This week, we consider how unhealthy religion adds burdens to people- it can be something that binds people up in an oppressive way rather than liberating them. The Torah seems clear regarding work on Sabbath. So when Jesus heals a woman who has been oppressed by diseases for 18 years, we should not be surprised the legalistic religious types in the room take umbrage with Jesus’ actions. It is their uncompassionate response that leads Jesus to ask, “Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water?” This is a nod to Exodus 23 (and Deuteronomy 5) which insists Sabbath is even for the rest and renewal of animals. Simply put, Sabbath is a gift. Sabbath is also a day of liberation: it is to remind the Israelites of their deliverance from slavery in Egypt. Thus, for Jesus, this day was about liberation. His words point seem to point toward how something good, like religion, can become something that oppresses rather than liberates.
April 28 2024: A Meal for Everyone - Paula Williams
April 21 2024: Is This Seat Taken? - Michael Hidalgo
April 14 2024: A Lament for Everyone - Hannah Thom
March 31 2024: The Wounds Are Still There - Michael Hidalgo (Easter Sunday)
The Cursed and Disgraced - Maggie Knight
March 17 2024: The Coronated King - Hannah Thom
March 10 2024: What is Truth? - Michael Hidalgo
March 3, 2024: I Have No Idea What You are Talking About - Michael Hidalgo
February 25, 2024: No Jury Needed - Michael Hidalgo
February 18, 2024: Under Arrest - Hannah Thom
February 11, 2024: You've Got to Let it Go - Michael Hidalgo
February 4, 2024: Growing Everywhere - Mattie Motl
January 21, 2024: Wake Up! - Hannah Thom
January 14, 2024: The Pain of Reconciliation - Michael Hidalgo
January 7, 2024: It’s Not Going to be Like That - Paula Williams
December 24, 2023 (Christmas Eve): Right Where You Cannot See It - Michael Hidalgo.
December 17, 2023: The Lack of Denial - Michael Hidalgo
December 10, 2023: And Then I See a Darkness - Hannah Thom
December 3, 2023: The Name of the Moment - Michael Hidalgo
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