Embracing God's Disruptive Grace for Healing and Restoration

Today’s gathering invites us to look beyond the surface of our lives and the world around us, to see where God’s grace is breaking in and making things right. The story of Jesus healing the woman who had been bent over for eighteen years is not just about a miraculous act on the Sabbath, but about the disruptive, invasive nature of God’s love. The leader of the synagogue, threatened by Jesus’ actions, reveals a very human tendency: we often cling to the status quo, preferring the comfort of familiar rules and structures, even when they prevent healing and transformation. Yet, Jesus challenges us to let go of our need for control and to allow the Holy Spirit to work in ways that may surprise us, ways that do not fit into the frames we have built.

This healing story is nestled between two parables in Luke 13: the barren fig tree and the mustard seed. Both parables speak to the persistence and expansiveness of God’s kingdom. The fig tree, though unfruitful, is given another chance—an image of God’s patient grace. The mustard seed, or as we might say in the South, the kudzu vine, represents the kingdom’s unstoppable spread, covering everything in its path. In the midst of these stories, the healing of the woman is a living example of God’s grace breaking through, restoring what was broken, and inviting us to participate in this work of making things right.

We are called to stop focusing on the dust and dirt—the disappointments, the failures, the things that seem impossible—and to look up, to see where the Spirit is moving. The invitation is to get out of the way, to let the Holy Spirit break the frames we have constructed, and to join in the work of restoration and healing. Whether it’s in our personal lives, our church, or our community, God’s grace is at work, often in ways we do not expect. Our task is to say, “Come, Holy Spirit,” and to follow wherever the Spirit leads, trusting that God’s love will cover all and make things right.

Key Takeaways

• 1. The threat of grace to the status quo: When Jesus healed the woman on the Sabbath, the leader of the synagogue was not just upset about the timing, but about his own inadequacy being exposed. We often resist change or new expressions of God’s power because they threaten our sense of control or highlight our limitations. True humility means celebrating God’s work, even when it comes through others or in ways we did not expect. [29:08]
• 2. God’s grace is invasive and persistent: The parables of the barren fig tree and the mustard seed (or kudzu vine) show that God’s grace is not easily contained. It breaks into our lives, gives us second chances, and spreads in ways that can feel disruptive but are ultimately life-giving. The kingdom of God is not a neat, orderly garden but a wild, unstoppable force of love and restoration. [33:03]
• 3. Healing is about restoration, not just relief: Jesus’ healing of the woman was not just about physical relief, but about restoring her to wholeness and dignity. In our own lives, spiritual healing often means lifting our gaze from the dust and dirt of disappointment and despair, and allowing God to restore our hope and sense of purpose. We are invited to participate in this work of making things right, both for ourselves and for others. [35:02]
• 4. The Holy Spirit cannot be contained by our expectations: We often want the Spirit to work within the boundaries we set, but God’s power refuses to be boxed in. The invitation is to let go of our need for control, to break the frames we have built, and to follow the Spirit’s lead—even when it takes us into unfamiliar or uncomfortable territory. This is where true transformation happens. [36:24]
• 5. Our calling is to join in God’s work of making things right: Rather than focusing on what we lack or what seems impossible, we are called to look for where the Spirit is already moving and to join in. This means stepping out of the way, letting go of our pride, and grabbing onto the Spirit’s coattails as we work for healing, justice, and restoration in our world. [37:47]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [05:30] - Centering in Prayer and Prelude
• [08:22] - Gathering and Thanksgiving
• [13:22] - Community and Gratitude
• [25:44] - Reflections on Authority and Inadequacy
• [29:08] - Jesus Heals on the Sabbath: The Real Offense
• [30:40] - The Human Struggle with Change
• [31:37] - Parables of the Fig Tree and Mustard Seed
• [33:03] - The Invasive Grace of God
• [35:02] - Spiritual Healing: Looking Up from the Dust
• [36:24] - Invitation to the Spirit’s Work
• [37:47] - Joining the Kingdom’s Work
• [39:19] - Affirmation of Faith and Hymn
• [43:26] - Prayers for the Community
• [45:50] - Prayers for Healing and Justice
• [51:55] - Announcements and Ways to Serve
• [54:11] - Upcoming Worship Series and Community Sharing
• [55:23] - Fall Bazaar and Mission Focus
• [57:15] - Closing, Offering, and Blessing

Bible Reading

Luke 13:6-21 (ESV) — (Parable of the Barren Fig Tree, Healing of the Bent-Over Woman, Parable of the Mustard Seed)

> 6 And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. 7 And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ 8 And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. 9 Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”
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> 10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And behold, there was a woman who had had a disabling spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not fully straighten herself. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your disability.” 13 And he laid his hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and she glorified God. 14 But the ruler of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, said to the people, “There are six days in which work ought to be done. Come on those days and be healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” 15 Then the Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it away to water it? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?” 17 As he said these things, all his adversaries were put to shame, and all the people rejoiced at all the glorious things that were done by him.
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> 18 He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19 It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” 20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? 21 It is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”

Observation Questions

1. In the story, how does the leader of the synagogue react to Jesus healing the woman, and what reason does he give for his reaction? ([29:08])
2. What do the parables of the barren fig tree and the mustard seed have in common with the story of the woman’s healing? ([31:37])
3. According to the sermon, what was the real issue for the synagogue leader—was it the timing of the healing, or something deeper? ([30:40])
4. How does Jesus describe the kingdom of God in the parable of the mustard seed, and what does that suggest about how God’s grace works? ([33:03])

Interpretation Questions

1. Why do you think the leader of the synagogue felt threatened by Jesus’ act of healing, and how does this reflect our own struggles with change or loss of control? ([29:08])
2. The sermon says God’s grace is “invasive and persistent,” like a kudzu vine or mustard seed. What does it mean for grace to be “invasive,” and why might that feel disruptive to us? ([33:03])
3. The healing of the woman was not just about physical relief but about restoring her dignity and place in the community. What does this tell us about the kind of healing Jesus offers? ([35:02])
4. The sermon challenges us to “get out of the way” and let the Holy Spirit work, even if it breaks our expectations. Why is it hard to let go of our own frames and control? ([36:24])

Application Questions

1. The leader of the synagogue clung to the rules because it made him feel safe and in control. Are there “rules” or routines in your life or faith that you hold onto, even if they might be getting in the way of God’s work? What would it look like to let go of them? ([30:40])
2. The sermon talks about looking up from the “dust and dirt” of disappointment and despair. What are some of the “dust and dirt” in your life right now that keep you from seeing where God is moving? ([35:02])
3. God’s grace gives second chances, like the fig tree that gets another year. Is there an area in your life, or a relationship, where you need to accept or offer a second chance? ([31:37])
4. The kingdom of God is described as a wild, unstoppable force—like kudzu or mustard seed. Where have you seen God’s grace show up in unexpected or even disruptive ways in your life, your church, or your community? ([33:03])
5. The sermon invites us to say, “Come, Holy Spirit,” and to follow wherever the Spirit leads. What is one area where you sense the Spirit nudging you to step out of your comfort zone? What would it look like to say yes? ([36:24])
6. Healing is about restoration, not just relief. Is there a place in your life where you need more than just a quick fix—where you need true restoration? How might you invite Jesus into that place? ([35:02])
7. Instead of focusing on what you lack or what seems impossible, the sermon calls us to look for where the Spirit is already moving and to join in. What is one practical way you can join in God’s work of making things right this week? ([37:47])