From the Pastor |
Genesis 17: 1-7, 15-16 & Romans 4: 13-25
Covenants and faith… that is what our scriptures talk about today. Last week we heard about the covenant God made with Noah and all of Creation… the promise of God to never again destroy the earth by a flood. This week we hear of another covenant… this time it is a covenant God makes with Abram. “the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty…[El-Shaddai]; walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Then I will make my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers… I will make you very fruitful; I will make nations of you, and kings will come from you.” But this is not the first time God has made this promise to Abram… in fact… it is the third. Twenty-four years prior… when Abram was 75 years old… God called him and said, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” [Gen. 12: 1-2] Sometime about a decade or so later, God reiterated that same promise by saying “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” [Genesis 15:5] Now here we are… 24 years later… Abram is 99 years old. His wife, Sarai, is 90. He does have one child, Ishmael with the servant Hagar (but that’s another story)… but God says… uh, uh… I’m not done… Sarai will bear you a son and your descendants… numerous as the stars… will be given this land, and I will be their God. This time… it is not just a promise… it is a COVENANT! A binding, solemn promise… a contract where 2 (or more) parties come together and establish a bond. This covenant created a bond so important that it changed Abram’s whole identity… Abram, which means “exalted father,” was renamed by God and became Abraham which means “Father of Many.” This is a story about promises and faith. God promises… Abram must have faith enough to believe. That is what God wanted from him… faith… no matter how LONG it took. “I am God Almighty; walk before me faithfully and be blameless.” God is saying to Abraham, “Keep on going… trust in my promises. Even as the years pass keep walking before me.” Did you notice that? Abraham is told to walk BEFORE God. It sounds strange when we so often think of walking WITH God. But to walk before means to be in front of… and if you are walking in front of someone else… you can’t really see them… therefore, Abraham had to have faith… he had to trust that God was with him… he had to move forward without all the answers… He had to decide for himself how to follow the path of faith. Sure… he struggled along the way. There were times when he was unsure or had doubts… and he got it wrong sometimes… getting himself and his loved ones into dangerous situations. But even his missteps and doubts did not stop him from continuing to walk before God. He continued to trust in God. When he made a wrong decision… he kept seeking God’s guidance. And if God told him to change direction… he did. He was blameless… righteous… NOT because he was perfect… but because he had faith and sought God’s will even when he had messed up. This is what Paul is telling us we need… faith. For “It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith… Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations…” God did not tell Abraham ‘Obey this law and I will bless you.’ NO! God said ‘I will bless you… believe my promises.” Abraham “was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised.” It was Abraham’s faith in God’s promise… even though the odds seemed to be stacked against him… that made him righteous… blameless… blessed! God saw Abraham trusting in the promise given. That is exactly how our own relationship with God should be. We are called by God and invited to trust in God’s new covenant… in the promises God has made to us in Christ Jesus. Through Christ, God enters into a new covenant with US. A promise that our sins are forgiven, and we are restored to a good and right relationship with God. This covenant… this amazing grace is unconditional and freely offered. We cannot earn it… we cannot buy it… it comes through faith. Paul calls followers of Jesus to have the type of faith that Abraham displayed… faith that has us giving our lives to do God’s will… to follow God’s ways even if we don’t have all the details… It is faith that has us giving of ourselves for the sake of the Gospel, rather than simply following “the law” as an ideology. When we step out in faith… like Abraham… we too are renamed. We become called a Disciple of Jesus… a Child of God… we take Christ’s name as our own when we are called ‘Christian’. The big question is this… How do we live into these new names we have been given? How does that name reflect the way we live and breathe and have our being? The answer… we walk before God… in faith… If we are to claim the name of ‘Christian’ we must let our faith guide us in all we do. We must trust in the promises of God and follow where God leads us. Like Abraham… we will struggle along the way. We will have our doubts and make mistakes… we might wander on the wrong path, but is we allow our faith to guide us we will hear God calling us to change direction. But through it all God is calling to us…telling us to “Keep on going… trust in my promises. Even as the years pass… as trials and disappointments come… keep walking before me.” We are to walk before God… to trust that God is always with us…even if we cannot see him… we need to move forward even when we do not have all the answers… We need to decide to walk the path of faith…. Believing and trusting in the promises of our God. Jesus calls all his followers to live in faith… to live as he did… to sacrifice, to love the enemy, to serve, and to embark on the selfless quest for justice for all, not just for some. We must walk before God and be blameless… not perfect because… let’s face it… that’s simply not possible for us… but blameless is not about perfection… blameless means complete… unimpaired… that is what we are when we walk in faith… letting our hope and trust in God guide us. Our scriptures today remind us that through our faith we can have hope and the belief that God keeps God’s promises and that by the grace and power of God, the impossible is made possible. Abraham’s faith in God “… was credited to him as righteousness.” It was his faith alone that fulfilled the promises made to him. Likewise… it is our faith in Jesus’ resurrection that brings to fulfilment God’s promises of forgiveness and salvation. Forgiveness and salvation offered through faith, and by receiving it, we are restored to a right relationship with Our Lord… and it is credited to us as righteousness. Because when we believe that God’s grace, power and love is sufficient… all things become divinely possible. Amen
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Genesis 9, 1 Peter 3: 18-22
Of all God’s wondrous gifts of creation, water is surely one of the most important. Water is a basic requirement for life, and we… well we absolutely NEED water to survive. In this country, we take water for granted… We are able to simply walk to the sink and turn the handle and… whoosh… we have water. Even during times of drought… we have enough water to live. We might not be able to wash our cars or water our lawns, but generally we are blessed with a plentiful supply of water. Water brings life… It cleanses, restores, and refreshes. In fact, water plays such a powerful role in scripture that it is amazing that we can still take it for granted. From the beginning of the Bible to the end, our scriptures are full of passages that link water to Gods creating, blessing and saving work… water is an agent of Creation, Purification and Cleansing, Restoration and Rescue… But let’s face it… water can be destructive as well. Think about the devastation that occurs during a flood. Did you know that it only takes a mere 6 inches of fast-moving flood waters to knock over the average adult? Just 12 inches of rushing water to carry away most cars? Think about what would happen if torrential rains lasted for forty days and forty nights. Such a flood would bring total ruination, which is exactly what the Book of Genesis tells us happened. Now many people struggle with the story of Noah and the Ark… but if we look logically at this we can see that there is ample evidence that some kind of worldwide flood did occur somewhere in history. It is hard to deny that when we consider that EVERY area of the world… every continent and almost every faith has a flood story. A story where the god or gods were displeased and sent a massive… worldwide flood and only a few chosen people were spared. That is quite a coincidence, isn’t it? Another thing all these stories have in common? The flood waters receded and life began again. In our own faith tradition… once the catastrophic waters receded Noah was given God’s promise of restoration, and of grace… a covenant sealed by the sight of the rainbow: “I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood… I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me… and all life on the earth” The reading from1 Peter makes a connection between that flood and baptism by reminding us that God saved Noah and his family through the flood, and that through the waters of baptism we, too, are saved… not in the washing away of dirt, but as a new beginning. The baptismal waters are saving waters because of the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus. But, Peter reminds us that through Christ we have a water that truly and wholly saves… water that is the symbol of our baptism… the Living Water. Jesus said: “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him…” [John 7:37-39] He also said, “… those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” [John 4:14] You see… Jesus is the Fountain of Living Water… It is through him we have access to the fountain that NEVER runs dry. This Living Water… the Holy Spirit… is what gives us power, gives us joy and gives us hope in this world… it cleanses and restores us and brings life. Jesus says, if you are thirsty, come to me. I am the Fountain of Living Water… come and drink. That is the invitation… however, it takes a conscious decision to actually drink of this water. We can stand by the fountain, admiring the flowing, refreshing water all we want but nothing changes unless we choose to take a drink… To take it inside of us… to be renewed, refreshed and restored by it. The Bible makes it clear that this water of life that we take in us forms a mighty river that flows out from us and touches those around us. But that cannot happen if we just go to the fountain and take a sip now and then. We need to drink deeply and keep on drinking… Replenishing our supply until the excess pours out of us. There are too many Christians in this world that only sip the Living Water. They keep the restorative compound… that grace inside… taking only enough so that they can feel the refreshment. We don’t need to feel it! We need to be filled by it. Only then can the waters of restoration flood this world and make a change. Because, not only are we changed… not only are we saved and restored by the Living Water… but we become the stream through which the waters flow to others… bringing love and peace… bringing restoration to a world that is anything but loving and peaceful. Our society has strayed so far from the path of God that it is beyond scary. We are a society of greed and selfishness, of violence and fear, anger and hatred. Is it any wonder there is so much turmoil and strife? So much suffering? It is NOT how God wants us to live. We need to change, however, the change we long for needs to start right here (point to heart) inside me… inside you! We need to turn back to God… to turn away from the destructive and negative aspects of this world and turn back to caring and kindness… love and peace. We need to take care of ourselves, our neighbors and all of creation, because all these things are being destroyed on the path we are following now. The only change that will make any real difference in this world is the turn back to God. To turn our eyes to Jesus and to drink of the Living Water… allowing it to fill us and to overflow from us… covering this world in a flood… not of raging destructive water… but a flood of God’s grace and mercy and love. We are called to flood this world with the love, peace, grace and mercy of our God. When those waters flood this world... that is when change will finally happen. And it begins through us… through you and me… and each and every individual Disciple of Jesus Christ. We cannot leave it up to someone else. So let us each take time during this Lenten Season to come back to God… back to the fountain living water and Do not simply take a sip but drink deeply and let the water flow through your entire being restoring and renewing you… then let it spill out of you so that others can see it… feel it… be washed by it. So that others will know what it is they are thirsting for! Herein lies the power of the water: it empowers and equips us to be faithful as we answer God’s invitation to join the renewal of creation, the repair of the world. It is through water that we are united in a community of care, in which we are never alone. Is your soul parched today? Is your spirit longing for a place of acceptance and healing? Jesus says, “Come to me, come to the well spring of life and received God's gift of living water. It's yours for the asking.” Amen. Isaiah 58: 1-12
Ash Wednesday… marks the beginning of our Lenten season. The name comes from the ancient practice of using ashes as a mark of sorrow and repentance. The Old Testament tells us how people would ‘tear their clothes and put ashes on their heads’ as a way to show that there was some sort of great sorrow in their lives, and as a symbol of repentance for their sins. So the Service of Ashes is a perfect way to kick off Lent. Lent is a time of repentance… a time for us to reexamine our lives and to refocus our hearts and our minds on Christ using spiritual disciplines such as prayer and fasting. In fact… Fasting is one of the traditional acts of repentance during Lent… not only fasting from food, but fasting from something or some behavior that might be distracting us from our God. Fasting is the reason people like to give something up for Lent. So, what are you giving up for Lent? What will you be fasting from… Chocolate? Alcohol? Social media? …Spicy Romance novels? …Lima Beans? As you think about that… consider the fact that there is so much more to fasting than you might think. The prophet Isaiah tells us that… like us… the people of Israel misunderstood what it was that God required of them. They believed that as long as they fasted and prayed and offered appropriate sacrifices… as long as they maintained their religious rituals… then all was good. They were religious… devout and pious, and they cannot understand why it seemed that God had taken no notice of all they are doing. They cried out: “Why have we fasted… and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed? ” However, Isaiah points out that all they have done is not enough… their actions are not at all pleasing to God. “Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?” While they appear to be following the rituals… they… in truth… have failed. They follow the rituals, but still do whatever they please… they argue and fight and exploit their workers… They fail to do justice and do not care for the needy. Isaiah’s point is very clear – religious rituals aren’t what God is looking for. If fasting simply consists in going through all the religious motions… the saying the prayers, putting on the sackcloth and ashes, offering the sacrifices and so on… but does not really affect the way others are treated… then that fasting isn’t what God is interested in. God expects a different kind of fasting… a fasting from injustice, from selfishness, from neglect of the poor and needy. “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? … “If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.” Isaiah lets the people of Israel know that they cannot continue think they are pleasing God without caring for the poor and working to ensure justice for all. This is an important message for us today as well. These days… we too cry out to the Lord. We cry out for the ability to hear God’s voice… for God’s judgement to fall upon those who have wronged us… we desire for God’s peace and justice to reign… We seek the Lord’s presence and righteousness. We do what we think is necessary… We attend church… we take communion… we pray and fast and sing… And like the people of Israel we often wonder why it seems like God is not listening... But Isaiah warns us that our religious observances and rituals are not enough… our piety is worthless when our actions are accompanied by injustice, and oppression. God wants us to redefine what a fast is. A fast is not simply a time to humble oneself… or to take time out to pray. It is not solely a time to focus on our personal faith that is removed from the concerns of our world. God isn’t only interested with our daily prayers, our spiritual disciplines, our religious rituals or our elaborate worship services. God is passionately committed to justice and peace… to caring for the least… the last and the lost… and God requires that we… God’s people… be passionate about the same things. True, righteous fasting is meant to bring us closer to God as we work to “loose the chains of injustice… and set the oppressed free.” Fasting should open our eyes to truly see and recognize… Who is hungry and in need? Who is the “poor wanderer” in our midst? Who does not have the power to bring about justice for themselves? You see… God cares less about our rituals… and more about our personal response to the suffering that surrounds us. God cares about whether or not we share our food with the hungry… if we offer the ‘poor wanderer’ shelter… if we see the naked, to clothe them, and fight against injustice and oppression. This might include giving generously to organizations that offer help such as: the church, UMCOR or Family of Woodstock. It might mean offering our time or our talents to help a neighbor, or to volunteer with one of the many organizations that serve those in need. It might even mean becoming active politically as well. Loosing the bond of injustice is not something any one of us can do on our own… these are changes that need to be made in society… and we need to work together in order to fight injustice. So does that mean that we should not bother to give up chocolate for Lent? No… Not at all. Personal disciplines are important. If there is something in your life that has a special hold over you… if it is something you might be hard pressed to do without… something or some behavior that might be distracting you from our God… then definitely fast from that thing. This form of fasting can help us. It can help us to turn away from whatever has distracted us and to help us to turn back to God. We can deprive ourselves of some small pleasure or indulgence and offer that sacrifice up to God. Or we might give up a bad habit such as smoking as a way of making a positive change in our lives. The point is… we can’t stop there! God isn’t only interested in our personal spiritual health… God does not want is to settle into a reserved personalized faith… God wants us to work to bring change to this world. That change cannot happen if Christians only strive to turn away from some personal sin… Change will only come when we actively fast from injustice, oppression, selfishness and greed… and instead work to expand God’s kingdom of love, justice and peace. Isaiah reveals that the very presence of god can be found with the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed. Restoration… whether personal or national, must be sought through the seeking of justice and in caring for the oppressed and the afflicted in our midst. As you move through this Lenten Season… think about the problems of injustice and oppression in our communities and our society, and then consider… is your life is a part of the problem… or a part of the solution? Noting that apathy IS part of the problem. Then… let us consider what we can do to help bring lasting change, so that the bonds of injustice are loosed… the poor, the hungry, and the homeless get the help they need. Let us fast, not with ashes but with actions… in sharing and caring. For this, Isaiah says, is the fast that God would choose for us. Amen. Mark 1: 29-39
Today’s gospel reading picks up right where we left off last week. Once again we experience the fast-paced, urgency that is typical of Mark. After demonstrating his power and authority by teaching in the synagogue and driving out a demon, Jesus goes with his disciples to Simon and Andrew’s home. There Simon’s mother-in-law is sick with a fever. Upon hearing this, Jesus goes to her… takes her hand and helps her up… At once she is healed and begins serving them. I would like to note here that no one asked him to heal her… there was no great display of faith on her part that would have brought her healing. Jesus simply heard she was sick and had compassion on her and healed her. “That evening after sunset” we are told the whole town came to the door bringing everyone who was “sick and demon-possessed.” The people had to wait until after sunset because they had to wait until the Sabbath had ended… but then they came and “Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons…” I imagine it ended up being a pretty long day for Jesus, and yet Mark tells us that very early the next morning… while it was still dark, Jesus gets up and goes off alone to pray. He needed a break… some solitude to recharge and reconnect with the Father. However, the people have once again begun to gather and are looking for him… So his disciples decide to track him down… “and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!” But Jesus had other plans… he tells them “Let us go somewhere else—to the nearby villages—so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” So they left and went traveling throughout Galilee preaching and driving out demons. I mean… wow! Mark packs so much into these 10 verses. But today I would like to look at something that really stood out to me this week. When the people all came to find Jesus after the Sabbath ended… Mark tells us that Jesus healed MANY… he also drove out MANY demons. Many… NOT all. Maybe it was getting too late… maybe he was tired… whatever the reason, there were still people who were NOT healed. So the next morning… people came back looking for him. They wanted more. But instead of going back and finishing the “job,” Jesus tells Simon and the others that it is time to leave and go to other villages. You know… It is kind of heard to hear that… I mean, there was still work to do. There were still people in pain… people who were sick or injured… people who were possessed. There were still people who were suffering… yet Jesus moves on. He leaves. I can only imagine what was going through the minds of those who had not been healed… at the very least they had to be wondering “What about me? It’s not fair.” But Jesus knew what he had to do… and that was NOT to stay and be the personal physician for this one town… Jesus’ mission was to bring the offer of salvation to everyone, not just to bring physical healing to some. Jesus had a clear mission… that was to announce that the kingdom of God was near and to bring his message of repentance and salvation to all people, far and wide. He came to oppose those forces that threatened life and the well-being of the people and healing was simply one method for doing that… but it was not his main purpose. Jesus’ preaching and healings… the exorcisms and even the challenges made towards the religious authorities all went towards a single purpose… to oppose anything that impeded the flourishing of life. Jesus knew that the people needed so much more than just physical or mental healing. They needed spiritual healing… they needed to repent and be reconciled with God. Listen again to what Jesus said… “Let us go somewhere else… so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” Once again Mark stresses the power of Jesus’ word. His was a message that needed to be heard… his message of repentance and forgiveness and love… and this message needed to be heard by people far and wide. Jesus came to announce God's Kingdom… to proclaim the Good News… His word could heal, and exorcize demons… but his word also had the power to make people whole, and reconcile them to God. This was the reason for his ministry… NOT to simply heal the body and the mind… but to bring reconciliation with God. Providing physical healing… Fixing every aspect of their earthly lives… That was not why Jesus came. It is also probably why so many of those who once cheered for him were willing to let him be put to death… after all, Jesus demonstrated that he wasn’t there to do what THEY wanted him to do. He was not there to drive out the Roman Empire… he was not there to heal every single ill or to make their lives perfect in every way. Jesus was not even there to found a new religion. Jesus was there to preach the Good News and to reveal the love God has for ALL of God’s creation. Unfortunately… this Good News required something in return. It required repentance and the need for each person to change themselves before they try to change others… This is just as true today as it was some 2000 years ago. When we or our loved ones are in need of healing… we search out Jesus… we go to him in our prayers… asking for healing to come. Many find the healing they need… Many but NOT all… and it sometimes has us wondering… “What about me? It isn’t fair.” We need to realize that Jesus is not simply our personal physician… that is not why he came. The healing miracles may heal the body or the mind. The miracles of Jesus symbolize the very presence of God’s kingdom in this world. They demonstrate the power of Christ and point to the God of love and the salvation that is offered, but they do not vanquish the power of sin and death. Salvation is so much more than physical or mental healing. Salvation is the ultimate healing because it DOES vanquish the power of sin and death and brings eternal life. Salvation is the healing that comes… not through miracles, but through the grace and love of God, and through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. THIS is why Jesus came. Not to simply provide physical and mental healing… not to drive out our demons… but to share the power of God’s word and the salvation that is made possible through his life, death and resurrection. However… like the Good News that Jesus preached… our salvation requires something of us as well. We too need to repent and turn back to God… to be reconciled with God… transforming our lives with the knowledge that God loves us and forgives us and sets us free so that we can become the very best that we can be as we live out God’s Law of Love. Let’s face it… this is not easy for any of us. It requires conscious effort on our part. It is hard work that has us allowing God to change us… transforming us until we become a reflection of God’s love in this world. Preaching God’s word… delivering the message of God to as many people in as many places as possible was the reason for Jesus’ ministry… the healings were not the mission… they were but a demonstration of God’s love and power found in God’s word. Jesus came to bring an offer of salvation… he came to bring healing for this world… not only of illness, but also of oppression, injustice and evil. Now it is our turn. As Disciples of Christ... sharing the power of God's word is our job now. We are called to reveal the kingdom of God through our words and actions every day. If we are to consider ourselves Followers of Christ then we need to reassess our daily lives and ask ourselves… Do our words… do our actions bring God’s word, healing and love into the world? Do they challenge the systems of oppression, injustice and evil? Does the message we proclaim through word and deed help to usher in the kingdom of God? If the answer is no… then a change needs to be made in our lives because that is exactly what Jesus came to do. Amen. Mark 1: 21-28
Out of the four gospels in the New Testament, Mark is the shortest… the most succinct and fast-paced. Unlike Matthew… Mark is writing for an audience who are unfamiliar with the Hebrew texts and faith, and he portrays Jesus as the suffering Son of God… a man with power and authority… focusing more on the actions and miracles of Christ than on his words. This is a gospel of action… In this first chapter we can see just how quickly Mark will move through this story: we were introduced to John the Baptist who heralds the Messiah’s coming. Then Jesus came and was baptized… he was led into the desert where he was tempted by Satan for 40 days. Then John was arrested and Jesus begins his own ministry by calling the first of his disciples to follow him. All of this in a mere 20 verses. Wow! Our story today… moves us to Jesus’ first public demonstrations of authority and power. Jesus… together with those first disciples, goes to Capernaum. On the Sabbath, he enters the synagogue and begins to teach. Think about that for a second… a strange man you have never seen before walks into your church… walks right up to the pulpit and begins to preach. It had to be strange and a little disconcerting… however, Mark tells us that the people were astounded by his teachings which were given with authority and different from the scribes. Then… suddenly… a man in the synagogue “with an unclean spirit” cries out… challenging Jesus: “I know who you are… why are you here? Have you come to destroy us?” There he is… His first appearance in public ministry and Jesus is heckled and challenged by an “unclean” spirit who protests Jesus’ very presence there… yet Jesus casts the spirit out succinctly and with again with authority and a demonstration of power: “Be silent, and come out of him!” The unclean spirit fought against this order, but it was futile for Mark tells us that “the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.” Now… we can read that as a great short story but really? A man with an unclean spirit? Seems like a campfire ghost story in the making. In those ancient days, the idea of “unclean spirits”, demons and spiritual forces was common. Most ancient cultures firmly believed that spiritual powers existed and while they were not all evil… many were indeed harmful. It was a widely held belief that demons were the cause of most of mankind’s ills. Demons would invade the body and they were the cause of mental illnesses, epilepsy and other physical diseases. There were some who even believed deafness and blindness were caused by these “unclean spirits.” But come on… in our modern civilization we know... through science… that a person… say… someone suffering from schizophrenia is not possessed by a demon… but is, in fact, suffering from a mental illness. Demonic possession is something we see in movies and fictional stories. So how can we relate to this story of Jesus driving out a demonic spirit today? I think… in order to truly grasp the message of this story we need to let go of the Hollywood images of demons we all seem to have in our heads… the images brought on by movies like The Exorcist with the heads of possessed people spinning around and pea soup flying across the room. Instead, we need to consider that these “unclean spirits” are any and all forces that are diametrically opposed to God. They are the things that curse, disparage and tear down rather than bless, encourage and build up… they are the things that promote hate instead of love, and divide us rather than unite us. The idea of demonic possession illustrates the reality of evil in our world. Although our advances in science and medicine make the ancient notions of illnesses being attributed to “unclean Spirits” obsolete, these stories still reveal that there are forces that can wreak havoc on individuals, and communities. Sometimes we find that we can be caught up in things that are so powerful and compelling that they actually seem to possess us… separating us from God and the abundant life God brings. In fact… when we look at it in this way… I imagine that we have all been possessed by “unclean spirits” at some time in our lives… if not at this very moment. Naming our demons is the best way to recognize that they DO exist. The biggest demon we have to face is unbelief… losing our faith in God, AND even in our fellow human beings. However, there are so many others: We can so easily become possessed by the spirits of fear… anger…and jealousy; by hatred and prejudice… possessed by greed and our desires. We can even find ourselves possessed by our addictions, depression, and grief. Our world is also infected with the demons of racism, sexism, homophobia, religious intolerance, violence, and poverty. Just to name a few. Being a Christian does not exclude us from becoming taken over by the “unclean spirits” that are all around us. People of faith are susceptible just like everyone else. The gospel reminds us clearly of this fact because the man with the “unclean spirit” was IN the synagogue. This confrontation with Jesus takes place INSIDE a synagogue… a holy place where only the ritually clean were allowed to gather for worship, and still the “unclean spirit” was there. All evil needs is to find the door to our heart even slightly ajar and then it can enter in… taking hold. Pulling us away from God. And once these spirits enter in… they will not willingly leave. However, the Good News that Mark has shown us is that Jesus has the power and authority to drive out the demons that invade us… oppress and enslave us. Those things that keep us from fully knowing and living in the love and light of God. These verses clearly demonstrate the amazing authority of Jesus… it shows that he has the power, and the one who was possessed recognized it. The man with the unclean spirit was the one who recognized Jesus… who perceived him as a threat… who had the most to lose. For an encounter with Jesus can change everything. This is not just a healing story or a simple miracle… it is a reminder that God is at work… then and now… to free us from the unclean spirits that still possess us. Our God is the God of the broken and Jesus is the one who can break the hold these things have on us so that we might be free to live and grow as individuals and a community as we receive healing and restoration and the abundant life God desires for all of us.. Jesus is the “Holy One of God” who has come to cleanse us from such spirits; to defeat the power of sin and death and to restore the world of life that God created. Mark begins Jesus’ public ministry with this story of confrontation and freedom to remind us that, through Christ, God is at work to free us from the unclean spirits and the powers that would possess us… pulling us away from God and seeking to rob us of all the good that God intends for us. So this week… take time to consider what things possess you? What keeps you from fully embracing all the life, love and light that God offers you? And then consider how encountering Jesus can change that… casting out the ‘demons’? Turn to Christ and implore him to (as the hymn written by Mary Louise Bringle "Cast Out, O Christ) says): “Cast out, O Christ, cast far away The demons that destroy The haunting dreads that choke our souls, The hates that stifle joy.” |
Yeon Shin
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