God’s Priorities

The Rev. Joseph Winston

August 26, 2007

Sermon

Grace and peace are gifts for you from God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.1
Not so long ago, there were two families. The first one performed everything
by the rulebook and this including having all of their meals at a fixed time. Break-
fast was promptly at 6:00 am, lunch was always at 12:00 noon, and no matter
what, supper was on the table at 5:30 pm. One day a member of the family could
not make it home in time for supper. For you see, traffic that day was very bad.
When that one finally arrived at home, safe and sound, nothing was left on the ta-
ble and if truth were told, this one went to bed hungry because the time for eating
had come and gone.
Now the second family was as different from the first as day is from night.
They valued everyone’s well being over an inflexible schedule. In other words,
1
Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:3, 2 Corinthians 1:2, Galatians 1:3, Ephesians 1:2, Philippians
1:2, 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Philemon 1:3

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the times that they ate together did not depend on the time of the day; rather they
gathered around the table when everyone was present and hungry. This meant
that breakfast normally happened around 7:00 am, a typical lunch was consumed
before 1:00 pm, and the time of the evening meal always varied since traffic is so
hard to predict. One day the travel home took longer than normal for a member
of the family. This one individual did not worry about missing the meal because
food would be served when everyone was finally at home.
The contrast between the two families clearly shows their two different view-
points. One family prefers punctuality while the other family desires the health
and happiness of every member. Using this information, one can predict the logi-
cal outcomes of these two groups. The clock completely rules the first family. The
meal arrives on the table when the correct time rolls around. The benefit of this
way of thinking is the lack of disagreements. We do things when the clock tells us.
Meals are prepared to the before the appointed time, eaten at the correct time, and
cleaned off when the time has passed. The disadvantage of this way of thinking
is the loss of flexibility. We cannot eat when we are hungry nor can we wait for
someone who might be late.
The second family’s goal is not the same as the first family. They want every-
one to be content. Achieving this objective is much harder than simply looking at
a clock because compromises must be made. Only when everyone is ready, can
the preparation of the meal begin. This step requires give and take. You might
have to eat early one day because someone needs to be at a meeting and late at
another time due to sports running overtime. The strength of the approach is its

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weakness. You will never know the exact time when your next meal will come.
The Gospel Lesson for us today presents us with another sharply defined story
of opposing priorities. On one side are the leader of the synagogue and those who
follow his way of thinking. They oppose the healing of the woman because they
believe the primary issue in faithfulness to God is following the Law to the letter.
On the opposite side is Jesus with a completely different viewpoint. Jesus says to
us, God is more concerned with the health of all of creation.
The leader of the synagogue and Jesus would surely agree that we must love
God with every bit of our existence. This, the heart of Judaism and Christianity,
can be found throughout the Old and New Testament. In Deuteronomy, God tells
the people, to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul, and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5).” This phrase along with the
introduction that “the Lord is our God, the Lord alone” is an integral part of the
faith (Deuteronomy 6:4). The people of Israel are to keep these words in their
hearts, to tell their children this teaching, to discuss the meaning of loving God
at all times, and to physically attach this phrase to their body and their houses
(Deuteronomy 6:6-9).
In fact, we can be even bolder with the assertion that these two men agreed
with this teaching because both men would have had them inscribed on the prayer
shawls they were wearing and they also could be found tied to their arms.
However, after this one point of agreement, their views diverge completely.
Just like the first family that kept the hours of their meals fixed, the leader of the
synagogue assumes that God’s first priority in this world is to a firmly established

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set of laws. This viewpoint means that every one of God’s laws must be followed
to the letter. In other words, this woman has been sick for eighteen years. It will
not hurt her to be healed until after sunset because this is the time that God has set
for work to be done.
Jesus totally disagrees with this set of priorities. His viewpoint is much more
like the second family, the one that is concerned with the well being of all of its
members. This is why Jesus healed the woman on Saturday. She was possessed
by a force that kept her oppressed for eighteen years. What better way to show
everyone that God cares for all of creation than by ridding her of this demon? All
throughout Luke, Jesus constantly presents us with this image of God. Take for
example the beloved story of the shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine sheep to
find the one that is lost (Luke 15:5). When that wayward sheep is finally found,
the shepherd calls all of his friends together for a party celibrating the animal’s
return (Luke 15:6). Or what about the story of the woman who lost a single coin?
In order to find the missing coin, she completely turns the house upside down
(Luke 15:8). When it finally turns up, she invites everyone over to share in her joy
(Luke 15:9).
Make no mistake; Jesus is not eliminating any of the requirements of the Law.
You can hear this in His own Words, “it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away,
than for one dot of the law to become void (Luke 16:17).” Instead of removing the
Law, today’s Gospel lesson shows us that God has a different priority. First and
foremost, God’s concern is for authentic life: one that is lived in relationship with
God and in community with the rest of creation. Order in this world is achieved

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through the following God’s Law.
Unfortunately, all around us are people that misunderstand these important
facts. At one extreme, we have those who think like the leader of the synagogue.
They tell us, “God has established the Law and it must always be followed.” This
approach is just like that first family who would only eat their meals at the right
time. Not only does this way of thinking make the Law more important that God’s
plan for the world but it also allows for no flexibility. What happens when some-
one is sick? Must they wait until the “right” time before they can be healed? At the
other extreme, we have those among us who want to remove every aspect of the
Law. They say, “Christ has freed us from the Law so we can do what we desire.”
This idea contains one truth and one falsehood. Christ has freed us from the obli-
gation of the Law. This is true statement because our eternal life with God does
not depend on our ability to keep every part of the Law. However, Christ has not
freed us from any of our obligations under the Law including those to serve God
and the rest of creation.
The life of a true Christian must balance these two extremes. We have to keep
the Law not because it gives us some sort of advantage before God but because
God has given us this set of rules to follow. We must be open to having everyone
join us in our life together as the Church but we cannot forget our mission to
preach the Gospel and then become a social group with an agenda.
The Good News contained in today’s Gospel lesson is that God loves us too
much to leave us as we are. Jesus did not tell the woman, “Wait until sunset, then
you will be healed.” Rather, He told her, “You are free. You have been given new

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life.” When He touched her, she was finally able to stand straight up and face the
world. This is the exact same message that Jesus brings to each of us. “You are
free,” Jesus tells you. “I have lifted the burdens of this life off of your back. My
work for you has given you a new life.” Of course, this happened at our baptism
when Jesus removed the weight of sin from our lives. But this is not the only
time that Christ removes the demons from our lives. He comes in the embrace
of a friend that holds us up when the world is crashing down all around us. He
can be found in the touch of a child, which lifts our spirits. He is there when a
spouse shoulders the force that threatens to crush you. And if you are honest with
yourselves, you will come to the realization that these miracles happen when you
least expect it. Christ is not controlled by the clock. He is there when you need it
the most because His greatest concern is for your well being.
Not so long ago, you and I lived by the clock that simply said,

For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under
heaven:
a time to be born, and a time to die
a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted;
a time to kill, and a time to heal;
a time to break down, and a time to build up;
a time to weep, and a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

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 a time to seek, and a time to lose;
a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
a time to rend, and a time to sew;
a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
a time to love, and a time to hate;
a time for war, and a time for peace. (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).

Into this world ruled by the clock that counts down to our death, Christ came with
the message, “Because you are mine, you will not be judged by a clock.”
This gift of grace has freed us from the clock. Our death has already happened
in the waters of baptism and on that day, we started our eternal life. Even though
we keep returning to our old ways our bad behavior does not stop Jesus from
giving us this gift again. Daily, He comes to us and rescues us from the clock that
pronounces our death.
Some day, this daily routine will stop. Our hearts will stop beating and our
eyes will finally close. When our last death occurs, we will no longer return to our
old ways. We will be with Christ and we will finally clearly see His priority for
life.
“The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus.”2

2
Philippians 4:7.