown to preach, he was treated with similar disregard. When the Nazarenes heard him speaking they could not take him seriously because they could remember all too well his humble origins. Wasn’t he just a carpenter … Mary’s son?  They closed their minds against   Jesus, and because their minds were closed, Jesus could not work any great deed that day.

Of course, there is more to this story than Jesus being rejected in his hometown. This is a story about how we too can ignore or reject God. This is a story about the stumbling blocks we encounter in our faith. Perhaps our pet stumbling block might be our unwillingness to listen to others in the belief that we know best. Our stumbling block might be a reluctance to ask for help, fearing that this might be a sign of weakness. Our stumbling block might be the inability to recognise the voice of God in our day-to-day surroundings. Could God be talking to us through a partner, through our children, parents or friends? Where will the next prophet come from, the other side of the globe or the other side of the street? The trick is, not to rule anything out. God is more likely to work wonders in an open mind than a closed one.