Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen. Christ is in our midst. He is and ever shall be.

Good morning. It’s wonderful to be together this morning on this day of the Sabbath, on this Sunday as we celebrate Ambrose, our Bishop of Milan, but also hear this Gospel teaching. And as I like to do sometimes in my homily, I’ll have a few questions for us to think about in just a minute. This Gospel gives us several questions to ponder this morning.

If I were to give a title to this homily, it would be “A Day Off with a Question.” Maybe you said, “A day off?” Because that’s really what we hear about this morning. Does Christ take a day off? Do we take a day off in our Sabbath? Do we take a day off in glorifying God? Do we take a day off in showing love and compassion to one another? That’s the ultimate question that we hear this morning in this Gospel teaching.

But first, let me just give a little bit more on what this Gospel is saying to us. You see, this isn’t the first time Christ healed on the Sabbath. And if you’re keeping score, it won’t be the last. It’s the second time that’s recorded in the Gospels. And if you were to add all of them up across all of the Gospels, He healed on the Sabbath seven times. Certainly to make a point. It’s also not the first time that we hear Christ say to the Pharisees or the rulers in the synagogue, “You hypocrite.” They just can’t get the message.

He sees this woman who’s bent over, who’s had this infirmity for eighteen years. She does not come to Him, but He calls her out. He calls her over. And He touches her and He says, “You are healed of your infirmity.” She stands up and she is made straight. She is made whole again by the love and compassion of Christ that came when the Pharisees would tell you to take a day off. She is made whole again.

It’s interesting in this number, the eighteen—eighteen years she’s bent over. The Fathers talk about it. They say in the Greek, it would be said “ten and eight.” Very clearly ten and eight. Of course, in our English language, we lose sight of that. But if you speak other languages, you know oftentimes that’s how those numbers are put together. Ten and eight. Ten, the Ten Commandments, the Law of Moses; and eight being the Eighth Day, the day of Resurrection. You see Christ in this number. Even in the number eighteen, we see that He is the fulfillment of the Old Testament. We see that He is the Resurrection and the Life that comes out of the prophets. Even in this simple number eighteen. In some translations, we didn’t hear it this morning, but in some translations, Christ even says, “Think of it. Eighteen.” As if to say, “You understand what this is, rulers of the synagogue. This is the fulfillment of the scripture.”

It even begs the question this morning as we hear the scribes and the Pharisees and the rulers of the synagogue get indignant because Christ showed love and compassion on the Sabbath. It begs the question: Why do we even have the law? If the law is not to point us to Christ, if the law is not to point us to love and compassion for one another, then the law is useless. You see, they were following out of ritual. They had become, as we hear in other parts of the Gospel, whitewashed tombs. They showed on the outside that they could follow the law and all of the rules. But on the inside, they had no love. They had no compassion. Who would deny someone who was created in the image and likeness of God, who had been bound by infirmity for eighteen years? Who would deny them to be healed on any day? A hypocrite. The Pharisees put the rule above love for one another.

So we are asked some questions this morning. We’re faced with some questions this morning as we hear this Gospel. You see, in our spiritual life, we often wait for God to act. But He’s already calling. We’re looking for some sign, but He’s already calling us. The question is, are we listening? Do we prioritize rules or appearances over love and compassion?

It was just a few weeks ago that we heard from the Gospel of Matthew, Christ quote from the prophet Hosea: “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” We hear that at the beginning of the Nativity path to remind us that, yes, the fasting time is important. The church gives us these guidelines to fast. To do what? Bring us closer to God. But if we do them out of empty ritual and have not compassion, have not mercy, it is useless.

What infirmities keep us from standing upright? Is it pride? Is it anger? Indifference? Envy of others? As we quickly move towards Nativity, and it will be here before we know it—it is hard to believe it’s already December 7th. The Nativity of our Lord will be here before we know it. This time in the fasting period is a time for us to prepare for the coming of the Lord. And we prepare with humility. We prepare with love and compassion. When we rejoice with each other, knowing of the coming incarnation. When we see others blessed, when we see others doing well, do we rejoice for them? Sometimes. Sometimes perhaps we wish, “Man, I wish that was me.” That’s the Pharisees in this case. She was healed and she praised God. And they were indignant because He healed.

St. Ambrose of Milan, whom we celebrate today, says of this Gospel that the Sabbath is for freedom from sin and sickness. Every day of our lives is an opportunity for us to be part of the Sabbath. We above all show mercy and love always. To everyone. Not just on the Sabbath. But every day of our lives. Said the way the Pharisees would want: not just six days a week, because love and mercy would be “work,” but every day. And guess what? When we do that, we are changed. We are changed. Maybe we can change someone else. Because of the great love that Christ has for us that shows to us.

Live the Sabbath. To battle against sin. Live the Sabbath. To battle against sickness. The enemy, I promise you, does not take a day off. The enemy does not take a day off from attacking us. And God does not take a day off from calling us. God does not take a day off from showing His love and compassion for us. As we see so clearly here in this Gospel this morning, when He showed compassion on the woman who had been bent for eighteen years. Probably at her wit’s ends.

So brothers and sisters in Christ, this morning, the Gospel reminds us that our Lord does not wait for perfect conditions to show His mercy. He acts even when others object. Because love is the fulfillment of the law. As we approach the Nativity, as we approach His incarnation, the Word made flesh, let’s not be bent down by the weight of sin or the rigidity of judgment or the rigidity of following some rules without love and compassion that drives us. But stand upright in faith. Rejoice in God’s compassion. May we hear His calling us forward and respond with hearts so full of gratitude, mercy, and joy.

For Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath. And He comes to make all things new. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Christ is in our midst.