13th Sunday after Pentecost [Pr. 16] August 26, 2007 Series C”
Grace be unto you and peace, from God our Father and from our Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us pray: Lord, through the power of your Holy Spirit, give us the eyes to see others as you see them, not in their limitations, sins, and shortcomings, but as cherished, blessed, beloved children of God. Give us eyes to see ourselves as you see us, not in our weakness, infirmity, and self-doubt, but as chosen gifted, responsible disciples. Bless us with your presence, and enable us to realize that we are a part of your plan for the world. Use us to bring your healing touch to those in need. This we ask in your Holy name. Amen. [1]
One of the reasons that I enjoy spending a week at confir-camp every year, is because it gives us an opportunity for Christian fellowship with one another in a unique environment. And by “environment,” I am not referring to the physical structure of Camp Lutherlyn. Although our camp does have some beautiful and inspiring outdoor worship sites, a state of the art dining hall, and some great recreational activities, the beds sure aren’t like the one I have at home. And the older I get, the harder it is for me to keep up the pace of all those activities.
Rather, the “environment” that I am referring to is the spiritual atmosphere that results from stepping out of “life as usual,” and striving to live our faith. The only time a TV is used, is for educational purposes in class. There are no radios or other media intruding into our day with news of all the violence and other perversions that our world seems to want to focus on. And except for the pastor’s need to be in touch with the office, there are no cell phones to detract us from the present moment. We begin and end each day with worship and prayer, and seek to learn and have fun the rest of the day.
In addition, there is an emphasis placed on caring for one another. We make a concerted effort to see that everyone has an opportunity to be included in all the activities, regardless of skill level. The use of profanity and terms of degradation are strongly discouraged, while saying “thank you,” and offering to help another are encouraged. In short, we truly strive to create an environment in which we experience living our faith in community with one another.
And although this is but one week out of the year, and even though when we return, it doesn’t take us long to get back into our normal routines of life in the world, I don’t believe we can overestimate the value of this week to our faith development.
In fact, Pat, who serves as a teacher and our resident guidance counselor, a job she holds in one of the Erie school districts, has stated that she wished every child could experience a week at camp – especially those who are on the fringe of the so called “normal” kids in school. For if we look at profile on the children who have struck out in violence against their classmates, one of the recurring themes is that they were often called derogatory names, were not always included in activities for one reason or another, and left to struggle to develop a positive identity.
According to Pat, “Every student learns something from this week at camp. The ones on the fringe can begin to see that people can accept them for who they are. And those who have been fortunate to have been accepted all of their life, can begin to realize what a difference caring for those who differ from themselves can mean to that individual. There is more than doctrine that we teach at camp. We teach people to live out their faith.”
This brings us to our Gospel lesson for this morning, in which I would like to paraphrase one of the commentaries that I read on our text. When Jesus was teaching in a synagogue, a woman enters, whose name is not mentioned. However, what we do know is that for eighteen years, she has had a problem. Some versions of the Bible refer to her as “the bent woman,” referring to the fact that she was unable to stand erect. She was most likely suffering from severe arthritis.
Here is a woman, who is immortalized in Scripture, not by her name, but by the fact that she couldn’t walk erect. She was bent over, and for most of her adult life, had been staring at the ground. She doesn’t appear to have a name, at least that anyone cared to recognize. When anyone saw her creeping down the street, her body bent, her eyes attempting to lift up from the ground, they didn’t say, “Here comes Mary,” or “Look, it is Betty.” According to our Gospel lesson, the important thing about this woman was not her name, but the fact that she was “bent.” She was a crippled woman. Even the author of our text makes no effort to come to report her name, only her disability.
Personally, I am a bit troubled by the fact that, due to our feelings of being politically correct, we veer away from traditional designations of a person being “blind” or “deaf” or “crippled.” Now we refer to these people as persons with “special needs,” or “persons with disabilities.” But the truth is, I have never walked up to a person whom I could obviously notice was somewhat different from me, and said, “Hi! I’m Ron, who are you?” and had them respond, “I’m a person with disability.”
This woman doesn’t have a name, or, more to the point, her name doesn’t seem to matter. Her community summarizes her identity by her disability. She is the one who is bent, stooped over, always looking down at the ground, and all the while, carrying on her shoulders the burden of being different, the burden of not looking like everyone else, the burden of not being able to do what everyone else is able to do.
Perhaps she is so described by Luke for our benefit. Perhaps she is there in our Gospel lesson, to confront us with the fact that everyone whose name doesn’t matter to us, as much as our description of his or her differences from us, should disturb us all. Think about how often we have discounted a person, who, upon hearing their name, have said,“Oh, he or she’s just a“drunk,” or a “retard” or “obese” or a “nerd or geek.” That’s how living in this world tends to distort us from our faith.
But this woman who is bent, comes to worship at the synagogue, when Jesus is present. And Jesus has compassion on her. He heals her of her disease, and for the first time in her adult life, she is able to stand erect, and her disability is gone. She has joined the ranks of the normal people. She no longer need bear the burden to being different.
But I believe that more importantly, is the way that Jesus addresses this woman, what he has to say about her. He does not describe her by her disability, as having been a bent woman. Jesus calls her a daughter of Abraham. This is significant. Jesus calls this one, whom even our Bible refers to by her disability, a daughter of Abraham. She was a person of faith. She was a person who was a part of the community of faith. She was a person who deserved to be treated with respect, cared for, and to live her life within the community of God’s faithful disciples, known not by her disability, but as a child of God.
She was a daughter of Abraham, called to be a blessing to the world. She was meant for more than superficial, often cruel and limiting labeling. As bent over as she was, she was a part of God’s people, and desired to live her life doing what she could to further his kingdom in our world.
Even if Jesus had not healed her back, I think she would have stood up straight. Jesus had renamed her life. Her life would from now on, not be known by her disability, but by the fact that she was a person of faith, a child of God. And those, who would have exercised God’s law, according to the ways of the world, preventing God’s grace to offer healing on the Sabbath, were thwarted. For God’s grace knows no boundaries.
Unfortunately, living in our world, we are often drawn by many forces to forget our Christian values, and veer from our faith, especially when it comes to embracing those who differ from us productive members of God’s kingdom. But it has been my experience at confir-camp to see many of those barriers disappear. Our kids seem to learn that there are things that matter more than one’s frailties, whether they be emotional, or physical.
And it is my hope and prayer for “my kids,” that they not only learn the doctrine of the Christian Church, but also what it means to live by faith. Yes, I speak to those who are still in my confirmation program, and to those who have since been confirmed. The weeks we spent at camp were purposely designed to help you grow in practicing your faith. Do me a favor, and reflect on what I have just said.
For the truth is, that each of us who have been baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, have been given a name that lifts us above any denigration that anyone can hurl upon us. In spite of our weaknesses, in spite of our failure to treat others as we know we should, we are, bothers and sister in Christ. We are, sons and daughters of Abraham, heirs of the kingdom of God. May God’s Spirit so move us accept others as God has accepted them in Christ, and move us to accept ourselves as the forgiven disciples, that through us, his work might continue to our fallen world. [2]
Amen.
[1,2] William H. Willimon, Pulpit Resource, Year C, 1998, Logos Productions
