Written and Delivered by The Rev. Canon Paul S. Nancarrow

As Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years, keeping her bent over, bowed down, burdened, unable to stand up straight, unable to lift up her head, unable to walk forward simply, strongly, into her life. And Jesus healed her, Jesus set her free from that bondage, Jesus unbound her from that burden, Jesus gave her the strength and the courage that she needed to stand up and hold up her head and to rise into the full stature her life. And in spite of the criticism of his religious opponents, the fact that Jesus did this on a sabbath day was a fulfillment of God's purpose, just the opposite of breaking God's religious law.

When I was preparing to preach on this Gospel, I read over several different versions, different translations, of this story, and there was a phrase from one of those translations that really stuck in my imagination. In the kind of Bible study we've been doing together at St George's for a while now--a kind of Bible study that's variously called Gospel-Based Discipleship or Dwelling in the Word or Community Bible Study--in this method you read over a passage and ask of it three questions; and the first question is always "What do you notice; what catches your attention; what sticks in your imagination?" Often the Holy Spirit begins speaking to us through the words of scripture precisely by catching our imagination with certain phrases. For me, in this Gospel, that phrase was the one used to describe the spirit that bound this woman. In the King James Version, the verse reads: "And behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years." A spirit of infirmity--I thought: What kind of spirit makes a person infirm? How is it that people could be crippled, bent over, twisted, unable to stand up straight, because of a spirit that is in them? What sorts of spiritual presences of weakness, brokenness, unwholeness, could burden people and bow them down and not let them rise up to their full stature? What can we understand about ourselves in this phrase spirit of infirmity?

In the story, of course, the spirit of infirmity manifests in the woman in a physical way: she is bent over double, she has some sort of back problem, it is for her a very physical handicap. Nowadays we hear this story and almost automatically we want to diagnose her medical problem: does she have osteoporosis? scoliosis? curvature of the spine? is it some sort of muscle problem? could she be helped by a chiropractor or a good massage therapist, to relax those muscles and help them stretch out properly? Nowadays we'd like to have the medical details of the story, details that would help us regard the story as more realistic, as more true. But in the ancient world, in ancient storytelling, details like that were not so important to listeners and readers. Luke himself was a physician, and he probably could have provided a more detailed medical description of this woman's problem if he'd wanted to. But for Luke what's important about the story is not the medical information; what's important is that the woman is bound by a spirit of infirmity, and Jesus sets her free. And in setting her free Jesus fulfills God's will for the refreshment and revitalization of human life--Jesus fulfills God's will for abundant life--much more faithfully than he would have simply by obeying the sabbath law.

And in that way the story turns and puts a question back to us: Where in our lives do we encounter that kind of spirit of infirmity? In what ways do we experience presences within our spirits that bring weakness or brokenness or unwholeness, spiritual powers that keep us bowed down and prevent us from rising up to our full stature? In the story that spirit manifests in a physical way; but perhaps a spirit of infirmity might also manifest us in our emotional lives, in our mental thinking, in our moral commitments, in our social structures. How might our spirits be bowed down, burdened, held in bondage by fear, disappointment, resentment, anger, anxiety, greed, gluttony, prejudice, privilege, entrenched power, ego--all those things that get in the way of living in right relationships of genuinely mutual well-being? What spirit of infirmity do we encounter in ourselves?

And if Jesus set the woman free from her ailment, if Jesus reached out to her and helped her stand up straight--then how might Jesus heal our spirit of infirmity as well? How might the Spirit of Christ touch us and lift us up and set us free from that which binds us? How might the Spirit of Christ inspire us with courage and commitment and compassion and thanksgiving and justice and equality and joy and reverence and wonder and love? How might the presence of Jesus set us free, so that in our spirits we can stand up, and we can stand together, and we can lift up our heads, and we can go with confidence into the future God calls us to? What spirit of empowerment does Jesus help us encounter in ourselves?

And those questions are more than just rhetorical or speculative questions. Asking ourselves where we encounter a spirit of infirmity and where we find a spirit of empowerment in Christ--those questions can be at the very heart of our devotion. Asking those questions and being open to receive answers can in fact be a very deep form of prayer, prayer that deepens the communion with God we symbolize and sacramentalize in this Eucharist.

So let's pray about that, here in this Eucharist, right now. I want to lead you through a short meditation, a way of using your imagination to open yourself up to communion with Christ. And to begin the meditation, I want you to clear your mind and begin to focus your imagination. You may want to close your eyes so you can concentrate better; or, you may want to choose a place for your eyes to focus--on the cross, for instance, or on a blank section of wall, or just sort of staring off into space. Open up your mind's eye and let yourself see the things you think about.

Imagine that you are in the presence of Jesus. Jesus is teaching, and you have gathered together with others to listen to Jesus teach. Imagine: Who is with you? What other people are listening to Jesus? Where are you? How does it feel to be listening to Jesus where you are? ...

Now imagine that a woman comes in. You can see that she cannot stand up straight, but she's making her way up close to Jesus. What does she look like to you? How is she dressed? Is she all alone? Does it seem difficult for her to walk? How do you feel when you look at this woman? ...

Now let yourself see Jesus turn to the woman, and speak to her, and lay his hands upon her. You can hear his voice as he says "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." And then you see her stand up straight. What feelings are in your heart as you witness this release Jesus gives her? ...

And now Jesus turns to you. And Jesus asks you "What spirit of infirmity would you like me to release you from?" What do you say to Jesus? ...

Now Jesus looks you in the eyes and says to you "What will you do with a spirit of empowerment I give you?" Picture yourself set free from your bondage, picture yourself able to stand up straight and move freely in your spirit. What is that like for you? What do you see yourself doing with the empowerment you receive from Jesus? ...

And now, see in your mind's eye that Jesus reaches out to you, and Jesus lays his hands on you, and Jesus blesses you, and a spirit of strength and encouragement flows into you from Jesus. How does that feel for you? ...

Now let the imagination go, come back to here and now, offer a prayer of thanksgiving for the presence of Jesus with you, and open your eyes and focus back here on me.

How was that for you? Were you able in your prayer to identify a spirit of infirmity that troubles you? Did you feel in your prayer a touch of grace, a promise of freedom, in Jesus' healing presence for your life?

The Good News for us today is that Jesus reaches out to us when our spirits are feeling infirm, unable, weak, broken--and Jesus offers us a spirit of encouragement, empowerment, grace so that we can stand up to our full stature and walk with Jesus in the way God calls us to go. Let us pray that Good News and live that Good News, today and always. Amen.