Sermon: August 24, 2025

Reading: Luke 13:10-17

When those in positions of power, influence, and privilege try to control others in ways that are opposite to God's love, it reveals a total and complete absence of compassion for our fellow human beings. It reveals a desire for self-interest at the cost of the freedom of others. It only serves as an attempt to separate humanity from God's love and the mercy God wishes us to show all humanity.

In the gospel story, Jesus demonstrates a different kind of power, one that is far superior to what the synagogue leader tried to enforce. And one that is radically different from what is on display in our world today.

Jesus acts with the greatest power in the universe, that of love and compassion. Jesus offers humanity the light of God’s love so we may be healed, transformed, and given life as we are drawn to God’s loving embrace, free from the bondage of unjust and restrictive laws and rules.

Jesus came not merely to announce that God’s kingdom has come near, but to awaken it in the human heart—a sacred space created for God’s divine love and peace. God’s kingdom honors and respects every individual, shattering the chains of spiritual bondage and washing all in its path with the radiance of God’s holy light. As God’s kingdom takes root within our lives, we become a living reflection of Christ’s spirit, a radiant beacon that draws others toward God’s healing touch, inviting them into a shared story of transformation and boundless joy.

May we follow in the footsteps of Christ, showing others a light so beautiful, so wonderful that they desire to know the source.