A Sermon Delivered on August 24, 2025 by the Rev. Dr. Patrick H. Wrisley

By the end of last Wednesday, I was unable to give Patty a sermon title as it had not come to me yet. Well, it eventually did and so today I am building my thoughts upon these three words: Reclaiming the Sabbath.

Turn with me to Luke 13:10–17. Our story takes place in a Jewish synagogue where Jesus is teaching. In his day, teachers sat down to teach, so picture Jesus seated at the front of the congregation, discussing some aspect of the Torah. As you hear this passage, I invite you to join him there. See the room. Smell the air. Hear the rustle of robes. Notice the people gathered and imagine what they must have looked like and felt during this encounter. Like us, they did not have the luxury of air conditioning either! This morning, I want you to listen with “Jewish ears.” Pretend you are there in that first century synagogue and are attuned to the language, the customs, and the cultural texture of the Sabbath life.

Luke 13:10-17

¹⁰Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. ¹¹ And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” ¹³ When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. ¹⁴ But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the sabbath, kept 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.” ¹⁵ But the Lord answered him and said, “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? ¹⁶ And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the sabbath day?” ¹⁷ When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things that he was doing. 

With any Bible study, we begin with the characters. Who are the characters in our story?

There is Jesus, the teacher. We have the synagogue leader whose job is to keep everything decent and in order. Then there is the woman who has lived her life bent over in pain for eighteen years. Finally, there is the crowd, the hoi polloi of ordinary Jewish worshipers who under obligation dutifully came to the synagogue as they did each Saturday. 

Let’s begin with a question: Of all the characters in the Story, which one do you most relate with in the narrative?

We’ll assume none of us would dare identify as Jesus as that would be a stretch! So, perhaps you identify with the physically impaired woman? Crippled for nearly two decades, most likely stereotyped by all her neighbors as a sinner, she is a nobody. She is unable to look at anyone in the eye or even look up into the blue sky or the starlit night. Hers is a world that consists of people’s feet. You shuffle along, you ache, you’re invisible. You feel alone.

Maybe you affiliate with the synagogue ruler? Concerned above all with protocol and proper decorum, you think, “This is the way we’ve always done it. It worked for my grandparents, it worked for my parents, and it works for me. Don’t rock the boat.” You like order, predictability, and the comfortable power that comes with enforcing the rules. There are a lot of synagogue rulers in churches today!

Then again, perhaps you identify with being one of the people in the crowd at the synagogue. You came expecting “the same-old, same-old” at worship that day but this new preacher is stirring things up. Part of you thinks, “This isn’t how we do things! Momma Schwartz is not going to be too pleased!” But another part of you feels something different, something alive. You begin to think this Jesus really gets it and gets us, too!

So, with whom do you best identify with in the story? Also, what does your character think this story is really about?

Is it about the healed woman? Is it about Jesus as a rabble-rouser and rule breaker? Maybe the Story is all about religious rules? There again, perhaps it is about something deeper and completely different.

The woman’s healing is certainly important, especially to her! Yet the woman and her healing are mere foils that shine the spotlight on the heart of this passage: Our Story today is asking us to deal with what it really means to honor the Sabbath.

For the crippled woman, Sabbath was a day to come before God in community as an equal. For the synagogue ruler, it was a day to maintain proper decorum and ensure the Mosaic Law was followed. For the crowd crammed into the synagogue, it was a weekly duty and obligation to be fulfilled; it is just what you did.

What was it for Jesus? What was the Sabbath really for in his mind?  Jesus noticed the Sabbath had grown stale. It had become about majoring in the minors and minoring in the majors, i.e. focusing on rules rather than living a meaningful life, on obligations rather than grace. Jesus reminds us that Sabbath was given as a gift—a day to remember God’s gracious provision and liberation, to step off the hamster wheel of daily striving and be renewed by God’s presence.

There are similar patterns today as how people understand the Sabbath and worship. For some, worship is simply a place to escape isolation or loneliness even if no one notices you’re there. For others, worship is about keeping familiar traditions alive and well because this is the proverbial “way we’ve always done it.” For still others, Sunday attendance is little more than an obligation or duty. And increasingly, many people today think they don’t need church at all. “I can find God on my own.”

Our friends in Alcoholics Anonymous know better. They know you can’t find sobriety alone. So why do so many Christians think they can grow spiritually alone, without the accountability and encouragement of community? I can offer several myths as to how people think today. Now remember, a myth is not a made-up story; a myth is a narrative that shapes a person’s thinking on something.

First, there is the myth of cultural Individualism. Many people have developed the belief that faith is a “private matter” between them and God. They might pray, read scripture, or think about God but feel no need for a communal setting.

Second, there is a sense of woundedness or disillusionment. Many have been hurt by churches through hypocrisy, judgmentalism, exclusion, or scandals. For them, avoiding church feels safer or more authentic than returning to a place associated with pain.

Third, there have been major cultural shifts in society. In Western culture, Sunday is no longer a protected time for worship. Work schedules, sports, and family activities compete against it. Church is not the “center of community life” the way it once was. The guiding myth is that Sunday is just another day to get stuff done. 

Next, people like to say, “I am Spiritual but Not Religious.” In other words, a growing number say they experience God more in nature, in giving service to others, or in quiet reflection than in institutional worship. They see the institutional church as unnecessary for genuine spirituality.

Along similar lines, folks have a growing belief that institutions cannot be trusted. Just look at Washington and what’s going on there today! Many people, especially younger generations, are skeptical of large institutions, whether political, corporate, or religious. Church, in their eyes, feels rigid or controlling rather than freeing.

Finally, people today identify with a theology of minimalism. These are Christians who genuinely believe that “As long as I believe in Jesus, that’s enough.” They do not see church attendance as essential for salvation or spiritual growth.

Is it any wonder why the church is not growing today? 

Still, there are those handful of devoted who come to worship, believe it or not, because they are truly expecting to meet God here, to be changed by God here, and to encounter grace fresh and full.

Our text today is Jesus’ way of opening a window and showing us the other side and he tells us, “This is what Sabbath and worship are all about.” Sabbath and worship aren’t just about following the rules. 

Sabbath and worship are about intentionally putting ourselves in a position so we can encounter and engage the living God who is purposefully seeking you and me.

They are about God lifting Christ’s church up and pouring into it liberating grace and renewal despite us.

Sabbath and worship are about a community who consistently shows up to help remind each other that 1) we need each other, 2) we have got one another’s back.

When you and I honor Sabbath and come to worship, it means we are expecting to leave this place, to finish this day, knowing there is a going to be difference made in us and in each other.

When Jesus healed the bent-over woman, he showed that Sabbath is a day for freedom, wholeness, and restoration. It’s a day to expect God to do something wonderful. Beloved, this is what it means to reclaim the Sabbath. Amen.

© 2025 Patrick H. Wrisley. Sermon manuscripts are available for the edification of members and friends of First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls, 8 West Notre Dame Street, Glens Falls, NY 12801 and shall not be altered, re-purposed, published or preached without permission.   All rights reserved.