The Sermon Text —Luke 13:10_17

Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day." But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water? And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?" When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.

Sermon - Living Life Forward

Included in my summer reading is a very short book entitled, "The Tao of Warren Buffett." The book is a collection of sayings by the billionaire investor. Here is a quick sample: (Page numbers are in brackets.)

"You can’t make a good deal with a bad person." (6)

"It is easier to stay out of trouble than it is to get out of trouble." (9)

"It takes twenty years to build a reputation and five minutes to lose it." (13)

"If you marry for money, you will earn every penny." (17)

"It is not necessary to do extraordinary things to get extraordinary results." (18)

"When you find one problem you will soon find another – there is never just one cockroach in the kitchen." (35)

"It is hard to teach a young dog old tricks." (57)

"Never ask a barber if you need a haircut."

"If you don’t make mistakes, you can’t make decisions." (119)

"What we learn from history is that people don’t learn from history." (146)

And finally, my favorite: "We never look back. We just figure there is so much to look forward to that there is no sense thinking of what we might have done. You can only live life forward."

Jesus was a man who lived life forward. He didn’t worry about convention. He didn’t worry about doing what would please those who were anchored in the past. He had work to do and he did it. He did it even though people often misunderstood what he was doing. He had only one person to please: God. If he pleased God he didn’t worry about others.

One of his goals was to reach those no one had reached. Others called them "sinners," or "outcasts." I don’t know what he called them, probably, something simple, like people, or friends. When they criticized Jesus because he spent too much time with "those kind of people," he told them a story – about a man with 100 sheep who lost one. (Luke 15:3-6) He left the 99 behind and went searching for the lost sheep until he found it. When he did find it he put the trembling, frightened little guy on his shoulders and carried him home where he told all of his friends, "Rejoice with me. I found my sheep which was lost."

Next, he told a story about a woman who had ten coins, (Luke 15:8-9) which was probably her dowry. If she was like most women she often wore a band around her head with the coins attached. When she lost one of the coins she lit a candle and swept the floor until she found it. Then she invited her friends over for coffee saying, "Come rejoice with me because the coin that was lost is found."

Finally, he told a story about a son, (Luke 15: 11-32) who left home after his father had prematurely provided him with a portion of his estate. The son not only left his home, he left his faith and his Jewish heritage. Soon he "squandered his money in loose living." When he returned home broke and disgraced, his father greeted him warmly and held a party. "You see," Jesus told everyone, "there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents, one outcast who returns, than over 99 who have no need of repentance."

Jesus decided not to worry about what others thought. He decided to live life forward…and that meant, finding a way to include the outcasts of society in everything he did.

In the future, Jesus saw people of every nation, every color, every tongue, worshiping God. When he told a story about compassion he made the hero a Samaritan, a hatred group of foreigners. When Jesus healed ten lepers, only one returned to give thanks, a Samaritan. Jesus announced that those who would follow him were to go to all nations to preach the gospel…not just Israel, or not just Germany and Scandinavia.

Race is an issue that has divided us from the beginning of time…and still does. Only those who wish to live in the past dream of living in an all-white world. They want to live with people who look and act like themselves. Those who want to walk with God know that heaven is fully integrated, so they find ways to integrate their lives right now.

Race is the theme that weaves itself subtly through the seven Harry Potter books. Rather than color, the issue is: are you born a wizard or a non-wizard. In the book non-wizards are called "Muggles." Harry is born to a wizard father and muggle mother. Hermione is born to muggle parents. Hogwarts, the school for wizards that Harry attends, was divided over the issue of race from the very beginning. It was so divisive that Hogwarts separated into four houses – originally divided by race. The evil force in these books hates muggles. In other words, in these books the most virulent form of evil is racism. The issue is finally resolved in book seven…but I’ll let you read it for yourself.

The writer, J.K. Rowling has looked into the future and says, "The future belongs to diversity. Racism is of the old order. Those who live their lives forward live with all of God’s children. The children’s hymn says it best, "Black or yellow, red or white, they are precious in his sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world."

Jesus also knows that living toward the future we need to embrace our poorer brothers and sisters. If you know anything about the gospels you know that Jesus had a deep connection with the poor. Jesus told stories about a "Rich Fool" who tried to feed his soul on his massive possessions. Jesus encouraged his disciples to invite the poor to dinner. His mother, Mary, sings about God who fills the hungry with good things and sends the rich away empty. God’s future is tied up with the poor. Those who want to be a part of it will find ways to connect with the poor in this world.

Our story today is remarkable primarily because it is so unremarkable. It is a simple little story that few people remember because it is just one of a whole number of stories about the compassion of Jesus. This story is about the compassion of Jesus for a woman. Women drew the short straw during the time of Jesus. They had a small role in society.

This summer we rehearsed the story of Jesus with two of his best friends, Mary and Martha. Martha was in the kitchen, where most women spent most of their time. While the women cooked the men talked about God and important issues. When Mary sat down with the men to join in the conversation Martha asked Jesus to tell her sister to go to the kitchen. Jesus refused. Instead, he encouraged Mary to act like a man and to participate in learning. Jesus sees women as heroes of faith, and congratulates many of them.

In the story we read today Jesus sees a woman bent over after suffering eighteen years with severe arthritis or osteoporosis. Jesus, the king of compassion called to her and healed her by laying his hands on her. Immediately she stood straight and tall.

Though the woman began to praise God, the temple leaders did not. In a classic case of, "No good deed goes unpunished," the director of the synagogue, where the healing took place, struck out against Jesus suggesting that there were six days in the week for healing. "You don’t have to do this on the Sabbath," he said.

Jesus was incensed. He called the man a hypocrite, which is saying: You live with a double standard. "You untie your animals on the Sabbath in order to water and feed the it. Why would you oppose me when I untie this woman on the Sabbath?" Jesus suggested the woman had as many rights as an animal.

This is a great example of religion gone sour. Here we see rules trumping compassion. Not so with Jesus. He cares about the rules, but only if they help people.

Jesus exposes all of the double standards we live with -- how we insist on our own rights, but ignore the rights of others. He reminds us that we often have expectations of the poor, of minorities, of others that we can’t meet ourselves. How can we judge others when we have never lived in their world, been born into poverty or had parents that taught them how to work, and save and learn?

How can we receive our own health care, some of the best in the world, and worry one moment about those who have none…at times people who work and live with us?

I have found myself shaking my head when I’ve seen someone suffering from an addiction – perhaps it is a food addiction or a drink addiction. I say, "Why can’t they get their life together?" Shortly after that I think, "Bill, for over a decade you were going to lose those extra 15 pounds and haven’t. You best not judge."

This little story, however, is not primarily a shame-on-you story. It is another story about the amazing grace of God. It is a story that reminds us that God more than meets our expectations. It reminds us that we have a God who loves us, forgives us and cares deeply about us. Our God treats us as people who are one-of-a-kind. He knows how we got were we are, and even understands when we can’t or won’t change. God is in our corner. Amen