Luke 13:10-17
Jesus Calls Out To Us
In recent months I’ve heard two people tell me virtually the same thing. They had left the church where they had been members for a very long time. There were several reasons why they said they left. What it came down to was that they felt they were not needed or wanted there. They had come to feel isolated and invisible and that it felt they were not welcome there anymore. So, they left to find another place to worship and belong.
I ‘Googled’ the question, “why people leave the church?” The answer included feeling disconnected, experiencing church hurt, disagreeing with church teachings, or simply drifting away over time.
In the Gospel reading for today, Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on a Sabbath day. He saw a woman who was bent over and was unable to stand up straight. She was alone and if people noticed her at all it was probably not in a welcoming way.
But Jesus saw her and called her to come to him. He simply said to her, “You are free from your ailment.” He laid hands on her and immediately she could stand up straight and started praising God.
You would think everyone would have been happy for her and most probably were except the leader in the synagogue. His opinion was not directed to the woman but to Jesus. Apparently, the leader thought Jesus may have done the right thing at the wrong time. Jesus healed the woman on the Sabbath. That was a breach of what was permitted by Sabbath law.
Jesus countered by saying it can never be the wrong time to do what can be done to bring healing to someone suffering.
The woman was suffering in two ways. She had a disease that caused her great physical pain, but she also suffered psychological pain. She was invisible to others in the community. She was unable to be an active part of the local synagogue. People probably looked at her with pity and possibly scorn. She was not like them.
Jesus saw her differently. He saw her as a child of God and because of that he saw here as one deserving welcome and healing. He noticed her and did not shy away from her but called her to come to him.
Many congregations today post a sign board and in worship bulletins, “All Are Welcome!” The question for me is can we trust that statement or are there conditions to that welcome statement? Or are all welcome only if they look like us, if they believe like us, if they live like us?
Jesus always breaks down the walls that separate us. He sees us as we are and calls us to come to him. He accepts and he heals what is broken in us.
To follow Jesus means to do what he does for others.
- What are some ways we can help people feel seen, needed, and accepted into our faith communities?
- What comes to mind when you read the statement, “ALL are welcome”?
