Sermon Description
In this moving and insightful sermon, Rev. Dr. Donovan Drake draws attention to the urgency and holiness of the present moment, opening with the word “Now!”—the first word in the day’s scripture reading. The message centers around Jesus healing a woman who had been crippled for eighteen years, highlighting how the miracle happened not in the past or future, but now, on the Sabbath.
Rev. Drake challenges the congregation to think differently about Sabbath, not as a day to simply rest and refrain from work, but as an invitation to step into God’s “cathedral of time”—a sacred moment where heaven touches earth. He compares it to standing at the edge of the Grand Canyon or under a sky full of stars—where time seems to pause and awe overtakes you. The Sabbath is a time when we are reminded of the majesty of creation, of God’s providence, and of our place within it.
Through personal stories and vivid imagery, the sermon explores what it means to be truly seen by God and by one another. Just as Jesus saw the woman, we are called to see those around us—especially the hurting, the forgotten, the weary. Rev. Drake connects the woman’s affliction to the burdens many carry today: loss of spirit, betrayal, exhaustion, or invisibility.
He confronts the legalism of the synagogue leader who objected to healing on the Sabbath, calling out any religion that fails to serve love and healing as ineffective. Ultimately, the sermon is a call to live in the “now,” to be present in God’s time, and to participate in the joy of a community where everyone is seen, loved, and restored.
"Take a Sabbath. Step into God’s cathedral.
See. Rejoice. Be convicted—like Christ.”
Talking The Text Podcast
Pastor Podcast for 08.24.25
with Ashley Higgins, Donovan Drake, Guy Griffith, & Will Wellman
Introducing Talking the Text: your weekly resource for deeper insights into the Sunday scripture. Gain a richer understanding of the pastors’ reflections and prepare your heart and mind for worship with this valuable tool. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to enhance your spiritual journey every week!
“Unhealthy Peace”
Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost
August 24, 2025
Rev. Dr. Donovan Drake
Click HERE to download sermon transcript!
Sermon Podcast
Luke 13:10-17
10 Now he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. 11 And just then there appeared a woman with a spirit that had crippled her for eighteen years. She was bent over and was quite unable to stand up straight. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her over and said, "Woman, you are set free from your ailment." 13 When he laid his hands on her, immediately she stood up straight and began praising God. 14 But the leader of the synagogue, indignant because Jesus had cured on the Sabbath, kept saying to the crowd, "There are six days on which work ought to be done; come on those days and be cured and not on the Sabbath day." 15 But the Lord answered him and said, "You hypocrites! Does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the manger and lead it to water? 16 And ought not this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan bound for eighteen long years, be set free from this bondage on the Sabbath day?" 17 When he said this, all his opponents were put to shame, and the entire crowd was rejoicing at all the wonderful things being done by him.