We are More
The world is guilty of seeing each other as single labels. I know I am guilty of doing it to others.
Republican. Democrat. Christian. Evangelical. Atheist. Gay. Brown. Black. White. Male. Female. Autistic. ADHD. Bad. Poor. Rich. Good. Smart. Lazy. Single. Mom. Divorced.
The woman in yesterday's lectionary reading from Luke 13: 10-17 is seen simply as a woman with a spirit. That is all we are told to set the stage and of course, we can’t help but allow images in our heads immediately. I can see her…bent over, hidden face, clothes drooped down her hunched back.
She has become a single label, but when Jesus looks at someone suffering, he doesn't
see the single label that the world gives them. He sees ALL of them. He sees all of you. He sees the beloved human created by God, claimed and freed for all life brings and offers.
This was the point of yesterday's sermon from my Hubby at St. Luke's Lutheran. So beautiful. You are more than any single label. You are beloved.
What is equally powerful about this passage is the transformation that happens to the woman after her encounter with Jesus. Again, only simple words that paint a picture for us. She straightens up and praises God. Praise comes for change - from transformation. There has to be a before the change - something has to be missing, hurting, hard, or insufficient for us to desire it to change - and the woman wanted to be healed.
Transformations are powerful for those who are hunched over in our world. For those who aren’t, the point is often missed.
The other reality in this passage is the stink that Jesus causes by healing this woman on the Sabbath - the day of rest - a holy day. I remember as a teenager starting a new retail job. I was required by my parents to tell my boss that I couldn’t work on Sundays. While I do value and appreciate that reality - now my husband and I work nearly every Sunday. This doesn’t make us less faithful.
The point here isn’t that the Sabbath is holy. My point is that the man in power was so worried about the “rules” of faith, that he completely missed the “gift” of faith - the transformation in this woman’s life.
And what is it really that gives us labels? What puts us in boxes? In a word - rules. Expectations of order, morality, and control create rules - some for good and honestly - some for harm.
This woman also knew that it was the Sabbath - and yet - she sought out Jesus for the very healing she needed. She advocated for herself not the rules. In this case, the rule would have caused more harm…continued harm within this woman with a spirit’s life. Jesus didn’t come to cause harm - but to heal us and free us from ourselves - our irrational need for control - control of our own lives and the control of others when their lives bleed into our own.
I am a fan of rules and boundaries. I value setting clear expectations - but the older I get and the more I recognize trauma in the lives of others, I am humbled by the need to make space inside the rules for grace and compassion. I am also angered by the rules of faith that push people away from God.
I hear the faith stories of hundreds of people as a consultant who teaches storytelling. No one has ever told me - my faith grew because of the rules. In fact, what I hear more often is, that the “rules of faith” made them feel like a bad person, a bad Christian, or a bad human. They, like me, never felt they could be good enough. This is the void in their own life - the longing to be “right” with God to the detriment of their own relationship and understanding of a loving God.
When they find their way to a church that helps them hear that God has already made them right and that it isn’t about the rules of faith - but rather the gift of faith that God first gave them, the true transformation happens and they stand up straight and praise God.
Amen
Today’s Reading: Luke 13- 10-17