Sermon 19th June 2022 – 2 Sunday after Pentecost
Text: Luke 8:26-39 – Out of mind out of sight
How do you deal with your problems? Many people like to sweep them under
the carpet – out of sight out of mind. But just because you can’t see the dirt
doesn’t mean it’s not there. It’s still under the carpet. So too, if we turn
off the TV news, stop reading the newspapers and listening to others,
especially on Social Media, you could almost have lived your life normally over
the past couple of years. But it doesn’t mean the Covid crisis didn’t exist. If
you don’t drive a car, have a mortgage or enjoy eating lettuce you might not
even know there’s a cost-of-living crisis. But it still exists for many. If you
just looked at the weather over the past week or so you wouldn’t consider
climate change or global warming to exist. It’s winter- it’s cold. And that’s
how many people deal with their problems.Out of sight, out of mind. If it
doesn’t effect me, I don’t care.
It was certainly how the people of the Gerasenes dealt with their
problems. There was one of their citizens possessed by evil spirits – a legion
of them. They couldn’t control him so their solution was to keep him under
guard, bound with chains and shackles. Out of sight, out of mind. Problem
solved. But the problem didn’t go away. He would break the bonds and be driven
by the demons into the wilds.
Society also works in similar ways at times. If we don’t see the
homeless then they don’t exist. In fact at times we’ve heard of councils moving
people on from their homeless shanties to clear up the streets – problem
solved. In Jesus’ times that’s how they dealt with other problems. Lepers were
cast out of the town so they wouldn’t infect us. When the woman was caught in
adultery – let’s drag her out of here and stone her to death. Problem solved –
she won’t commit adultery again.
Not sure what ever happened to the male in that situation. In fact when
Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors they were shocked. Why would you do
that? So too when the disciples came back from getting supplies they were
shocked to see Jesus speaking with a Samaritan woman – why would you do that? Jesus
had a ministry of inclusion especially of the outsiders and disenfranchised.
And that’s what Paul speaks about also in our 2nd reading from
Galatians: As many of you as were baptized into Christ you have clothed
yourselves with Christ. 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. In Jesus there is no division. We don’t cast people out or remove
them from society. We include them. There
is no sending away but rather inviting in. This poor man who was chained and
sent away would never get better, only worse. He would never get to experience
the compassion and love needed to feel welcomed.
Then Jesus shows up in the place of the tombs, the place of the dead. For starters Jesus shouldn’t have been there. It
was Gentile territory. It was in pig farming territory, remembering that pigs
were considered to be unclean. The demon possessed man presumes Jesus will be
no better than his fellow neighbours. “What
have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not
torment me.” But Jesus is not there to torment him but to help him. And he
begins by giving him his identity back. Instead of being the crazy person who
runs around naked and tormented, Jesus says to him: "What is your
name?" Not “what’s wrong with you” or “how long have you been like this”. “What
is your name?”
Just like Jesus we too are to be a place where people come to find their
identity. Not based on whether they are male or female, Jew or Greek, slave or free.
But given an identity as a child of God. And with that identity given to him by
Jesus he resumes his life again. The people who had banished him to the tombs
find the man from whom the demons had gone sitting at the feet of Jesus,
clothed and in his right mind. And so too we are charged with that ministry of
restoration. Not once a person has got their life back on track but in the
midst of their turmoil as Jesus did. Jesus didn’t send him away to sort out his
life but gave him his dignity back by accepting him as he was. But in that
acceptance his life didn’t stay the same. Just like the woman caught in
adultery who was told to go and sin no more. Or Zacchaeus who changed his life,
not because Jesus condemned him but accepted him when others wouldn’t. The
people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner. Zacchaeus
stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my
possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will
pay back four times the amount.”
We too, as redeemed children of God, are given the ministry of
acceptance of the person. And let us always remember - God demonstrates his own
love for us in this While we were still sinners Christ died for us (Romans 5:8).
Jesus deals with his demons by casting them into a herd of pigs. Notice in that
Jesus distinguishes between the sin and the sinner. To the sinner Jesus offers
acceptance. But to the sin he casts it out. Like the woman caught in adultery –
go – and sin no more.
That’s our challenge. To distinguish between sin and sinner. As the old
saying goes – love the sinner hate the sin. But I know that’s not always easy
as the sin is so intrinsically part of the sinner as it was in this person. But
it was Jesus love and acceptance of the sinner that cast out the sin and demons
– not judgement and condemnation. The demon possessed man had lived a lifetime
of judgement and condemnation which saw his condition grow worse. Perhaps
beginning with one demon he became a person who had a legion of demons in his
life. And just look how that love and acceptance changed him – not only his
life but his love for God. The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he
might go with Jesus;
He begged him. But notice Jesus’ response and that too will become our
mission field. Jesus sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and
declare how much God has done for you."
As much as we need people to serve the church and become missionaries
overseas – Jesus reminds us of the greatest mission field before us. Return to
your home and tell how much God has done for you. We all have friends and
family who we would love to see in a relationship with God and the church. Let’s
begin with sharing how much God has done for us.
Let’s begin with a ministry of acceptance of the person. So often our
mission has been – you should come to church and get right with God. You need
to repent of your sins before it’s too late. Turn or burn as the street
preacher would blast out on his bullhorn. But here Jesus encourages the man to
share his experience with others. Do your friends and family know what God has
done for you? Or do they just know what God demands of them? Do they know the
peace and acceptance you have? Or are we living under and sharing what Paul
refers to as the work of the law before Christ came: The law was our
disciplinarian until Christ came. But now that faith has come, we are no longer
subject to a disciplinarian, for in Christ Jesus you are all children of God
through faith.
Just like the demon possessed man was locked up in chains, so too we
have often locked our church with chains excluding entry until you’ve met the
standard we expect. But Jesus never set any standard - 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.
Let us be people – let us be a church where people are accepted and
welcomed and allow the transforming love of God to do its work not our
judgement.
No comments:
Post a Comment