NOTES: 1] Illness, or in this case, deformity was often attributed to demons. In v.16, Jesus clearly attributes Esther's (let's call her that) disability to 'evil'. 2] Jesus wasn't a 'visiting preacher' in our sense. He'd have been invited up from the congregation to teach. 3] Jesus, not Esther takes the initiative in this incident.

WARMING UP: How might the term 'crooked' have become attached to dealings that are dishonest, etc.?

TREASURES OLD & NEW: Identify God at work in anything that's happened in your life since last week's group?

EXPLORING GOSPEL:

10-13    What might Esther's presence in the synagogue despite her serious physical condition tell us about her? Do we share any of those characteristics with her? Are we more likely to take 'time off' from worship because, e.g., we've got a headache? Or, was that more a ploy to get out of Sunday School, Bible Class, etc.? We wouldn't use that kind of tactic now, would we? Would we? Knowing a lot more now about bone & other conditions that might cause a person to be bent over, are we more likely to expect a healing like hers to take place surgically rather than 'spiritually' these days? Does it matter which?

Are there 'infirmities', physical or otherwise, that we ourselves need to be freed from before we can live life to the full? Does the laying on of hands, formally or informally, play a significant enough role in our Christian community? When we're conscious that we've been healed of some problem, physical or otherwise, by any means at all, is thankfulness to God a first response? How long are we likely to remain thankful?

14-17    Are there any kinds of happenings in our congregation that make us indignant, angry even? How much is doing things on 'the Sabbath' an issue today? (Remember, Sunday is not & never was the Sabbath, but a Christian replacement for it!) Are there still some things in church life or life in general that we feel there's an appropriate & inappropriate time for? Does what Jesus says here to the protester have any application to any of the issues which can make us cross? What's the general principle Jesus sets out here?

Are there attitudes we hold but about which we feel ashamed? Are there things that should make us feel ashamed? Are we at all conscious of a contemporary attitude that encourages people not to be ashamed of anything? How helpful or unhelpful is that? Is there a sense in which shame can be a positive rather than a negative?

Is it time we were able to identify more of God's wonderful (= glorious) doings & rejoice at them? What's stopping us? Who's stopping us? Could we each identify just one wonderful thing God's done recently, & that we're  rejoicing at? Are there steps we could take to improve our discerning God at work in our midst healing & freeing people from their 'bonds'? Are there pre- requisites before that can happen? Are there steps we could take to encourage others to discern God at work mending them?