In response to yesterday's offering, I received a couple of replies addressing the issue of hopelessness. The stories are heart wrenching. There are far too many of God's children teetering on the brink of despair.
Similar thoughts came to me during this morning's prayer time. I had read from Luke 13:10-17. Jesus is once more in a situation where he can either heal, or abide by the Sabbath rules of his day. He chooses to heal the woman who had been afflicted for eighteen years.
The way of Jesus is the way of easing burdens, of setting aside hardship, of setting free those who are bound. How is it that we have turned the whole Christian enterprise into a path of personal deprivation? Why do we add burdens to God's children rather than lift them off?
The way of Christ is demanding - it demands that we place our trust in him and let go of our thoughts of individual security. Letting go of such is tough - perhaps the toughest thing we will ever be asked to do. But the invitation is to let go so that we might embrace that which is truly worthy of our attention.
When Jesus sees the woman afflicted, he responds to her. He cares for her. He has compassion upon her. Lifts her burden. Following Jesus means we look for ways to do the same. Following Jesus means we embrace an ethic of caring, not one of blind obedience to proscribed rules and regulations.
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