Sunday Worship
Welcome to our Sunday Worship. Our services are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' Church, and 11.00 am at St Thomas'.
If you're unable to be with us in person, the Gospel, a short reflection and a prayer are shown below so that you can worship from home.
Our first hymn this morning is "Seek Ye First the Kingdom of God"
Today's Gospel
Luke 8:26-39 The Healing of the Demon Possessed Man
Jesus and his disciples 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.
Reflection
Many years ago, there was a TV series called Tales from the Darkside, which was a collection of scary stories about the supernatural. Often, they ended with a dark twist at the end. At first glance this passage reads like one of those episodes except that in this case there is a somewhat better ending - well at least for the possessed man whom Jesus rescues.
In modern days we might interpret the man as having multiple personalities or some other mental affliction which is causing him to behave in such a bizarre fashion that all the other villagers are frightened of him. He is a truly scary individual who runs around naked, screaming nonsense and living among the tombs. The possessed man appears totally deranged and has lost all sense of his original identity. But Jesus is not distracted or repulsed by the man’s craziness or savage appearance. He stands before him unafraid.
Jesus can see in the man what the man can barely see in himself. Jesus can recognise that, despite the presence of so many demons, the true essence of this man is not totally lost. When the man falls at Jesus’ feet and shouts, "What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”, I think we can also see that deep down, this poor man also recognises the goodness in Jesus - the Holy one. It is not just the malevolence of the demons that are pleading not to be cast into the abyss but the underlying goodness of the possessed man which Jesus could recognise and wanted to heal.
I wonder how often you might have done something totally out of character or said something that you wished you hadn’t said. Have you ever used the phrase, “I don’t know what possessed me!”. Maybe, you acted irrationally or felt like you were ‘totally losing it’! At these times, things can feel totally out of our control. It is also in these moments, when if we put ourselves at the feet of Jesus, he will remind us who we really are and give us back ourselves as we would want to be. And just like the man who was healed in today’s passage, he wants us to go and tell others about the difference he makes in all our lives. Paul
