Set Free From Bondage

Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. 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. When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, “Woman, you are set free from your ailment.” When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 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.” 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? 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?” 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. Luke 13:10-17 

Last year in Sitka we witnessed the release of birds at the Raptor Center. The eagles come to the center wounded and broken. The good folks there bind their wounds, and when they are strong enough, give them space to practice flying. It can take many long months for the birds to recuperate. Some are never strong enough or are too wounded to ever fly again. Most of the injuries are from people, or man-made objects like high voltage wires and the like. Come spring, the birds who are ready are released. A volunteer in huge glove and protective suit, take the eagle to an open field and gently lifts them to the air. Each bird flapped and took off. Several were startled at first and then soared and dipped above us for many minutes. It was a delight to watch them set free to be exactly who they were.

Jesus encounters a woman who is severely crippled and he heals her. He takes heat from the religious leaders since it was a sabbath day. Defying the rules, Jesus acted with compassion on a woman who didn't deserve another day in torture and pain. Some things may need to wait, but when the opportunity to provide healing and release is there, the divine spirit is always for our healing, always for our release. We often get in the way, but the Creator would have us always moving towards healing and freedom, always sharing that healing and freedom with others.

Today, as I set out for Montana, I ask God to use me as an agent of healing and release. May we who have been blessed with freedom, share all that we have, unbinding those who have been bound for too long. And may God's spirit soar within us, so that our joy might renew the people who we encounter today.