Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Talk with the Preacher

Home
Progressive Christian
Bent Over

Bent Over

Last updated on: August 23, 2016 at 10:43 am by Amy Butler

Bent Over 2016-08-23T10:43:43-04:00 Amy Butler

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

You would think that after preaching almost four cycles of the Revised Common Lectionary a preacher would have at least one sermon on all the interesting texts that come around regularly. For some reason unknown to me, however, it turns out that I have never written a sermon on the Gospel text assigned for last Sunday, the story of Jesus healing a woman who was bent over, unable to stand up straight, and had been that way for eighteen years.

It’s curious that I’ve never preached on this text, as it contains a fascinating, multi-layered narrative that offers exciting possibilities for nerdy people who like to think about such things: the story could take a preacher in so many different directions! As it turns out, I was not preaching last Sunday either, so I sat in the pews and listened to a colleague preach a masterful sermon on the text. This morning my mind is still in conversation with the story, though. Just think of all the ways a preacher could go with this text:

For one thing, Jesus — a man, a rabbi — notices a hurting woman while he’s preaching, stops everything, and tends to her needs. That’s a pretty astounding turn of events in the culture and time that Jesus lived. A preacher might explore how we notice or don’t notice certain people in our own communities, or how women — two-thirds of the world’s enslaved and impoverished population — are often overlooked and untended.

Or, you’ll note that when the synagogue leader gets outraged at Jesus healing a woman on the Sabbath he doesn’t go and talk to Jesus about it. Instead, he triangulates communication and complains to the crowd. Sound familiar, church? Props to Jesus who isn’t afraid to call out the hypocrisy. (Of course, he does end up getting killed, so the preacher might want to proceed with caution on that front.)

Or, the preacher could talk about what it means to be in need of healing, physical or any other kind of healing, and the powerful and profound way in which Jesus invited the woman to stand up straight. My colleague who was preaching Sunday said, “I imagine Jesus kneeling down, cupping the woman’s face in his hand while he rubbed her back, looked her in the eyes, and invited her to stand up straight.” It was a beautiful homiletical picture. Frankly, I was a little jealous that I hadn’t thought of it.

What kept coming to mind as I read the text, though, and what has chased me since Sunday is this: I wonder if she was afraid. I wonder if the woman was afraid of being seen, of hoping, of making people mad, of seeing the world from a different perspective, of being healed … of change? I wonder if she was bent over in body but crippled profoundly by fear?

I haven’t lived in a bent over body for 18 years; I would have no idea how that feels. But heart-stopping, relationship damaging, life hampering fear? With this I am very familiar.

As counterintuitive as it seems sometimes the painful situations in which we find ourselves feel more comfortable than the fear of the unknown. And fear itself can bend us over, crippling us so that we cannot live with freedom and hope in a world that so desperately needs people who will gather the courage to face our fear and help each other stand up straight.

It seems to me that this is a common individual human experience, but even if we prefer not to get personal, we can see it playing out in living color in our national political discourse. Fear drives division between us. Fear invites bad decisions. Fear limits possibilities. Fear leads … to death.

I know I have to end the mental exercise of thinking through this text because next Sunday is just around the corner and I actually am preaching on another text. But for some reason I don’t think this story will let go of my heart too soon.

Poor woman, bent over at the waist for 18 years.

Poor all of us, crippled with the weight of fear.

I wonder what would happen if we set it down, that fear. And if we stood up straight. And if we opened our hearts and our arms to possibilities and to hope and to each other?

If we did, I think it would be like a miracle.

(Speaking of being afraid, it’s tough to speak prophetically from the pulpit about issues over which your congregation members hold differing opinions. But gun violence in our country is an issue pastors must be talking about: it’s an urgent issue for faith communities when 50 children a day are shot by guns in our country. 50. Are you a pastor who needs some training to learn how to talk about this issue and organize your community to work toward change? Do you know a faith leader who could be encouraged and equipped by a training like this? Please: sign up today. www.GodandGuns2016.org. I’ll see you in New York in October!)

This column appeared first over at Baptist News Global.

Living in Relationship

Practicing Discipleship

Previous Post

August 9, 2016

Facebook, Family, and Surviving the Election

Next Post

August 28, 2016 People Are Watching

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Answering the Call Being the Church Curating Wisdom Laughing Out Loud Living in Relationship Practicing Discipleship Reclaiming Baptist Speaking from the Pulpit Uncategorized

Select a Month July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005

Search for:

Bent Over

Recent Posts

Recent Comments

Archives

Categories

Meta

True or False: Romans teaches that whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.