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.

The theme of liberation has been on my heart and mind for the past few days and weeks, and if I’m honest, I find it difficult not to write daily devotions based on the life I am experiencing in the moment, therefore, forgive me if I project my own ‘stuff’ when writing! Despite my self-centred projections, I hope that you will find today’s reflection helpful.

Jesus healed people, that’s a given. When heaven and earth collide, divinity and matter encounter each other, and love is fully expressed in the confines of time and space, how could restoration not take place? God was present in the person of Jesus Christ and God’s holiness radiated to those around him. If you fell within Christ’s circle of influence then you could expect a transformation in your body or your mind, however, the healings recorded by the four evangelists (the gospel writers) were also signs or symbols that pointed, not only to a future where all creation would come under the sovereignty of God’s healing love, but to how we should live in the present, especially when we are ‘crippled’ by religion, society, or oppressive regimes.

In today’s Bible Reading, through healing the woman from her debilitating condition, Jesus directly confronted, and flagrantly disregarded, the crippling purity codes that were being enforced by the religious authorities. The church leaders were those who represented God, and here, God called them out on their exclusivity and literally called them ‘actors’!

As you may know, I was an Anglican Priest (serving within various provinces) for over 20 years, and the purity codes of the church are called Canon Law. As a licensed minister, I had to obey church law and it was called ‘canonical obedience to the bishop’. When it comes to the rainbow community, canon law (in many provinces) is exclusive in that it excludes, for example, gay married priests from serving, or priests blessing same gender relationships. As a serving priest I found myself embodying a system that excluded people from God’s mercy and grace, and Jesus’ words rang loud and clear. “You hypocrite!”

The struggle, for people like me, was whether to remain within an exclusive system or leave. For sure, sometimes it is better to be ‘in it to win it’ and ‘be the change you seek’ but after fighting for justice for so long, sometimes you just have to step to one side. If I remained then I had to choose between being obedient to canon law, or confronting and flagrantly disregarding the purity codes of the Anglican Church. If I chose the latter I would have been ‘de-frocked’ and this would have been disruptive to the local congregations whom I still very much love and honour, therefore, Helen and I chose to step outside the fold and trust in God’s provision.

God’s radically inclusive love is at the heart of the gospel message, and as an evangelist and teacher of God’s word, my heart breaks when the Church presents barriers to someone coming to know Jesus. Our job as church leaders is not to uphold purity codes but to introduce them to the One who can set them free and liberate them by welcoming them into God’s circle of influence — to allow love to be fully expressed in the confines of time and space ‘on earth as it is in heaven’.

What does a church with the strap-line, “sharing God’s radically inclusive love” look like? I hope it looks like you and like me, therefore, today, wherever you are, whether at home or at work, at school or at play, offline or online, your mandate is to be God’s agent or representative, and to be Jesus to the world — to radiate God’s holiness to those around you. Who will you embrace?

Holy God
When I encounter injustice
and systems of oppression
that exclude people
from encountering
your divine love,
give me wisdom,
patience and understanding.
May I know whether to
collude, stay and fight,
or step aside,
not for my own sake
but for the sake of
those you seek to
welcome and embrace.
This day and forever.