Good morning, friends! It’s great to be with you. To start, I want to share with you one of my biggest fears from high school. At Delone, we had your standard cafeteria. Towards the one end, there was the tray return place. You’d drop your silverware in a tub and set your tray down for it to be picked up by the cafeteria workers. If you were an unlucky person who dropped his or her plate, the entire cafeteria of students would begin to clap for you. I can remember feeling second hand embarrassment when I saw others drop their trays and plates. I made it my mission in high school to never drop my tray. By God’s grace, I never did…why was I so afraid of dropping my tray? It was because I was going to be so embarrassed and I knew everyone would be staring at me. It’s such a small thing but it reveals something profound in all of us I think: most of us do not like to be the center of attention, especially when the reason is something embarrassing has happened.

We’re in week 3 of our Costly Confrontations series as we prepare our hearts in this Lent season. We’re looking at encounters that Jesus had with various religious leaders of his day. These aren’t just normal, ordinary encounters. They are explosive encounters that lead to religious leaders plotting to kill Jesus. So far, we’ve read stories of Jesus forgiving sins, healing someone who is paralyzed, and allowing a sinful woman to weep at his feet. So, today, we’ll be looking at a story from Luke 13:10-17.  A quick note: there are a lot of things that can be preached upon from this passage. Any good preacher makes hard choices to leave out things for another time and that’s what I did for this one as well.

Just like I was terrified of dropping my tray and being embarrassed, we’re going to read a story of a woman who was terrified of standing at the front of the synagogue with her physical disability. But through Christ’s compassion and how this woman embraced vulnerability and her weakness, she saw a great act of God’s power. Let’s read.

Christ’s compassion led to action, even when it cost him.

I want to highlight something that we likely just glance over. Jesus saw this woman. He saw her as a human being, not a nuisance or someone to avoid. Imagine you could have heard a pin drop as he did this. There were likely whispers of: “Why is Jesus calling this woman up?” “Why is a woman standing at the front of synagogue? She’s not a man.” Jesus saw this woman and called her forward. This woman had no idea what Jesus was going to do but he saw her. Whenever the gospels share that Jesus saw someone, his compassion urges him to action even if that means others will get angry with him. That’s exactly what happens.

Jesus heals this woman even when he knows what it’s going to cost him. Jesus has such compassion for this woman and others who have disabilities that he heals her on the Sabbath. This leads to an uproar amongst the religious leaders in the synagogue. They said their issue was that Jesus had healed on the Sabbath but their real issue was: their man-made rules had blinded them from seeing and sharing God’s love with this woman. Jesus endured their hatred and wisely replied them. He defended this woman when it seemed like things were getting out of hand.

So, Jesus moved out of compassion even though it cost him something. That woman was there as part of God’s plan for a specific reason. It was no accident she was there. She had been bound by Satan for 18 years – I imagine Jesus’ heart was just exploding with compassion for her.

When we get face to face with those who are hurting or those who need help, it’s easy to start to feel overwhelmed. I get it. At the same time though, I’ve heard too many Christians say things along the lines of: “I don’t feel called to do that” or “I want to help but it just felt like a lot.” Sometimes, there are valid reasons. In the story of the Good Samaritan, did the Samaritan stop, pray, and ask God: “God, am I called to help this person?” No, he just did it. Why? That person was directly in front of him. I worry that too many of us would be like the people who walked by the man in need. If God brings a particular need or a person in need in front of you, it’s likely a sign that God wants you to do something about it. Don’t talk yourself out of it. Jesus saw this woman in need and he acted, so should we.

William Wilberforce was a British politician in the 18^th and 19^th century. Of all the politicians, I’d probably trust him most. William came from big money and his family were nominally involved with the Church of England. William was known to be a powerful and persuasive speaker, he was a cheery guy. Quite simply, he was the type of guy that everyone liked. But at the age of 25, he came to a genuine faith in Christ while on holiday with his family. His faith soon began to influence every facet of his life. In particular, there was one issue that began to eat away at his conscience in light of his faith: the transatlantic slave trade. At the time, the British Empire was the biggest player in the slave trade. With their impressive navy, they’d transport ~40,000 men, women, and children from Africa, sell them as slaves in their colonies and other European countries, and pick up goods to sell back in Britain. The slave trade represented around ~80% of Britain’s income in the late 1700’s.

Despite that, William became aware of the horrors of the slave trade. For the next 40 years, he’d dedicate much of his time advocating for the total eradication of the slave trade in the British Empire. He used his family’s money, he used his giftings, while in politics he used his position, he used his connections and network, and more to outlaw the slave trade. In 1833, his dream finally became a reality: the British Empire outlawed slavery across their empire. William died a few days later. His most well known quote is: “You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.” I share his story because like Jesus, William saw a tragedy. He had compassion and he decided to do something about it, even though it cost him money, reputation, and more.

For you, what things has God brought to your attention? What specific needs are right in front of you? What areas of injustice get you excited and passionate? Or to take Jesus’ example: what things do you see that make you want to take action? Jesus saw that woman and knew he needed to help her. Imagine with me for a moment: what would it look for our church to see the needs that exist in our community and we do something about it? Last week, I met with the principal from Clearview Elementary and he said so many of their students are in single parent households and just need a role model in their life. What if some of us gave up 1 hour a week to mentor a child at Clearview? Since we know it’s a reality, we can’t look the other way.What could happen? There’s some groundwork myself and the board still need to lay…but imagine the impact with me!

Because Jesus saw this woman and had compassion on her, her life was never the same. That said, she also had a responsibility: she needed to trust Jesus and be vulnerable so he could work which leads us to our next point.

Vulnerability leads to powerful transformation.

I want you to imagine this situation with me. If you are this woman, you’re attending the weekly worship gathering in synagogue. Week after week, you hear readings from the Old Testament about the wondrous powers of God and yet, you have a physical disability. You hear of how the people of God should live with one another, but you feel alienated by your fellow believers because they blame you or your parent’s sin for your disability. You hear how God commands your people to care for those who are poor and lame but you do not experience that in your synagogue. You sit in the back, closest to the door so you can slip in and out. That way, you avoid the looks of pity or murmurs of others asking: what happened to her?

But one day, there’s a new teacher in the synagogue. He’s unlike any of the other teachers as he teaches with authority, almost as if he is the mastermind behind the Old Testament. Rather than avoiding eye contact with you, Jesus looks right at you. He sees you, he doesn’t look at your disability, he just sees you as a human being and that makes you feel loved. During his teaching, you find out his name is Jesus and he calls you up to the front. You’re terrified but you listen and come to the front. He then shares that you’ve been set free from your infirmities, and you feel your back loosen and you can stand up straight for the first time in 18 years. You cannot believe it and all you can do is praise God.

Now, I want you to think to yourself: is there a part of you that you hope others don’t notice? Is there a part of you or something you do or have done that you hope never gets discovered? Is there a struggle or patten of sin you’re going through that you’re afraid of sharing? Do you feel the weight of that in your chest?

If you’re this woman, she doesn’t want her disability to be noticed or called out. She doesn’t want to be up front in the synagogue with everyone looking at her hunched over posture. But, she’s there. She’s being vulnerable or being open about the thing she is most ashamed of. And what happens after she displays such vulnerability? She experiences a deep transformation.

Why is vulnerability needed? 1 John tells us that if we walk in the darkness, we don’t have true fellowship with Jesus or fellowship with one another as the church. But if we walk in the light, we do have fellowship with Jesus and his blood purifies us from all sin. How does that happen? Sin thrives in secrecy. Struggles are amplified when they are not shared. Things do not get better when you hide them. How many of you love it when your kids or spouse have tried to hide things from you? Why do you do the same for your sin and struggles?

That’s why Adam and Eve try hiding from God when they ate the apple, their sin led them to hide their wrongdoing and not bring it to the one who would make it right. The NT tells us to carry one another’s burdens so we can fulfill the law of Christ which is to love one another. But we can’t carry each other’s burdens if we’re all pretending that everything is okay. We can’t do that if we’re hiding things from one another.

As some of you know, I’m a pretty big hip-hop fan. There’s a song by a Christian rapper named Christopher Syncere where he raps:

If I really wanted to see any actin' I'd go to the theater
But I get it free in the church
We ain't even actin' like peoplе
Smile and wave boys, smile and wave
I get back and I'm cryin' in secret
Smile and wave all the way to the grave
'Cause we was playin' church instead of tryna be like Jesus.

Is that what we do? We play church. We smile and say everything is going fine but in reality, it’s all falling apart. If believers aren’t marked by honesty and vulnerability, what’s the point? We don’t have fellowship with Jesus or with each other if we’re not honest with each other. We may as well close up shop.

Do I promise you that honesty and vulnerability will always be received well? No, I’m not so be wise in choosing who you share things with. But, I am saying you should share these things with others who have demonstrated compassion and trustworthiness. What it would look like for you to display vulnerability like this woman? When’s the last time you told someone about a sin that you struggle with? When’s the last time you confessed to a wrongdoing? When’s the last time you said you’re not doing well and asked for help? Imagine what God could do in you and through those around you if you’re vulnerable and honest.  

But if we bring these hard things we’re struggling with, we should find healing and hope and love in a church community. There may be some of you who feel afraid to be vulnerable because it makes you feel weak or powerless. Can I tell you some good news about that in our final point for today?

God demonstrates his power in your weakness.

I’m going to hop out of this story and head back to a previous story in Luke. It’s somewhat similar to this one where Jesus heals a man who has a withered hand on the Sabbath. Jesus sees the man, calls him to the front, and asks him to stretch out his hand – since his hand is withered or severely damaged, he really can’t do that. His weakness is demonstrated in this moment and Jesus demonstrates his strength by healing him.

In the same way, in our teaching text for today, this woman had no ability to heal herself. No matter how hard she tried, she could not stand up straight. This went on for 18 years, can you imagine how she felt?  

I’ve heard those really cheesy Christian sayings (and if you’ve said these and believe them, please, with all the love in my heart, stop. They’re just not true): “God gives his toughest battles to his strongest soldiers” or “God never gives you more than you can handle.” Can I tell you something? God most definitely gives you more than you can handle. Why? So, you learn to rest in God’s power and admit your powerlessness.

Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians how he begged God to remove this perpetual sin or temptation in his life but God responded to Paul’s prayer with a no. With a no but with a reminder that God’s power was made perfect in Paul’s weakness. Meaning, without God’s power, Paul really was hopeless. Paul goes on to say that when he is weak, he’s actually strong because of God’s power. It’s only when you’re at the end of your rope that you truly see God’s power. If you’re not at the end of your rope, you start to think you’re the powerful one. You start to rely on your own gifts and your own powers.

But for our woman with the hunched over back in this story, she’s weak. She’s totally helpless but she experiences the power of God in her weakness and her life radically transforms.

John Ortberg has a concept he calls: “The Fellowship of the Withered Hand.” He gets the title from the story found earlier in Luke’s gospel. The main idea is that a church should be a community of people with withered hands. We’ve been called to do what we cannot do on our own, we admit our need for Jesus. We don’t hide our pain or brokenness, we bring it to the light so that it can be transformed. We expose our withered hands so that we can see God’s power. It’s about humility, love, and grace. When we bring our pain and brokenness to the light, we can see God’s power as he transforms it.

A month or so ago, I shared how impactful George Mueller’s autobiography has been on me. He was a man who opened up multiple homes for children who were orphaned, 10,000+ kids stayed in those homes. He evangelized and discipled thousands of children and adults through his Sunday school efforts. And he did it all by never asking for any donations because George knew this. He knew that by relying on God fully, he would see the power of God as he provided for every single need they had.

For some of you today, you may be feeling like you’re trying so hard to hold it all together. Others of you may feel like you’re strong and doing okay but are you really? (repeat) What have you been trying to control? What have you been wanted to share with someone but have been afraid to do so? What has just been a really hard thing that you’ve been walking through lately? Have you considered bringing it to the light and sharing it with someone in our church family? Have you considered that it could be an opportunity for you to admit your weakness and lean into God in a new way? I’m not promising an easy fix here nor is Jesus. It may take 18 years or longer for you to see God’s power but his power will be made perfect in your weakness in God’s time. If we share in Christ’s sufferings and weaknesses, we will also share in his glories.

Worship team, you can come on up here awhile.

I invite you to take this seriously. I want you to see more of God’s power and mercy when you admit your weaknesses and vulnerabilities just like this woman saw God’s power in her weaknesses. If we’re a community of believers marked by that, we’ll also be compassionate in our responses to others just like Jesus.

I want you to imagine what could God do with a community of believers like that? Brothers and sisters who were unafraid of being real with one another. Brothers and sisters who knew the struggles or sins of the others but had compassion on them and walked alongside them. Can you imagine with me the freedom that people would be finding here? The healing? Can you imagine what things would look like as we all commit to walking in the light?

As we prepare our hearts to worship through song, I’m going to invite you to ponder some things: is there something you are struggling with? Is there sin you’re carrying in your heart? Is there someone in this body who you can trust to share that with? If so, why don’t do you do it as we sing? And if someone shares something with you and you feel totally ill-equipped to respond, remember God’s power is made perfect in your weakness. So, I would invite you to move around if you’re feeling something stirring. If you don’t or you need prayer for something else and feel something stirring, there’s a team of people available to pray with you in the corners and myself in the front. It’d be an honor and a joy to pray with you.

But, my dear friends, let us have compassion and see those who are hurting. Let us be vulnerable and see how God’s power is made perfect when we admit our weaknesses. Amen?

Let me pray for you guys.