It is an honor for me to share via Esse Diem writing by my college friend Lucia, who often posts her sermons and thoughts on faith as Facebook notes.

Lucia’s meditations were inspired by a  parishioner’s tacking on the bulletin board an article about the novelist Anne Rice’s announcement that she remains “committed to Christ” but is “quitting Christianity.”  (Note: I’ve shortened the sermon considerably for this post.)

I really enjoyed Lucia’s angle on the idea that, deep down, many people act as if God can’t keep up with modern life.  Regardless of your spiritual background or perspective, if you believe in a higher power or a spiritual energy that influences our lives, it’s a good self-reflection to consider if you hold that intelligence at arm’s length.  For example, do you think God understands blogging?  Social media?  It can get pretty funny when we process the human limitations we place on the idea of God.

Don’t miss Lucia’s line on “the art of loving dangerously” towards the end.  It’s a small reference, but a very powerful idea.

Lucia Kendall Lloyd is the priest at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church in Heathsville, VA. She holds a B.A. in English from Davidson College, an M.A. in English from Middlebury College, an M.A.R. in Religion and Literature from Yale Divinity School, and an M.Div. from Virginia Theological Seminary. Prior to her ordination, she taught English at two girls’ boarding schools and a community college. She lives in Tappahannock VA with her husband and two daughters.

Luke 13:10-17

The group of students was asked to answer quickly, without reflection, the question:

“Do you think God understands radar?”

In nearly every case the reply was “No,” followed of course by a laugh, as the conscious mind realized the absurdity of the answer. But, simple as this test was, it was quite enough to show that AT THE BACK OF THEIR MINDS these youngsters held an idea of God quite inadequate for modern days.

This little experiment was conducted back in the 50’s, and it now seems almost quaint to think of times when the cutting edge of modern technology was…radar.  The author pursues the topic with the teenagers:

“Subsequent discussion showed plainly that while “they had not really thought much about it,” they had freely to admit that the idea of God, absorbed some years before, existed in quite a separate compartment from their modern experience, knowledge, and outlook.

There are probably many people today with a similar “split” in their mental conceptions. The “Grand Old Man” is treated with reverence and respect –look what a help He was to our forefathers! — but He can hardly be expected to cope with the complexities and problems of life today!  If the absurdity of this “split” makes us laugh, so much the better.

The person who conducted it was J.B. Phillips, who writes about it in a book with a wonderful title: “Your God Is Too Small.”

But what intrigues me most about this episode with J.B. Phillips and his conversation with the teenagers and radar is that it is exactly the attitude Jesus himself challenges in today’s gospel reading.  Jesus is teaching in the synagogue on the Sabbath.  A crippled woman shows up.  Jesus takes the initiative, calls her over, and says, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.”  When Jesus lays his hands on her, immediately she stands up straight and begins praising God.

But what is the response of the leader of the synagogue?  He is, Luke tells us, indignant.  He is indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, and he keeps saying to the crowd, “There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured, and not on the Sabbath day.”  The important point in this passage is that Jesus is ready to roll.  He sees that the woman needs to be healed, and he sets her free from her ailment immediately.  The leader of the synagogue wants to slow Jesus down.  He says everyone needs to come back later, on another day that’s not the Sabbath, and Jesus needs to wait until then to heal them.

The great irony here is that human beings think we’re the modern ones and that God is old-fashioned.  But scripture shows us the real Jesus, the Jesus who is ready to move into the future, to go ahead with acts of love to change this woman’s life forever, setting her free immediately.  Who’s the one who is stuck in the past?  It’s not Jesus; it’s the leader of the synagogue, who insists that Jesus should not do anything new, that Jesus ought to do things the way they’ve been done in the past.

When God moves into the future, people get indignant.  And how does Jesus deal with the indignant people?  Does he give in to them and say he won’t do anything controversial if they don’t like it?  Does he say he’ll wait until everyone agrees before he does anything new?  Does he tell the woman, “I know you’ve been suffering for eighteen years already, but you have to wait longer because some people will be indignant?”

Jesus instead turns to the indignant man and says, “You hypocrites!  Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger, and lead it away to give it water?  And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from bondage on the Sabbath day?”  Jesus says, “you give blessings to animals, how can you tell me to withhold blessings from people who have been putting up with so much suffering for so many years, and who now finally have the chance to be free of it?  How can you tell me to make them wait longer because you’re feeling indignant?  You hypocrites!”

Yeah, God understands radar all right.  And God understands quite a few other things that humanity needs to catch up on.  One of the things Jesus understands is the art of loving dangerously.  Jesus is willing to move ahead to perform an act of compassion for this woman even though he knows how vehemently indignant his opponents will be.  Well, if they’re going to be indignant, let them be indignant.  They’re not going to hold Jesus back.

As Luke tells us, “When Jesus said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing.”

There are people who think that God can’t quite keep up with modern life, when in reality we’re the ones who have trouble keeping up with God.  But there are also people who are excited about following this Jesus who has the courage to love dangerously, despite the opposition from people who are indignant and want to slow him down.  There are people who respond to gifts from God not by criticizing, but by praising God.  There are people who join the crowd in rejoicing at all the wonderful things God is doing.

God is not just ready to roll, God is already rolling!  Let’s celebrate!