The readings
2 Corinthians 12:2-10
I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught
up to the third heaven--whether in the body or out of the body I do not know;
God knows. And I know that such a person--whether in the body or out of the
body I do not know; God knows--was caught up into Paradise and heard things
that are not to be told, that no mortal is permitted to repeat. On behalf of
such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my
weaknesses. But if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be
speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think better of
me than what is seen in me or heard from me, even considering the exceptional
character of the revelations. Therefore, to keep me from being too elated, a
thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, to keep me
from being too elated. Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it
would leave me, but he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for
power is made perfect in weakness." So, I will boast all the more gladly
of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am
content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for
the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
Mark 6:1-13
Jesus left that place and came to his hometown, and his
disciples followed him.On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and
many who heard him were astounded. They said, "Where did this man get all
this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are
being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother
of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with
us?" And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, "Prophets
are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and
in their own house." And he could do no deed of power there, except that
he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at
their unbelief. Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the
twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the
unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a
staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not
to put on two tunics. He said to them, "Wherever you enter a house, stay
there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they
refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a
testimony against them." So they went out and proclaimed that all should
repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and
cured them
The message
By many different measurements, our time of ministry
together, of being the church in our community has been successful. When I first arrived here at St. Jacobus
almost 6 years ago, there was a lot of uncertainty and fear about the future.
As many of you know, the first paperwork I received about this congregation at
the start of the interview and call process, indicated that there were little
resources here and it would be difficult for this church to sustain a full time
pastor or ministry for longer than 16 months.
Today, we have a full school, great music and choir, a very healthy
budget, a food pantry program and growing attendance. We have endured and thrived though
transitions, retirements, deaths and relocating members. The space we have been
both blessed with and entrusted with is full, Thanks to the commitment and
insight of leaders, we now share our building with 6 congregations, sports
programs, and community groups. On the
average weekend, 500 or 600 people pass through this place to pray, worship,
sing God’s praise and study God’s word.
During the school year, over 150 families entrust us with the
responsibility to teach their children during the very important formative
years of their lives. During the nights, friends from work, school and teams
gather to play basketball or other sports in the gym. They come from all over the city to play and
it a time that many of them look forward to all week. Last week, during the
Third anniversary celebration of Grace Indonesain Baptist Church, their pastor
talked about the idea that a church can only truly survive and grow when the
members and community have the Holy Spirit with them. It feels like that Spirit
is definitely part of this place. We have a lot to give thanks for.
Of course, in Today’s Gospel, Jesus does not talk about
budgets, Sunday church attendance, good management, quality of worship or the
use of space and resources. In this reading, Jesus sends his disciples out into
the world to show God’s power and love, in particular the power to cast out
unclean spirits and the love shown through the forgiveness of sin. This morning I want to look at how we are doing
with that work, with the responsibilities to cast out unclean spirits and to
announce the forgiveness of sins.
First I want to say a few things about unclean spirits. This
is a term, a description of something that comes up again and again in the
bible and reports of Jesus ministry. I do
not like saying this but I am not entirely sure what Jesus is talking
about. I honestly do not remember ever
meeting someone and thinking to myself “I know what’s wrong here, I know what
is hurting them, they have an unclean
spirit”. At the same time, whenever you
look at conversations about unclean spirits in the bible, there are certain
details that are always mentioned. The act of casting out unclean spirits is an
act that restores life, possibility and joy to someone’s life. The ones possessed,
the ones with unclean spirits are the people living outside of the community,
put out of the way, separated or simply ignored. To cast out the unclean
spirit, is to welcome that person back, to recognize them as a child of God, to
see them as loved by the same God who loves each of us. God gives us the power
to do that.
The people with unclean spirits are also people who are obsessed
or preoccupied, who are so concerned and worried about money, health, or
status, who are caught up in the power of our own thoughts, discoveries or
ideas, who are so afraid, sad or desperate for change, who are so hurt by
abuse, caught in addiction or unable to recover from bad experiences, they do
not feel the fullness of life and joy that God offers us. Now and then I go
through times of worry about illness. I feel a little sick and I fear the
worst, If I have a pain in my arm, I think it’s a heart attack, if I have
headache for a few minutes, I think it’s a brain tumor. It turns out to be
nothing, but for those moments, it can be all I think about. An unclean spirit
is something that takes over our lives and prevents us from experiencing the
life God hopes for us.
I may not have meet someone who I thought has an unclean
spirit, but I have meet a lot of people who are so worried about things like
money or popularity or have such a strong desire for something its like that
things has a hold over them and controls their mind. To cast out unclean
spirits, means to show and announce the mystery and comfort of God’s life to
people who are concerned with other things, to invite them into the peace of a
God centered life. There are plenty of
unclean spirits in our world today, plenty of things that keep people from
experiencing the joy of faith in a community of forgiveness and love. God gives us the power to cast out those
unclean spirits.
Finally, I want to talk a little about how we do that. The answer comes to us from Paul’s words in
our reading from 2 Corinthians. In his letters, Paul sometimes talks about a “thorn
in his side” which refers to some sort of illness, pain or ailment. Paul goes
on to describe this suffering as a blessing, basically a reminder that he is
not God, he is able to do what he does because of God. It is a gift that keeps
him humble and focused on God’s power to do things. This answer also comes from the way Jesus
sends out his disciples: They are sent
out with nothing, “no bread, no bag, no money in their belts”. There is nothing for them to depend on other
than Jesus promise that they can do the work. To believe God has the power to
cast out unclean spirits is to believe that God is the ultimate power in the
world. People who believe that know God’s love can be spoken anywhere to
anyone, break into the world and make a difference or enter a place of hatred and
bring love. To cast out unclean spirits is to bring God’s love into the world,
space and lives of people who are concerned with other things.
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