August 26, 2007

21^st Sunday in Ordinary Time

Preparation for Worship

Woman, thou art loosed from your infirmity.

Luke 13:12

The story of the healing of the stooped woman in the synagogue is “paradigmatic of Jesus mediation of the kingdom to women who are demeaned, denied their proper status, and oppressed by religious and social restrictions. The story of the stooped woman is, in fact, the story of many women.”

R. Alan Culpepper

Today is the twenty first Sunday in Ordinary Time, the longest portion of the church year. There is nothing ordinary about Ordinary Time as the term comes from the word “ordinal” which means to tell the rank (First, Second, Third, etc.) The central text for our worship comes from Luke’s account of Jesus healing a woman crippled by a spirit so that she was bent over and could not straighten up. Jesus words, “Woman, thou are loosed from your infirmity” are words we should hear every day in our lives. The liturgy reflects this emphasis on God’s healing grace to set us free.

     In worship today, we consider the healing grace of God and how he calls us unto his ministry no matter our brokenness or imperfections.  The music through which we worship today also reflects the theme of healing and articulates our response to God's call.  With its text, ...if you cannot preach like Peter, if you cannot pray like Paul, you can tell the love of Jesus and say he died for all.., the solo, There Is a Balm in Gilead, perhaps best captures the interplay between these two themes.  During the solo, you are encouraged to follow along with the text, which is found as Hymn 394.