Now [Jesus] 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. ~ Luke 13:10-17
Yesterday, we got a taste of what worship for God is meant to be like: full of reverence and awe. And as Christians, we take part in that worship on our Sunday.
I grew up in Texas where for a long time blue laws stopped lots of activities from happening on Sundays: the Christian Sabbath (as a side note, the Sabbaths of Muslim, Jewish, and other faiths were not taken into consideration)!
Other than the fact that those other faith traditions were ignored in those blue laws, on one level I could understand where they came from. It was an attempt to keep the Sabbath holy.
Which is just what the leader of the synagogue is trying to do here. I mean, treat God with reverence and awe, right?
But when we are looking to the well-being of others - looking to care for the needs of others - can you think of a better way to treat God with reverence and awe?
To love God's creatures is part of the great commandment. Love God, love your neighbor.
When we put the needs of others ahead of ourselves, how well we honor God!
Help me to worship you Holy One by faithful service to your people. Amen
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