June 24 Sermon
Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn no clothes, and he did not live in a house but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at the top of his voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me”— for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the wilds.) Jesus then asked him, “What is your name?” He said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him. They begged him not to order them to go back into the abyss. Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding; and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned. When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, “Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you.” So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him. Luke 8:26-39 (NRSV)
We have four very different readings today, but I want to show you a common thread between all of them. This is Christ’s first experience in Gentile territory in Luke’s Gospel. When Christ encounters Gentiles some of the most resonate examples of faith are taught (the Samaritan woman & the believing Centurion). This is in contrast to the reaction of the Jews, and sometimes his own disciples. Today, the first person Jesus meets is this man possessed by a legion of demons. He confronts Jesus, basically asking Him “What are YOU doing HERE?”
Other than John the Baptist, it is demons that Christ casts out who first recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. Evil recognizes good. Evil fears good. Evil tries to corrupt good because that is its only way to win. Long before the disciples realize that their teacher is the Son of God, the forces of evil knew who he was. Many times Christ commands the demons to be silent so the disciples or others have to learn his identity on their own.
If you don’t believe there are demons, you haven’t been paying attention to what’s going on in the world. Demons are not a cute name for anti-social behavior. Demons are real, evil forces that are deceptive, destructive, and diametrically opposed to the will of God. We may not struggle with the more obvious demons of the Bible, but we do struggle with evil. You see it: In pictures of the Holocaust or Bosnia or Darfur; In the heart of a suicide bomber or terrorist; In the struggle of someone you know who is powerfully addicted; In the faces of persons spewing hatred and venom because someone is different; In the slaughter of innocent children around the world. You see it when you encounter wrong or injustice and realize “This is extra strength evil." You see a hatred that goes beyond the rational. Just as the love of God is beyond comprehension, the hatred behind evil cannot be understood.
If you don’t believe there are demons, you haven’t been listening to your life either. A famous psychologist has said, “Most of the demons are inside.” They are. Memories of neglect or abuse are inside. Memories of taunts and humiliations are inside. Living with the road not taken, or other what-ifs are inside. Knowledge of one’s failures and imperfections are inside. All of these things can become demons that possess and even destroy. The present day demons that we face are things that drive us or lead us away from God. They are addictions, prejudices, hatred, ignorance, coveting. The demons we face are generally small things that have grown beyond our control. We have a fear of miracles, success, and salvation. We feel that we’re not worthy, that we don’t deserve good things. We have seen reasonable and talented people seized by demons and driven to destructive behavior.
On one of my visits to a seminary, I received a list of books the professors thought would be useful for incoming students to read. One of the books is C. S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters.” It is written as a series of letters from a supervising demon to his nephew, as the nephew attempts to corrupt a man and win the man’s soul for Satan. While Lewis wrote it with much sarcasm, it illustrates how “tempters” use circumstances of our lives to turn us from God and toward darkness. Among the techniques the tempters will use are isolating the victim from family and friends, promoting a sense of superiority, but preying upon and nurturing our insecurity. We fall victims to demons, be they forces of evil or our own inner doubts because we feel incomplete. We know we are missing something, but do not know what.
Demons, led by their master Satan, take our insecurities, flaws and doubts and make them grow. Demons nurture and tend to our frailties the way a gardener tends to flowers or the way a mother tends to a newborn. They water our weaknesses. They feed our fears. They devote themselves to making our frailties bloom and grow and consume us. They want us to feel isolated, to be isolated and shunned, just like the possessed man in today’s lesson. They want us to be on our own because they seek to ruin and corrupt us. They try to turn us away from God as they have. Misery loves company and Satan wants to fill up hell.
Too often we don’t like anyone who isn’t like us. They look different. They sound different. They act differently. They eat different food. They worship in a different way. They have more than we have. They don’t have as much as we have. They have different stuff than what we do. They think that they’re better than we are. They don’t know their place; they don’t realize that we’re better than they are. They have it easier than we have. They complain every time they think it’s tougher on them. When we don’t think of someone as WHO they are, but WHAT they are, it is easy to hate a what rather than a who.
Too often, we don’t like what’s happening to us. I don’t have enough. I have more than I deserve. Others are treated better than I am. Others are valued more than I am. Others are liked more than I am. Others are cared about more than I am. Others are loved more than I am. No one understands me. No one notices me. No one cares about me. No one loves me. When we don’t think of ourselves as WHO we are, but who we are NOT, it is easy to hate a nothing rather than a someone.
That dark little voice tells us, “You’re getting a raw deal. You deserve better.” Or “If they only knew the truth, they would all abandon you.” We listen to that voice and we do something to mask the pain. We take something. We do something. We hurt someone. And for a little while, we feel better. Until the voice returns, this time not so little, but even darker, urging us on. If you don’t value someone (including yourself) as a person, it is easy not to care what happens to them. It is easy to be mean to a thing. It is easy to be abusive to a thing. It’s ok to push a thing, to take something, to be dishonest, to stay away. The next time, it becomes a little easier to go a little farther. The next time, you take another step because it felt good the first time. You felt in charge. You felt powerful. You stopped hurting. And when you lost that feeling, you wanted it to come back. So you took another step, a bigger step. People who have been addicted, abusive, and hateful often wonder how they got there. They did it one step, one act, one indiscretion at a time. They took a path they may have meant to only look down; to take one step down because it won’t hurt anyone, or because they deserved it, or because no one will ever know. Then they took another. Then they took another. Then they took another.
In the verses of the Psalms we read today, the psalmist cries out for help. The psalms share common themes and language. The psalmist cries out , “Why have you forgotten me? Why have you cast me off? Why must I walk about mournfully?” But the psalmist, in the midst of his lament says: “The Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.” The psalmist admits that he needs God’s help: “My soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” Although, he feels abandoned and begs without answer for God for help, he asks for rescue so that he can praise God. “O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.” The psalmist is in desperate and dire straights. He is mocked by everyone and ignored by God. He is surrounded & persecuted; yet before his prayers are answered, he praises God and testifies of God’s great power. It’s easy to praise God and tell people how good God is when you have just experienced God’s goodness. When God helped a loved one through surgery, or when God brought you through the tough times, or when God healed your broken heart, how easy is it to share the good news of God’s greatness and mercy? It is awesome that in these psalms, someone in dire straights proclaims God’s goodness. But the psalmist knows God is never closer to you than when you feel farthest from Him. Although he is at rock bottom, the psalmist knows where salvation lies. God is always there to give you His hand if you just reach for it or call for Him.
The psalmist longs for God’s touch, God’s goodness. He feels the ache of incompletion and reaches to God to complete him. God also feels that ache as well. But God is not incomplete. His ache is that of unrequited love. From today’s Old Testament lesson, Elijah prays that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Israel has broken God’s heart by rejecting Him and His Ways. Despite all that He has done for them, they continue to reject Him in favor of other gods. It is like watching a loved one walking away and taking up a demon and not asking for, nor accepting help in the battle. Why do we walk away from God? While God walks with us always, we always try to walk or run away from Him. Because He is always with us, we wind up dragging God into some of the darkest, foulest reaches of the world and our souls. Despite seeing us at our worst, or possibly because of it, God loves us and will redeem and save us. Time after time after time, God has reached out to and lifted up His chosen people. Time after time after time, His chosen people have turned away from God. Time after time after time, they have defied Him. Time after time after time, they have rejected Him. But time after time after time, God has reached down and again lifted up His chosen people. Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, the great flood, the tower of Babel, the forty-year journey, King David. The Old Testament is full of stories of how God rescued Israel, then Israel rejects God, one just and righteous person calls out and leads Israel back to God and God provides for them, until the next time.
Our Heavenly Father created us with free will. We can do as we wish. He does not want automatons programmed to worship and praise Him. He wants our love and devotion to be freely given. It is not a negotiation or a transaction. “God, if you give me this, I’ll worship you.” His love is unconditional. He wants our love for Him to also be unconditional.
We reject and deny God’s grace and the salvation that was purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ because it is freely given. We believe you get what you pay for. How did you treat the first car you were given compared to the first car you purchased? How well did you take care of the clothes your parents gave you compared to the first clothes you bought with your own pay? Because grace is freely given, because it has cost us nothing, we feel it is worth nothing. It has no worth. You cannot value grace because it is priceless. It cannot be bought, bartered or traded for. While we cannot buy our salvation, we can express our gratitude. We can show our gratitude by trying to live each day as an example of a Christian. How will people know we are a Christian? They will know we are Christians by our love. Each day we should show and reflect love toward everyone we encounter, treating everyone as a WHO, not a WHAT. That includes loving ourselves. If God has judged us worthy of His mercy & love, who are we to disagree with assessment? But despite God’s love for us, despite our salvation through Jesus Christ, we will try to fill that void with something else. A legion of demons waits for us. When confronted with a demon, when confronted with evil, how do you get rid of it? In today’s Gospel, Jesus has shown us how to battle and defeat demons.
The first is: Evil is born and bred in secret, hidden from the light of day. When we struggle with destructive, negative forces -- whether by choice or by chance, we cannot let ourselves be isolated. We need the love and affection and company of others. We must find family, friends and other who we can talk to and trust to lead us back to the light. Remember, “Whenever two or more are gathered …” The only time that Satan tempted Jesus was after Christ had been alone in the wilderness for 40 days. The possessed man had worn no clothes and lived in tombs "for a long time...” The longer isolation continues, the more dangerous the isolation becomes. John 3:20, Jesus says, "...all who do evil hate the light & do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed." The moment Jesus appears, the demons begin to cry out. Edmund Burke said “All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” When you see someone being isolated, when you see someone in darkness, even if they chose to be alone, go to them. When you feel yourself being set aside and heading from the light, reach out. Be a friend. Find a friend. Hold out your hands all to someone who walks in a way that is not good. We must confront evil with light, love and truth. Things may be bad, but being alone, denying the problem only makes things worse.
I always look for the worst to happen. In doing any type of planning, you have to be ready for things to go wrong. So I always make a back up plan, a plan B. But sometimes I get wrapped up in the negative and develop a plan C, then D, then E. Then I think about what to do if everything goes kaput. I can get caught up so deep in my own head, that I cannot see the forest for all of the trees. I think not only is the glass half full, but I will be blamed for the missing water. When I realize I am on my way to a pity party of one, I reach out to friends and they listen. I pray for God to help me out of the world I have made between my ears and live in the world He has made here.
Secondly, give Evil its name. You have to know your enemy. Once you know it, you know how to defeat it. Jesus confronts the evil in control of this man. "What is your name?" It is addiction not, "A few too many!" It is lying not, "Shading the truth!" It is cheating not, "Everybody's doing it!" It is stealing not, "One of the benefits of working here!" You must look the lie in the face and name it. To name the evil is to bring truth and light to the situation. Christ said "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have a problem. Tell the truth, confront the lie and healing can begin. Denial is a factor in much that is evil. Truth has awesome power! Jesus has courage to approach and minister to someone who is absolutely, totally isolated from and rejected by society.
The story in today’s Gospel lesson also appears in the Gospel of Matthew. In the version in Luke, Jesus’ command to the legion of demons is not recorded. In Matthew (8:32), Jesus simply tells the demon, “Go.” Christ simply commands the demons to go, and they go. We can also give that command, but we must follow it with action. We become susceptible to demons because we have not only walked toward them, but have also walked away from God. We have made ourselves susceptible to demons because we invited them to fill the hole in us, and have also turned from God’s pleading to allow Him to fill that spot in our hearts. When we tell the demon to go, we must also go. When we rebuke the demon, we must ask for help. Help from our loved ones. Help from the One who loves you most. God has been with you on your descent because He is always with us. When you renounce the forces of evil, you must embrace the forces of good and love. I enjoy the part of a baptism when the pastor asks the person being baptized or their sponsor, “Do you renounce the forces of evil?” It is a question we should ask ourselves every day. Just as a walk with a demon is a long, daily process; so to will be the walk away. It will be a constant, daily, hourly fight to stay with God and away from the demons. The forces of evil are as persistent to get you back as is your former long distance carrier. “What can we offer to get you to come back?”
Christ tells the demons to go from the man, and the demons enter the pigs. The pigs then rush into the water and are destroyed. Jesus destroys the demons through water. Jesus destroys our demons through the waters of our Baptism. When we remember and reaffirm our baptism daily, he can drown and destroy the demons daily. When we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we receive Jesus in the bread and the wine by His words of promise. He comes to fill the hole in our lives. He comes to complete us so there is no place for demons to go. He comes as a sign of His willingness to be tainted with our evil. Christ has so contaminated himself with the depth of our evil that he put it to death once and for all on the cross.
When the man was freed from his demons, he wants to become a full time follower of Jesus. Once touched by the healing power of Christ, God’s loving embrace, why would anyone want to go away from Him? But we do. We are ungrateful. Just like ancient Israel. But Jesus needs the healed man to stay and share his story with his community and those who know him. Jesus needs for him to become the f first missionary to the Gentiles. He needs to show that, through Christ, “what once was lost, but now is found.” Jesus gives the healed man the same commission as ours; to go and tell what Jesus Christ has done for us.
In the 2nd lesson, Paul tells the Galatians that salvation comes due to faith in Christ Jesus, no matter the situation. “For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.” Because of our faith, not the Law. Because of our faith, not who we are. Because of our faith, not our deeds. Because of our faith, not our good works. Because of our faith, we are saved. Because of our faith, we are heirs to the promise. We are saved by our faith. But we can help save others by our deeds. God is found and shared in our actions. We can help others be saved by “proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.” Our good works can not save us. Only our faith can save us. But our good works can be a beacon to others, showing them the way to Christ.
When we are faced with demons, ours or those of others, remember how to deal with them. Don’t go alone into the darkness or drive someone into the dark. When you know someone is battling a demon, be with him or her. Confront the demon by its name, and call for help, from God and from others. Pray to, and praise God, often and always.
The other lessons for this day were: 1 Kings 19:1-15, Psalms 42 & 43, and Galatians 3:23-29.
We have four very different readings today, but I want to show you a common thread between all of them. This is Christ’s first experience in Gentile territory in Luke’s Gospel. When Christ encounters Gentiles some of the most resonate examples of faith are taught (the Samaritan woman & the believing Centurion). This is in contrast to the reaction of the Jews, and sometimes his own disciples. Today, the first person Jesus meets is this man possessed by a legion of demons. He confronts Jesus, basically asking Him “What are YOU doing HERE?”
Other than John the Baptist, it is demons that Christ casts out who first recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God. Evil recognizes good. Evil fears good. Evil tries to corrupt good because that is its only way to win. Long before the disciples realize that their teacher is the Son of God, the forces of evil knew who he was. Many times Christ commands the demons to be silent so the disciples or others have to learn his identity on their own.
If you don’t believe there are demons, you haven’t been paying attention to what’s going on in the world. Demons are not a cute name for anti-social behavior. Demons are real, evil forces that are deceptive, destructive, and diametrically opposed to the will of God. We may not struggle with the more obvious demons of the Bible, but we do struggle with evil. You see it: In pictures of the Holocaust or Bosnia or Darfur; In the heart of a suicide bomber or terrorist; In the struggle of someone you know who is powerfully addicted; In the faces of persons spewing hatred and venom because someone is different; In the slaughter of innocent children around the world. You see it when you encounter wrong or injustice and realize “This is extra strength evil." You see a hatred that goes beyond the rational. Just as the love of God is beyond comprehension, the hatred behind evil cannot be understood.
If you don’t believe there are demons, you haven’t been listening to your life either. A famous psychologist has said, “Most of the demons are inside.” They are. Memories of neglect or abuse are inside. Memories of taunts and humiliations are inside. Living with the road not taken, or other what-ifs are inside. Knowledge of one’s failures and imperfections are inside. All of these things can become demons that possess and even destroy. The present day demons that we face are things that drive us or lead us away from God. They are addictions, prejudices, hatred, ignorance, coveting. The demons we face are generally small things that have grown beyond our control. We have a fear of miracles, success, and salvation. We feel that we’re not worthy, that we don’t deserve good things. We have seen reasonable and talented people seized by demons and driven to destructive behavior.
On one of my visits to a seminary, I received a list of books the professors thought would be useful for incoming students to read. One of the books is C. S. Lewis’ “The Screwtape Letters.” It is written as a series of letters from a supervising demon to his nephew, as the nephew attempts to corrupt a man and win the man’s soul for Satan. While Lewis wrote it with much sarcasm, it illustrates how “tempters” use circumstances of our lives to turn us from God and toward darkness. Among the techniques the tempters will use are isolating the victim from family and friends, promoting a sense of superiority, but preying upon and nurturing our insecurity. We fall victims to demons, be they forces of evil or our own inner doubts because we feel incomplete. We know we are missing something, but do not know what.
Demons, led by their master Satan, take our insecurities, flaws and doubts and make them grow. Demons nurture and tend to our frailties the way a gardener tends to flowers or the way a mother tends to a newborn. They water our weaknesses. They feed our fears. They devote themselves to making our frailties bloom and grow and consume us. They want us to feel isolated, to be isolated and shunned, just like the possessed man in today’s lesson. They want us to be on our own because they seek to ruin and corrupt us. They try to turn us away from God as they have. Misery loves company and Satan wants to fill up hell.
Too often we don’t like anyone who isn’t like us. They look different. They sound different. They act differently. They eat different food. They worship in a different way. They have more than we have. They don’t have as much as we have. They have different stuff than what we do. They think that they’re better than we are. They don’t know their place; they don’t realize that we’re better than they are. They have it easier than we have. They complain every time they think it’s tougher on them. When we don’t think of someone as WHO they are, but WHAT they are, it is easy to hate a what rather than a who.
Too often, we don’t like what’s happening to us. I don’t have enough. I have more than I deserve. Others are treated better than I am. Others are valued more than I am. Others are liked more than I am. Others are cared about more than I am. Others are loved more than I am. No one understands me. No one notices me. No one cares about me. No one loves me. When we don’t think of ourselves as WHO we are, but who we are NOT, it is easy to hate a nothing rather than a someone.
That dark little voice tells us, “You’re getting a raw deal. You deserve better.” Or “If they only knew the truth, they would all abandon you.” We listen to that voice and we do something to mask the pain. We take something. We do something. We hurt someone. And for a little while, we feel better. Until the voice returns, this time not so little, but even darker, urging us on. If you don’t value someone (including yourself) as a person, it is easy not to care what happens to them. It is easy to be mean to a thing. It is easy to be abusive to a thing. It’s ok to push a thing, to take something, to be dishonest, to stay away. The next time, it becomes a little easier to go a little farther. The next time, you take another step because it felt good the first time. You felt in charge. You felt powerful. You stopped hurting. And when you lost that feeling, you wanted it to come back. So you took another step, a bigger step. People who have been addicted, abusive, and hateful often wonder how they got there. They did it one step, one act, one indiscretion at a time. They took a path they may have meant to only look down; to take one step down because it won’t hurt anyone, or because they deserved it, or because no one will ever know. Then they took another. Then they took another. Then they took another.
In the verses of the Psalms we read today, the psalmist cries out for help. The psalms share common themes and language. The psalmist cries out , “Why have you forgotten me? Why have you cast me off? Why must I walk about mournfully?” But the psalmist, in the midst of his lament says: “The Lord commands his steadfast love, and at night his song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.” The psalmist admits that he needs God’s help: “My soul longs for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and behold the face of God?” Although, he feels abandoned and begs without answer for God for help, he asks for rescue so that he can praise God. “O send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling.” The psalmist is in desperate and dire straights. He is mocked by everyone and ignored by God. He is surrounded & persecuted; yet before his prayers are answered, he praises God and testifies of God’s great power. It’s easy to praise God and tell people how good God is when you have just experienced God’s goodness. When God helped a loved one through surgery, or when God brought you through the tough times, or when God healed your broken heart, how easy is it to share the good news of God’s greatness and mercy? It is awesome that in these psalms, someone in dire straights proclaims God’s goodness. But the psalmist knows God is never closer to you than when you feel farthest from Him. Although he is at rock bottom, the psalmist knows where salvation lies. God is always there to give you His hand if you just reach for it or call for Him.
The psalmist longs for God’s touch, God’s goodness. He feels the ache of incompletion and reaches to God to complete him. God also feels that ache as well. But God is not incomplete. His ache is that of unrequited love. From today’s Old Testament lesson, Elijah prays that he might die: “It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.” Israel has broken God’s heart by rejecting Him and His Ways. Despite all that He has done for them, they continue to reject Him in favor of other gods. It is like watching a loved one walking away and taking up a demon and not asking for, nor accepting help in the battle. Why do we walk away from God? While God walks with us always, we always try to walk or run away from Him. Because He is always with us, we wind up dragging God into some of the darkest, foulest reaches of the world and our souls. Despite seeing us at our worst, or possibly because of it, God loves us and will redeem and save us. Time after time after time, God has reached out to and lifted up His chosen people. Time after time after time, His chosen people have turned away from God. Time after time after time, they have defied Him. Time after time after time, they have rejected Him. But time after time after time, God has reached down and again lifted up His chosen people. Adam and Eve, Cain and Able, the great flood, the tower of Babel, the forty-year journey, King David. The Old Testament is full of stories of how God rescued Israel, then Israel rejects God, one just and righteous person calls out and leads Israel back to God and God provides for them, until the next time.
Our Heavenly Father created us with free will. We can do as we wish. He does not want automatons programmed to worship and praise Him. He wants our love and devotion to be freely given. It is not a negotiation or a transaction. “God, if you give me this, I’ll worship you.” His love is unconditional. He wants our love for Him to also be unconditional.
We reject and deny God’s grace and the salvation that was purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ because it is freely given. We believe you get what you pay for. How did you treat the first car you were given compared to the first car you purchased? How well did you take care of the clothes your parents gave you compared to the first clothes you bought with your own pay? Because grace is freely given, because it has cost us nothing, we feel it is worth nothing. It has no worth. You cannot value grace because it is priceless. It cannot be bought, bartered or traded for. While we cannot buy our salvation, we can express our gratitude. We can show our gratitude by trying to live each day as an example of a Christian. How will people know we are a Christian? They will know we are Christians by our love. Each day we should show and reflect love toward everyone we encounter, treating everyone as a WHO, not a WHAT. That includes loving ourselves. If God has judged us worthy of His mercy & love, who are we to disagree with assessment? But despite God’s love for us, despite our salvation through Jesus Christ, we will try to fill that void with something else. A legion of demons waits for us. When confronted with a demon, when confronted with evil, how do you get rid of it? In today’s Gospel, Jesus has shown us how to battle and defeat demons.
The first is: Evil is born and bred in secret, hidden from the light of day. When we struggle with destructive, negative forces -- whether by choice or by chance, we cannot let ourselves be isolated. We need the love and affection and company of others. We must find family, friends and other who we can talk to and trust to lead us back to the light. Remember, “Whenever two or more are gathered …” The only time that Satan tempted Jesus was after Christ had been alone in the wilderness for 40 days. The possessed man had worn no clothes and lived in tombs "for a long time...” The longer isolation continues, the more dangerous the isolation becomes. John 3:20, Jesus says, "...all who do evil hate the light & do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed." The moment Jesus appears, the demons begin to cry out. Edmund Burke said “All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” When you see someone being isolated, when you see someone in darkness, even if they chose to be alone, go to them. When you feel yourself being set aside and heading from the light, reach out. Be a friend. Find a friend. Hold out your hands all to someone who walks in a way that is not good. We must confront evil with light, love and truth. Things may be bad, but being alone, denying the problem only makes things worse.
I always look for the worst to happen. In doing any type of planning, you have to be ready for things to go wrong. So I always make a back up plan, a plan B. But sometimes I get wrapped up in the negative and develop a plan C, then D, then E. Then I think about what to do if everything goes kaput. I can get caught up so deep in my own head, that I cannot see the forest for all of the trees. I think not only is the glass half full, but I will be blamed for the missing water. When I realize I am on my way to a pity party of one, I reach out to friends and they listen. I pray for God to help me out of the world I have made between my ears and live in the world He has made here.
Secondly, give Evil its name. You have to know your enemy. Once you know it, you know how to defeat it. Jesus confronts the evil in control of this man. "What is your name?" It is addiction not, "A few too many!" It is lying not, "Shading the truth!" It is cheating not, "Everybody's doing it!" It is stealing not, "One of the benefits of working here!" You must look the lie in the face and name it. To name the evil is to bring truth and light to the situation. Christ said "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." The first step to solving a problem is admitting you have a problem. Tell the truth, confront the lie and healing can begin. Denial is a factor in much that is evil. Truth has awesome power! Jesus has courage to approach and minister to someone who is absolutely, totally isolated from and rejected by society.
The story in today’s Gospel lesson also appears in the Gospel of Matthew. In the version in Luke, Jesus’ command to the legion of demons is not recorded. In Matthew (8:32), Jesus simply tells the demon, “Go.” Christ simply commands the demons to go, and they go. We can also give that command, but we must follow it with action. We become susceptible to demons because we have not only walked toward them, but have also walked away from God. We have made ourselves susceptible to demons because we invited them to fill the hole in us, and have also turned from God’s pleading to allow Him to fill that spot in our hearts. When we tell the demon to go, we must also go. When we rebuke the demon, we must ask for help. Help from our loved ones. Help from the One who loves you most. God has been with you on your descent because He is always with us. When you renounce the forces of evil, you must embrace the forces of good and love. I enjoy the part of a baptism when the pastor asks the person being baptized or their sponsor, “Do you renounce the forces of evil?” It is a question we should ask ourselves every day. Just as a walk with a demon is a long, daily process; so to will be the walk away. It will be a constant, daily, hourly fight to stay with God and away from the demons. The forces of evil are as persistent to get you back as is your former long distance carrier. “What can we offer to get you to come back?”
Christ tells the demons to go from the man, and the demons enter the pigs. The pigs then rush into the water and are destroyed. Jesus destroys the demons through water. Jesus destroys our demons through the waters of our Baptism. When we remember and reaffirm our baptism daily, he can drown and destroy the demons daily. When we receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, we receive Jesus in the bread and the wine by His words of promise. He comes to fill the hole in our lives. He comes to complete us so there is no place for demons to go. He comes as a sign of His willingness to be tainted with our evil. Christ has so contaminated himself with the depth of our evil that he put it to death once and for all on the cross.
When the man was freed from his demons, he wants to become a full time follower of Jesus. Once touched by the healing power of Christ, God’s loving embrace, why would anyone want to go away from Him? But we do. We are ungrateful. Just like ancient Israel. But Jesus needs the healed man to stay and share his story with his community and those who know him. Jesus needs for him to become the f first missionary to the Gentiles. He needs to show that, through Christ, “what once was lost, but now is found.” Jesus gives the healed man the same commission as ours; to go and tell what Jesus Christ has done for us.
In the 2nd lesson, Paul tells the Galatians that salvation comes due to faith in Christ Jesus, no matter the situation. “For in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to the promise.” Because of our faith, not the Law. Because of our faith, not who we are. Because of our faith, not our deeds. Because of our faith, not our good works. Because of our faith, we are saved. Because of our faith, we are heirs to the promise. We are saved by our faith. But we can help save others by our deeds. God is found and shared in our actions. We can help others be saved by “proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.” Our good works can not save us. Only our faith can save us. But our good works can be a beacon to others, showing them the way to Christ.
When we are faced with demons, ours or those of others, remember how to deal with them. Don’t go alone into the darkness or drive someone into the dark. When you know someone is battling a demon, be with him or her. Confront the demon by its name, and call for help, from God and from others. Pray to, and praise God, often and always.
The other lessons for this day were: 1 Kings 19:1-15, Psalms 42 & 43, and Galatians 3:23-29.
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