Sermon Luke 13:10-17

Luke 13:10-17 (New International Version)

A Crippled Woman Healed on the Sabbath
10On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, "Woman, you are set free from your infirmity." 13Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

14Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath."

15The Lord answered him, "You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?"

17When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.




Anne Clark

Luke 13:10-17

22 August 2010

I like rules. Generally, I am a rule follower. I like organizational charts, handbooks, and a clear chain of command. It gives me an out – a way to do the right thing without being completely accountable or responsible for my actions. I’m sorry, Ma’am, but it’s the rules. In college I sat on student judicial council that governed residential & social life on campus. I remember one case in particular that left all of us on the council in an ethical bind. During breaks, students were not allowed to have guests in the residence halls. The dorms were mostly empty and it was for the safety of the students not to have strangers in the building when there may only be one person on a hall to run to in an emergency.

One spring term, we had a case where a student was turned in for having a guest in her room on Easter Sunday. When she came in for her hearing, we were expecting to hear her case, give her the precedent punishment, and go on to the next case. When she came in, she told us that yes, she was guilty of breaking the rules, and she was prepared to accept whatever consequences that required, but that this Easter marked the death of her parents, and her brother had driven all night so that they could be together that day. It was the coldest Easter we had seen and they were waiting in her room for the sunrise service in God’s Acre, a service they attended their entire lives as a family.

Well. The standard punishment that we had just given last three offenders didn’t seem quite right here. How could we give this girl a month’s social suspension, including the spring formal, and ten hours of community service? At the same time, she did in fact break the rules. Do the details make such a large difference?

I wonder if this is the ethical dilemma in which the synagogue leader found himself in when Jesus healed the woman from our Gospel reading today. The law clearly states that one must honor the Sabbath and keep it holy, focusing your time and energy on that day to God. It’s not the law itself, or following it, that is a problem for Jesus in this story. But what part of healing a suffering woman through the authority and love of God is wrong? Instead of arguing against Jewish law, he argues within it, using the example of caring for one’s oxen. If one can work enough to untie one’s beasts and lead them to water to ease their thirst, how is it any different for someone to be healed of their suffering and pain on the Sabbath day?

Whistling in the Dark by Frederick Buechner frames this idea well. He writes: “Jesus said that the one supreme law is that we are to love God with all our hearts, minds, souls, and our neighbors as ourselves.” On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets” (Matt 22:40)… The law against working on the sabbath is an example found in the Gospels. If it is a question of whether or not you should perform the work of healing people on the Sabbath, Jesus’ answer is clear. Of course you should heal them is his answer. Obviously healing rather than preserving your own personal piety is what the Law of Love would have you do. Therefore you put the lesser law aside”.

How often do we get caught up in the rules and forget that people come first? It takes infinitely more energy, discernment, and patience to take every situation on it’s own terms instead of following a rule book.

Perhaps the synagogue leader was genuinely horrified that Jesus broke Jewish law because he was so committed to the sacred laws. Possibly, the leaders of the faith were uneasy with Jesus’ growing influence, ideas, and popularity and were grasping at straws in order to discredit him. Either way, it’s hard to imagine anyone witnessing such a dramatic healing of a suffering member of the community and not be overwhelmed by awe and joy.

I remember last week, when we laid hands on Bill Marr in the chapel after the ten o’clock service. How powerful, spiritually rich, and emotional that experience was for everyone present. God was there when we gave Bill our love, our support, and our prayer. We called on God for his protection and healing. And Bill, kneeling in the chapel, found the ability within himself to accept all of that support and love from his community and God, facing the reality of his situation and the knowledge that no matter what, it would all be okay.

Imagine what it might have been like to sit there in that sanctuary and watch Jesus call forward one of your own, one who you love and who is suffering. She isn’t named but for eighteen years she was in pain, becoming more and more crippled by her disease. She didn’t beg Jesus to heal her, she didn’t run to him the moment he arrived. She came to worship with her community and when he saw her, he called her to him. He freed her from her pain and suffering. Do you think he even paused to consider whether or not it was the “right thing” to do based on what day of the week it was? He loved her, as he loves each of us, and he healed her, right then and there so she would not suffer any longer.

Jesus challenged a lot of rules in his life and ministry. He spent time with tax collectors, women of the street, and others who were outcast by society. He healed on the sabbath. He followed the law of love, which trumps all other laws. People matter more than rules. People matter more than programs, or politics, or power. There are so many rules that we accept because we don’t really want to spend the time and energy struggling within ourselves to discern the right path. We use them as a crutch every day, without even knowing it.

At camp this summer, we committed ourselves to asking “why” as we began planning, executed training weekend, and went through the session. Why do we pair counselors and campers the way we do? Why do we train counselors for two days? Why do we have a curfew? Why do we do the same activities every year? Why do we have so many lead counselors? an endless litany of why?

We challenged ourselves, our rules, and our traditions and we were rewarded by one of our best camp sessions ever. There was new energy, new growth, and a place for new people to come and offer their gifts and talents.

It is wonderful that we live in an age and place where we are able to question the laws that govern our civilization and our personal lives - socially, politically, within the business world and the church. In Jesus’ day, working on the Sabbath day was a big deal. Today, our big deal issues are a bit different. Within our society we are actively discussing and debating many big topics - racism, abortion, homosexuality, immigration, war, health care, education, homelessness, the environment. I’m not here to offer my opinion on any of those hot button issues, but I think that most people would agree that these are not so simple as to have a clear answer or solution. Even within our own modern church – the greater Anglican Communion and here in Boone - we are engaging in new discussions and prayerfully considering many of these topics.

As tumultuous and divisive as these conversations can be, I’m glad that we are having them. We’re questioning a great deal in the world. Sometimes we do these conversations justice by engaging in a healthy dialogue of mutual respect and appreciation. Sometimes we, like the synagogue leader, get focused on precedent and stick too closely to the safety zone of the rules and, at those times, we may find these conversations more difficult.

Whether we are making decisions on a college campus, in a political system, in a church organization, or in any other aspect of life - it’s okay to ask why. It’s good to disagree - it means that we are discussing the issues and discerning a new right path... As long as we can remember to follow Jesus’ example and keep ourselves focused on loving and taking care of people, not systems, organizations, political parties, or laws, we’ll be just fine.

August Newsletter Article

Dear Friends in Christ,

While away on vacation, Cyndi has offered me yet another wonderful internship experience by allowing me to contribute to this month’s newsletter. I’d like to start by saying THANK YOU for being so welcoming and kind. If any parish knows how to welcome with arms and hearts wide open, it has been you. Discernment is a wonderful experience, but it can also be a vulnerable one. You have been supportive, making this internship feel comfortable and safe. Just last Sunday, I was able to preach my first sermon (since a Youth Sunday sermon my junior year of high school) with a calm heart, surprisingly anxiety free, because I knew that your smiling faces were in front of me.

Last Saturday, I sent off our J2A pilgrims and their leaders into the beautiful and deeply sacred scenery of the southwest. What a treat to be able to participate in such a service - a spiritual focusing, a blessing, and a gentle reminder to keep God in the forefront of their minds throughout their journey. I made a pilgrimage, of sorts, with my mom while in college and it was an unforgettable experience. We spent about three weeks in January driving from Georgia to California in her little Mazda Miata. To give a purpose to our road trip, I earned school credit by performing an independent study on Native American spirituality and religion. We made very few concrete plans before we hit the road and just enjoyed a meandering exploration of our country. The parts of that trip that I remember the most are the times when we were practically struck dumb by the sheer presence of the sacred in the desert. Whether looking out at the snow covered mesas,or hiking on a trail surrounded by old petroglyphs scratched into stone, God was there.

There are so many distractions in life and I sometimes forget just how good it feels when I consistently tend to my relationship with God and remain aware of His presence in the world. When I manage to keep a grasp on the presence of the Holy Spirit, it is supremely rewarding. Those memories I cherish most tend to be enhanced by my memory of God’s presence. I can’t think of them without a smile. I want those warm, spiritual memories for our pilgrims this week and they will remain in my prayers.

As I locked up the chapel and watched our pilgrims drive away to the airport - and again as I sit here on the deck surrounded by mountains, the valleys and blue sky - I’m reminded of a song we used to sing during Compline at summer camp. Here is the refrain, written by Lanny Wolfe, that is playing on loop in my head:

Surely the presence of
the Lord is in this place
I can feel His mighty
power and His grace
I can hear the brush of
angels’ wings
I see glory on each face
Surely the presence of
the Lord is in this place

I hope that as life settles into it’s fall routine, we all carve out some time to sit and witness God’s creation and all of it’s glory. The beauty of this world is a great gift, let’s enjoy it.

Love in Christ,
Anne Clark