Flexibility

Luke 13: 14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue ruler said to the people, "There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath."

Years ago, I conducted a wedding at the seaside for a young couple who were into Celtic symbolism. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful setting for the ceremony. We had chosen a secluded area of the beach, so that interruptions would be minimal. A piper marched the couple into the center of the circle we had formed and I led the service.

I used readings from the Bible about nature and God’s creative powers. I talked about the sands of time and the solid rocks of love that strengthens a marriage. We prayed to the Holy Spirit and referred to the power of the wind and the waves. It was a holy and sacred moment for all of us. It was one of the best weddings I have ever attended.

A couple of days later, I received a telephone call from another minister. He was angry with me because I had performed the wedding. The shoreline was technically in his parish and even though I knew the young couple, he insisted that he should have been given the right to say whether or not the marriage could be performed. When I told him that I knew the family and that we had a Celtic wedding, he was livid.

“Had they come to me,” he growled, “I would never have sanctioned that kind of a wedding!”

I simply answered, “That’s why they didn’t come to you.” At that point, he hung up on me.

Sometimes a bit of flexibility helps the faith. The other pastor stuck strictly to the rules and it cost him his church. Within eighteen months, his congregation of 200 was down to 40 people. It was sad to see it happen.

Jesus also came across this type of narrow-mindedness in the synagogue when He healed the ailing woman on the Sabbath. Instead of rejoicing at her being cured, the cleric insisted that Jesus had broken a sabbatical law. No wonder that Jesus called him a hypocrite. Instead of seeing the good that was done, the cleric wanted the rules to remain unbroken. Instead of showing compassion, he shunned Christ.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, keep us from loving rules instead of people. Prevent us from holding on to fixed traditions, instead of embracing the work of Your Spirit. Help us to free ourselves from the trappings of religion, in order that we may experience Your mercy and grace. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.