September 10, 2006
“The Right Place at the Right Time”
Luke 13:10-17
Dr. Dan Ivins, preaching

Driving back from Tennessee last Friday, we hit the teeth of the storm caused by hurricane Ernesto at rush hour in Harrisburg, PA. Tooling along up I-81, out of the mist I saw something black approaching us. By the time the southbound 18 wheeler’s tire had rolled across the median and struck our car head-on, it was too late to avoid. Sometimes life assaults us like that. Nobody’s fault. Just one of those times we’re in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Our text is the other side, where somebody happened to be in the right place at the right time. Luke’s story of the bent-over woman doesn’t begin with the woman. It begins with Jesus. On the Sabbath, “as was his custom,” teaching in the synagogue. In comes this woman, all hunched over, neck downward, facing the ground like a grazing animal. Her affliction prohibited her from standing upright. She wasn’t totally immobilized. But all twisted up like a human pretzel. Luke doesn’t say why but he does tell us how long: for nearly 2 decades.

What was she doing in church? A lot of people would’ve used a handicap as an excuse for staying away from church. But she probably came to church for some of the same reasons some of us have come here today. And will be found here again in the coming weeks. People keep coming to church because that’s what we do, for whatever reason.

We long to be in God’s presence, gathered among the rest of the people to pray and sing and worship and be inspired by the scriptures and give something back to God. Sometimes when we’re not feeling at our best. And sometimes because we’re not feeling at our best. Coming to church is what we do.

But this stooped-over lady came to the house of God, where faithful people were gathered together, to serve a cause higher than themselves. Maybe she came out of the force of habit. If so, it’s a good habit.
Or it could be that she came even though she lost hope of anything unusual ever happening to her. She could’ve just come for peace and encouragement. People need that.

Luke just tells us she came. Even though in pain, she continued to be faithful. And as it turned out, on any given Sunday, you never know...she was in the right place at the right time. Because on this Sabbath day, something wonderful happened.

She couldn’t see Jesus. But that didn’t matter, because he saw her. And he was the one who initiated the encounter. She didn’t beg him for anything. She just showed up, “as was her custom.” And “Jesus called her over.” And she responded. Her physical condition wouldn’t allow her to look into his eyes. But she could see his feet and the hem of his robe. And before she could speak a word, Jesus said: “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity!”

Then she felt the hands of Christ on her broken body. And the touch of the Master’s hand transformed her pain. And she did something she hadn’t done in nearly two decades: She stood upright. After 18 long years being bent over, this day she stood tall and looked into the eyes of the Son of God and began to praise the Lord God.

Standing straight as an arrow now, how she cherished the ability to see into people’s faces and not just their feet. Try to understand the release of pain in her back and what that was like. I imagine her praise included a dance, twirling around, waving back and forth, leaping for joy. Over her new-found freedom of movement.

Now why did this happen; at this place; at this time; to this woman? This is something she never asked for. The woman doesn’t even know why she can now stand up straight. All she knows is that she was touched by Jesus, who straightened her out.

That’s what happens when we’re in the right place at the right time. As far as I can tell, this woman of faith, who gathered with the other people of faith in a house of faith--where people prayed, heard the Bible read and preached, sang and worshiped--that is the kind of setting where wondrous things can happen. Kinda like here.

Now I’m not saying church is the only place. By all means, encounters with Christ can catch us by surprise anywhere. They’re not all programmed. How do you program “spirit”? But it shouldn’t be surprising to find Jesus in a house of worship. He’d been at it since he was twelve. It was his custom to regularly meet with the people of God for the worship of God.

Yes, you can meet God anywhere. At the ocean, in the mountain parks, on the job, and out on the proverbial golf course, of course. But in this story, the woman meets God at church. It’s not unique in that regard, but it is surely one of the primary places to encounter the Lord. And in spite of generation X, we’d better not dismiss regular worship in church so readily.

It’s not that we should be rewarded for faithful church attendance. I doubt there’s really any gold star chart for perfect church attendance in heaven. Grace doesn’t work like that. Law does, but not grace. The kingdom of heaven operates on a different system. Grace is free. It’s not doled out on a reward-and-punishment-bookkeeping-scale. All you can do it take it or leave it. And I’ve seen people do both. Which is why it is always amazing, either way.

But there’s more to the story. In steps the boss of the synagogue, “a dude with a tude.” The congregation naturally celebrates with the woman whose busy praising God for her healing. But not “Mr. uptight, upright.” He refuses to participate because he’s indignant over what Jesus did. What’s his problem? He tells us: “Six days we work, so come on those days to be healed. But don’t come to be healed on the Sabbath day.”
Now here’s the skinny: Jesus touched a woman. But the synagogue boss was not touched...either by the woman’s healing, Jesus’ ministry, or the congregation’s celebration. He couldn’t fit it into his scheme of things. To him, curing somebody was work, not grace; not a gift from God. So what Jesus did, by definition, was not only unorthodox, it was out of place. Jesus was terribly unconventional. He was always doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.

But this time, he explodes! Yeah we think of Jesus as a “meek and mild, constantly-courteous Clark Kent.” But here he loses it. “Hypocrites! Self-righteous, rule-driven phonies! You take care of the animals on the Sabbath. So why should I not heal this lady on the Sabbath?” Jesus raised holy-havoc with the program of the synagogue. He was always doing it--clashing with those more interested in keeping rules than blessing people.

This guy’s attitude is like “Hey, I don’t make the rules. I just worship them!” We love our systems, our routines. Most of the time more than God or others. And woe be to the guy who interrupts! But this story shows, God doesn’t intend for any of his children to suffer one moment longer than necessary.
Putting persons ahead of procedures made Jesus controversial. Which guaranteed he was always in trouble. Jesus followed the rules, insofar as they served the needs of people. But he broke the rules whenever they became barriers instead of benefits of God’s grace.

So comparing their care of the goats with his care for a woman, Jesus silenced his detractors. Thus shamed, they were simply outnumbered by what was obviously right, enhanced by the congregation joining in the celebration. So the anti’s fade out of the picture. And the congregation goes back to the celebration again, after this brief, unpleasant interlude.

So my question is: What’s your infirmity? Are there things in your life that have bent you over? What burdens are you carrying around that stoop your shoulders? There are lots of back-benders people encounter that makes it hard to straighten-up. That doesn’t even count the immigrants or war-torn Middle East. We all have something from which Jesus should release us. Something that keeps us hobbling along, not being able to stand up straight. For some it’s crippling fear, or loneliness, or guilt, or grief or making dumb decisions, and expecting to be the exception. Or just being plain old mean. Others may be held back by circumstances or an institution that paralyzes. Or being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Thanks be to God, Jesus saw this woman, when nobody else did. She’s so easy to overlook. But she finally met a man who treated her like she was worth something. Who loved all of her, not just her body. A religious man who valued more than her soul. Somebody more interested in setting her free than making her subordinate.

What Jesus did was so attractive that nobody would wanta be counted among the control-freaks who shouted when the law was violated. Let us hope that the time you and I spend in the worship of God, reflecting on something bigger than ourselves oughta allow us to have our eyes open when God does break through to do something unexpected from the way things have always been.

For you never know...when it comes to encountering the unpredictable Christ...ya’ll keep on coming, ‘cause on any given Sunday around this place...you might find yourself in the right place, at the right time!

Prayer: Merciful Father, whose will is broader than our finest traditions; whose love runs deeper than our finest sympathies...speak your word to liberate us from attitudes that impede, habits that harm, and dispositions that divide.

In Christ, you remind us that every place is your temple, every day your Sabbath, every land is holy, and every person your beloved. Make this the kind of place that evokes, rather than hinders faith: disciplined and informed; generous and caring; venturesome and joyful.

How often do our habits and traditions get in the way of God’s mercy? We seem more eager to enforce the law than to set somebody free. That’s enough to keep us depressed like this poor woman, who would rather remain crippled than to call for help. Grant freedom to those who are bent-over from carrying around the heavy loads of living, aging, dying. Forgive us and cleanse us in this gathering, so we may stand tall and straight. Grant us the grace to become all we’re intended to be.

So we remember those whose present lot in life makes doubt easier than faith. Whose experiences make keeping the rule more attractive than breaking them for Christ’s sake: the recently bereaved, with empty holes in their hearts; the highly successful, who clawed to the top, but happier than when they owned less and trusted more; the apostate souls, those used-to-be-church-goers, now hostile or indifferent, but still not able to forget.

May the healing Christ touch all who suffer among us this day. Accept our praise and gratitude in the spirit of the healed woman, for all you have given us and done for us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.