Luke 13:10-17

            She had been to the synagogue many times before, but on this day heaven came down and glory filled her soul. For eighteen years she was demonically afflicted with a spirit of infirmity. According to Luke the physician, she was bowed together and could in no wise lift herself (v11). It was tragic. It was serious. It was debilitating and humiliating, yet instead of using her condition as an excuse, this unfortunate sister chose to come to church – to come to a place of worship.

            I often wonder what would have happened if she had chosen to absent herself from the house of the Lord that day. She would have undoubtedly missed her miracle. She could have found so many excuses not to be in the place of worship, but she persisted against all odds and came. On that day the chains were forever broken, and her life was so revolutionized that her enemies were made ashamed, causing nothing short of a revival of praise and rejoicing to break out in the house. I pray that God uses your circumstances today to somehow bring about a revival in our midst.

            An important lesson that we can deduce from our passage today is, never let your pain and disappointments cause you to stop showing up. How easy it could have been for her to withdraw herself and drop out. What a victory it would have been for the enemy, but for 18 years this severely incapacitated sister kept showing up. May God help us to keep on showing up! Especially today when so many are choosing to sit out from church, we are so glad for those who choose not to sit out but who come despite of extenuating and very strenuous conditions. Bent over altogether, broken, heavily burdened, yet she came.

            I know it’s hard what we are all going through, but Covid-19 must not be allowed to stop us from coming back together in Jesus’ Name. It seems like if all the forces of darkness could not stop this woman. She had a made-up mind! She pushed her way through! So must this church! Against all odds, we will push our way through against the ravages of this insidious virus.

            It is of great interest to us that as Jesus was teaching in the synagogue, this woman so caught His attention that He stopped to specifically minister to her and her needs. What a lesson for us! So many times we often forget that it is about the people, the needs of the people! It’s not so much about our preaching or our well-crafted and put-together sermons, as much as it is about ministering to the needs of those present. Sometimes we are so concerned about finishing the message that we miss excellent opportunities to meet and minister to peoples’ needs. Jesus allowed Himself to be interrupted by this woman’s pressing need for healing and deliverance. He stopped and called her to Him.

            In Jesus’ mind – she will not be bound one second longer! He saw this as pressing and urgent. May we be so driven in ministry today, here in the Northeast region. Let none remain burdened and oppressed – Not one second longer! We say like Jesus with great power and effect – “Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity” (v12). We interrupt present programming with breaking news – “Thou art  loosed from thine infirmity.”

Leroy V. Greenaway

Presiding Bishop – Northeast Region

May 21, 2022