June 20, 2010 - Pentecost +4

Jesus Changes People
Luke 8:26-39
Pentecost + 4, June 20, 2010

Everybody loves Raymond episode
Debra's sister comes to visit
and drops a bombshell
Debra's hippie, free-spirited, free-love sister
the one who lived in a commune & smoked pot & hung out w/ all sorts of questionable characters
the one who blows in & out of town w/ little communication in between visits
comes to visit
only to tell them that she is about to become a nun
of all the things she could've told them, that's the least expected
and it throws the family into a tailspin
they don't know what to do
how to act
how to treat her
They were used to thinking of her in 1 way
Especially Debra
who was the good sister
the good daughter
the stay-at-home mom of 3 w/ the stable life
and a house right here in Lynbrook
and she can't quite believe it
can't quite accept it
and actually gets down right mad at her sister about it
Because it doesn't fit her image of her sister
She can't imagine such a dramatic change coming over her...

I imagine the man in this story went through some of the same stuff as Jennifer
and the people of the town reacting like Debra
Because there he is, for years the town's wild man
the one who “had a demon”
the one who hadn't worn any clothes in forever, but just went around naked
the one who was homeless, & now lived out at the outskirts of town in the local cemetery
a living man among the dead
the one they had to keep an eye on
keep under lock & key as often as they could manage, with chains & shackles, in case the demon would seize him
until he would escape and run away into the wilderness

And then along comes Jesus, this man from out-of-town
from across the Sea of Galilee
A Jew coming into was was likely Gentile territory
who steps off the boat
and no sooner does he do that
but the man who had the demon is confronting him
recognizing him
knowing who Jesus is & what he has the power to do
and the power within the man – not the man himself
begs Jesus to leave him alone
not to torment him
not to banish him/them into the abyss
but to send them into the pigs
And Jesus says, 'go ahead' – leave this man & enter the swine
and suddenly
well, you've heard the expression,
when pigs fly, right?

and there they go, all those little piggies, not literally flying
but rushing down the hill and into the sea
where they & the demons drown

And when the townspeople, notified about what had happened by the swineherds
who are suddenly out of work,
come a-runnin' to see what has really happened,
there they find the man
the man they've known as wild & out of control for years
sitting there at Jesus feet
clothed
and in his right mind

And you would think this would be a cause for rejoicing
you would think they would celebrate that this man has been healed
that he has been made whole
that he has been restored
you think that they would be glad that the threat had been removed from their presence
that they didn't have to worry about the crazy naked guy living in the cemetery anymore
that they would be relieved of the chore of chaining him up to protect him & everyone else

But they see what has happened
and much like Debra
they can't take it in
It turns their world upside down
It upends all their expectations
their understanding of their town & how the world works
of who this man is & who they are...

You know how that goes
often in families, there's that one black sheep
the one everyone can look to when their own life is a mess
& say, well at least I'm not as bad as him;
at least I don't do the same things that they do,
haven't made the same dumb mistakes
haven't screwed up my life entirely

But what happens what that person comes into town & says,
“I'm a different person now”?
When that person cleans up their act
and gets their life back on track?

There may on the surface be some rejoicing
But underneath
or maybe right out there for the world to see
there is just as likely to be
suspicion
resentment
questioning
confusion
disbelief
Because how can anyone really change that much?
And if you have,
what does that say about me?
Who am I, if you are not who you always were?

But the thing is,
Jesus really does have the power to transform lives
Not just the people who lived long ago in the Bible
Not just the sinners and tax collectors Jesus so loved to eat with
Not just the blind and the deaf and the lame
Not just those taken over by powers beyond their control
these stories that populate the Bible
But people today
people like you and me
and our friends and neighbors
people who are caught up in things that really aren't us
people who wrestle with addictions
and mental illness
and depression
and disease
And even people like the townspeople
and Debra's of the world who think they have everything under control
until they run into Jesus
and his power to change
Jesus has the power to turn our worlds upside down
to stun us and surprise us
and to restore even those we thought were beyond restoration
Jesus really has the power to change even us
Just as he did the man in the gospel
to cast out the things that take us over
and hold us captive
anger
and bitterness
and fear
and resentment
and cynicism

to restore each of us and make us whole
in some way
in body, mind, spirit, relationship
It's what he does
And when he does,
he calls us to go & proclaim what God has done!
So who have you told lately?