Beyond Possession

Mark 1:21-28 (Epiphany 4b15), February 1, 2015

            How many of you enjoy being in a knock-down, drag 'em out conflict? (Me either)

            How many of you like to be literally locked in a struggle? (Me either)

            Maybe that's some of the reasons so many people stay away from congregational annual meetings. Perhaps we may be frightened that a conflict will break out. Then people will be hurt. At the very least there will be a lot of dis – ease.

            Today is among other things, Super Bowl Sunday. Talk about a conflict, a struggle: 80 grown men, whose sole purpose is to beat (literally and figuratively) the "other". Some 200 million people will watch the Super Bowl. Billions of dollars will be spent around this Super Bowl conflict.

            Why is this? Maybe we like to watch others in conflict, in a battle or a struggle that has little or nothing to do with us. It might be like slowing down at an accident or fire scene to observe the havoc, the suffering or death, from a "distance".  Maybe, it's about picking a group to "belong to" in the struggle, without much real commitment on our part.

            I wonder about this for a number of reasons. Mark begins his gospel with Jesus in a conflict. Jesus is in conflict here not with a person per se or even with a group of people – but with the significant power of evil.

            Evil can and does show up anywhere. This includes places where people gather to pray and hear the word of God – synagogues, churches, mosques. In that synagogue that day, there is a man who is possessed by an unclean or evil spirit.

            Now before we immediately tune out thinking that the Bible has nothing to do with us since we are beyond such simplistic world views as unclean spirits and demons – stop for a moment. Does anything "possess" or control us: our minds, our way of thinking, of acting? Think: be honest with yourself, with God.

            Anger is a powerful force. At times anger can be constructive. Anger at injustice may move us to become informed, to work with compassion, enthusiasm and energy to change structures that debase people, preventing them from learning or having equal access to health care, education and employment. But there is a fine line with anger. Anger is a force that can so easily possess and overwhelm us. Anger can deceive us into believing that we are somehow good while the "others", those opposed to us are bad or even evil. Anger can cause us to hurt others even as we have been hurt, to stereotype as we may have been stereotyped. Anger can occupy our hearts and minds, resulting in bitterness. Bitterness blinds and deafens us to our own identity and the identity of others as beloved children of the Almighty, holy, just and merciful God.

            Anger can move us toward, even deeply into hatred. Hatred leads us to think of others, to treat others as if they were not even human beings, beloved children of God. Hatred leads us towards hardened, cold hearts. Such hearts refuse to listen to God. This is evident throughout Scripture. Remember Pharaoh? Hatred rears its face in so many ways – both individually and institutionally. Hatred's manifestations are in plain sight in racism, militarism and in a number of idolatries which seek to displace God.  

            There are so many powers which can possess us. Many such powers seek to employ fear to motivate or control us. Religions, including Christianity, have at times been so possessed.  When we begin to think and act as if "we" are all there is, that there is no God so much greater and truly other than us, then we are overcome by fear. Then we are afraid that we won't have enough, that the "others" will somehow take or get what we need. Such fear drives us to accumulate more and more. Overcome, possessed by fear, we become completely self– centered, spending inordinate amounts of time and energy trying to "protect" ourselves, seeking the delusion of "safety and security". Fear can so paralyze us that we are unable to know or invest ourselves in others, in new possibilities. Fear wants us to believe that our survival is the most important reality in the world.

            Possession then was not just a "thing" of Jesus' time. Possession is around us and within us. Some of its manifestations are obvious: addictions, violence, even against one's own family, one's self. Other manifestations are just as real but more subtle – the stuff in our closets, garages and storage spaces that we will never use; the frenetic pace of life that we live it to attempt to keep up and pay for it all.

            Sometimes these possessing forces see and necessarily acknowledge reality that we often aren't conscious of. These forces know that they aren't god – even though they attempt to deceive us into acting otherwise. As these forces are encountered by God, by the One who has authority in and of himself regardless of what others think, they are overcome.

So it was with the man with the unclean spirit in the synagogue that day. Encountered by Jesus he loudly proclaims, "I know who you are the holy one of God. Have you come to destroy us?"

Jesus does act – not to destroy the man, but to free him from his possessions so that he can live with joy, love, and a freedom to see where God will take him. That which possessed the man needed to be overcome, to die. Then the man is freed for anything, for something good.

            Here we are. There are conflicts without and within. Sometimes we are conscious of them. More often we attempt to deny them. In such denial we end up going with the flow, allowing them to literally possess and direct us.

            But Jesus comes! The Spirit of God fuels him. He draws near. He sees us as we are. He desires to free us with a word, the very gift of Himself. He desires that we freely and fully enter into the struggle to love, to care – to be part of God's dream for others and ourselves. This isn't easy. It's anything but conflict free. There is convulsing and cries - our own and so many others. But in that struggle because of Him - there is, there will be new, lasting, abundant life for ourselves and for others, maybe even for some  of the institutions we need to order our lives. Mark, in immediately showing us Jesus' conflict with evil begins to show us Jesus' power over evil. 

            Conflict with such possessing forces is ongoing. Be open, be aware of the One who can free us from possession and obsession – who can free us for love, concern and hope-filled action. Who knows where His freedom will lead us? Blessings on the journey through whatever "convulsions" may come. Amen. 

 

Our Poll - Following?

Epiphany 3b, January 25, 2015 Mark 1:14-20 with Jonah 3:1-10 in b.g

 

Polls are popular these days. Political pundits, advertising executives, indeed a whole variety of organizations do polling to attempt to discern what direction they should be moving.

Today if we were to take a poll of shoppers at Richmond Center, Metro Town or Robson Street about whether or not they thought or felt or more importantly acted as if God and God's influence, God's rule or reign or kindom was near, what would the results be?

Regardless what they thought of our poll's wording, "reign of God, rule of God, kindom of God" meant – from the return of Christ with anger and judgment, to the victory of justice and or mercy;  I suspect there would be a fair bit of disdain, or maybe even of derision towards us for daring to ask them such a question.

But what if we were to do that same poll here, among ourselves? What would our honest answers be to the question of whether or not the reign of God comes near to us here and now, however we may understand the reign of God – as a power to change, to transform us and others to act and live more closely to God's will?

It's a difficult question.

We are just completing a week where we have been called to pray for Christian unity. Yet, the body of Christ, the Church, is anything but united. Congregations and denominations are splitting apart. Different denominational bodies refuse to commune or be in conversation with each other. Regarding a wide range of ethical responses we are often anything but united whether the questions pertain to ethical financial investment; understandings of marriage and fidelity; medical research; or the calls to action in terms of climate change. Even our understandings of salvation seem to be on different planets.

So, let me ask you. In our lives in the province of BC or in our nation of Canada, do we see God's will being played out? Sometimes, maybe even often, our answer is, NO. Frequent acts of violence, hatred, ageism, sexism and racism, seem to have their way. Such acts and the resultant pain and loss have the power to blind us. Being blinded we are at times incapable of beholding the beauty, the wonder of each person, their experience, their culture, their God created uniqueness. Too often it feels to us that chaos, greed and injustice are winning the day, marking and claiming the future. There are hit and run accidents, gang violence, domestic battery. The Canadian dollar plummets. The few very rich are becoming obscenely wealthy while the middle class is shrinking. The very poorest people, billions of them, are starving to death, dying from preventable diseases with little or no access to safe water, adequate food, health care or education.

At times we may feel like throwing our hands up in the air. Maybe we should just try to take care of "our own"- whatever that means.

It's a gloomy picture – when that is all we see.

But there is so much more to see. Not that we shouldn't see, shouldn't hear, shouldn't feel the pain, the chaos, the power of death and evil. But there is more- more to life and reality than merely a poll of our thoughts, our feelings, our fear, our "outlook".

There is also God – God in the flesh, Jesus. He comes to us – where we are, as we are. He comes to some fishermen on the Sea of Galilee while they are fishing and preparing to fish. He calls them, "Follow me – and I will make you to be fishers of people". Amazingly, they do follow him. They leave what they have been doing, who they had been, to undertake something new, to see and follow Jesus, whatever that may mean for them. To be sure they follow him imperfectly. But in following him, they are changed and changing. Somehow Jesus equips them for all of life and death with a living hope, new possibilities. In the midst of disappointment, loss and death, they and many others begin to experience new and incredible life. Something about Jesus compels them to follow him. When he calls they are moved.

Do we see? Do we hear? Jesus draws near to us. He is calling us to follow him, to trust him in all the stuff of our lives and life. He calls us to realize, to believe that there is so much more than what we can see, taste, touch, hear, smell or even feel. There is even more than what we can imagine!

Jesus wills to lead us even as he led Simon and Andrew, James and John. He wills to show us just as He showed them that he does heal and can help people. He showed them and wills to show us that he does challenge and will ultimately transform unjust and merciless systems. He will replace them with something new, something not death ushering but life-bringing. As real and powerful as evil in all its forms is, He overcomes evil not through violence or hatred but through love, self-sacrifice and prayer, even now. He promises that someday all the power of evil will be done, finished. 

Others have heard and obeyed as he has come near to them, proclaiming this good news of God, commanding them, to turn to him and follow. Some of those people we know. There are famous ones: – M L King Junior, Mother Teresa... Others may be not be so well known to the masses, be we know them. The impact of their following Jesus is immeasurable in our lives!

What really matters now is whether or not we are listening to Him drawing near to us, calling us by name, inviting us to reorient ourselves towards him – to believe in this good news for all people. Part of us may say, no way – there is so much contrary evidence and following him is dangerous. God knows, there are voices around us that may laugh at us, should we dare to so live.

But remember, know that there is also Jesus. He is the one who moves to the cross for all, who asks God to forgive even those who are killing him, who on the third day is raised from the dead. His life, death and resurrection are miraculous. His very presence moves others including Andrew, Peter, James and John, they who abandoned him at the cross – to be the very people who go out and selflessly share His good news with others – in word and deed. Their sharing fuels a movement that numbers millions and billions to care for others because God in Christ calls them to.

In this very moment Jesus calls us. He loves us before anything we can do. But He also loves others who need His love to be fleshed through us. The time is now. By God's grace may we turn to God, believe the good news, follow Jesus. This is the poll that matters. Our poll.

Oh, Lord we believe, forgive our unbelief. Amen.