Biblical Characers - The Gerasene, Healed from a Crazy Place

June 23  - June 23 I Kings 19.1-9, *Luke 8.26-39  “Biblical Characters – The Gerasene, Healed from a Crazy Place” [ God is a healer, even in our crazy place] Pastor Jacqueline Hines

Today’s gospel lesson is so important that it is repeated in the gospels of Matthew and Mark. Put your seatbelts on. You are about to witness the healing of a crazy man, and if the Lord wills, some of us just might be blessed this morning to be healed as well!

 We are on the Sea of Galilee. The boat is about to land on the shores of a people known as the Gerasenes.  Jesus is in the boat with us. At least one person here might be thinking, “What are we doing here? This is not a holy place. These people do not have a reputation for living right. There is no beautiful place of prayer in THIS area, not the likes to which we are accustomed.”

As soon as Jesus steps out of the boat, a man rushes toward him. The man has demons, and lots of them.  There is something terribly wrong in his life. For a long time, according to the record, he has worn no clothes. He does not live in a house but in the tombs. 28When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and started screaming.

A few of us may have met someone of this man’s description. We’ve had a glimpse or heard of persons with his kinds of troubles. Usually, they are quickly detained by authorities, assured of their legal rights, protected behind closed doors and offered treatment.

There are others whose troubles are not so obvious. We know of serial killers like the oh so handsomeTed Bundy who wined and dined the ladies, medical doctor Michael Swango who harmed his patients, swindler Bernie Maddoff who stole billions from his friends and family, and Elizaphan Ntakirutimana a Seventh Day Adventist who participated in the Rwandan massacre. There is more than enough evidence of destructive, deceptive, devastating, demonic powers at work on this earth. At the same time there is no denying that spiritual disciplines develop divine demonstrations of the power of the love of God to defeat even demons. Not necessarily without a fight. There may even be some pain involved.

A wild-eyed, maniacal man approaches the boat; immediately, Jesus takes control and commands the unclean spirit to come out him. Some situations require an immediate response? Some situations require a love that has urgency. Jesus IMMEDIATELY commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man.

That is what we need to do, too. When we have a situation that is in our face, out of control, exasperating, assaulting, harassing, or deadly, we may need to position ourselves, though our words or in our heart for an immediate command – “Come out!”  

Then what happened to Jesus may happen to us. Verse 28 and 29 says, the unclean spirit spoke back, saying “Do not torment me….for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. The citizens of Gerasa had tied the man down in chains over and over again, but the demons were strong enough to break every chain. Someone we know is tied down, shackled by one heavy burden or another. We all have our moments. Certainly, when we are within listening range to our pain and that of others who are with Jesus, we can hear the voice of Jesus say, “Come out of him, Come out of her.”  Come out, come out wherever you are! Come out, come out, whoever you are. Then we can expect the demons to speak on their own behalf, to beg, to plead, to negotiate a way to keep things as they are for as long as possible.

‘What is your name?’ Jesus asked. ‘Legion’ he responds; for many demons had entered him. A Roman legion could be as many as 6,000 armed soldiers. It’s amazing that Jesus is having this conversation with demons and with so many at one time. Perhaps there is a conversation we need to have to address something or someone that is evil or out of control. We may be frightened, and need courage. Jesus will give us exactly what we need and guide us step by step in the way we need to go.

Verse 32 says 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. 33Then the demons came out of the man and entered the swine, [We have to go to the gospel of Mark to discover that there were about 2,000 pigs. That could be 2 demons per pig, but Luke, being a physician, is more concerned with the details of this man’s mental health.] The herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

Pigs are scavengers. They eat from garbage that could very likely be contaminated. For that reason, pigs were considered unclean, a health hazard. With today’s FDA regulations, we can eat a nice pork chop without the risk that those in ancient Galilee faced. One thing for sure, these swine herders were not Jewish.  This was pagan country where no God was claimed, no standards adhered to. The pigs were allowed to eat anything and everything. One could not count on them being fit for human consumption.

Jesus drowning 2000 pigs was an economic disaster for the swine herders. They had to be looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses. There was a church where several members worked for a tobacco company. They were well paid, but their spiritual conflict caused them to stay on the edge of economic disaster, when their conscience was bothering them.

While the swine herders were spreading the word, trying to recoup their losses, the wild man was clinging to Jesus, becoming whole. A crew gathered and came back, angry and looking for trouble. What they found was a miracle. The demon possessed man was clothed and in his right mind, sitting at the feet of Jesus.

That’s a good starting point for all of us – at the feet of Jesus. We can ward of things in this world that get in our face, that harass us, assault us, and render us out of control. The swine herders were not celebrating. Instead they were afraid. We have to remember where we are. This was not a holy place. Goodness and healing were foreign to the Gerasenes.  Instead of asking Jesus to stick around and bless them, too, they asked Jesus to get out of town.

As we invite Jesus into every area of our lives, as we take time to sit at his feet, holiness surrounds us, demons avoid us. The man wanted to get in the boat and go with Jesus, but the Lord directed him to go home and tell his story so that God could get the glory, so that others could see the light in him and be healed and helped.

In those seasons when we understand more than anything that the word can be a crazy place, we want to rush into the arms of Jesus, lest we find ourselves on the shores of unholy places. We want to stay at the feet of Jesus and go wherever he tells us to go, telling our story, so God can get the glory and those who need it most will be helped and healed. Amen.

Biblical Characters - The Widow of Zarephath

June 9 * I Kings 17.8-16, Luke 7.11-17 “Biblical Characters – The Widow of Zarephath for whom God dramatically provided” [God directs us to sources of provision] Rev. Jacqueline Hines

The story is one you’ve heard many times before. Maybe it has happened to you. Have you had big plans and no idea how you will get the resources to fulfill the plans? Have you had an urgent need and no sense of how God would keep the promise to take care of you? If you have lived long enough, you may know a couple things about financial crisis or emotional turmoil. This was the case for a certain widow who lived in Zarephath.

Not too many cities begin with the letter “Z.” There’s Zachary Louisiana, Zieglersville, Pa. or Zephyrhills, Florida where an 84 year old woman won the Powerball. None of you good Methodists even know what a power ball is of course. The widow of Zarephath was from the same area that the wicked and rich Jezebel was from. Scriptures reminds us that all people are not the same even if they come from the same neighborhood. Some may be good as gold, others as wrong as two left shoes.

The widow was not from any of the tries of Israel. She was a foreigner. She was a widow woman who had few economic opportunities. At one time the widow of Zarephath may have been like the widow of Nain who was doing ok until her son died. She may have been like the wise and beautiful widow Abigail who caught the eye of King David after her cruel husband died. We can see that the widow of Zarephath had something in common with Naomi, who became depressed when a famine left her destitute.

She may have been like other widows in the bible who stood in line for food or Anna who spent who spent countless hours in prayer and fasting, or the widows of Mark 12 who made headlines because they were being scammed, or the widow who gave her last mite that showed extraordinary trust in the God who provides. The widow of Zarepheth was about to learn what God could do to take care of her.

There are three persons closer to God’s heart than all others: the stranger, the orphan, and the widow. God’s people made a strong effort to be welcoming, hospitable, kind and generous, especially for these three. It was deeply embedded in the culture. So, when Elijah understood God wanted him to go to a widow’s house, Elijah could not have been surprised.

The ONE real surprise in the story is one that we don’t want to miss. This is it - the widow did not have to ask for help. God sent Elijah to help her. Elijah was told to go to her house because God had put it in her heart to feed him.  God sent Elijah to help the widow. God also sent the widow to help Elijah.

When he came to the widow’s door, she was not expecting company. He was a stranger, interrupting her life. Little did she know that this interruption would turn out to be her greatest blessing. We have all experienced holy interruptions from time to time.

Sadly, the widow was planning her last meal and preparing to sit back and let starvation takes its course. God sent Elijah to offer her a better plan. This was the better plan: Make God’s business your top priority, and watch God work in your life to provide. You will never be without.

That plan is for us, too. Whether we are in a season of prosperity or a moment of crises, God has a purpose and a plan. We can always expect God to bless, because God is in the blessing business.

100 years ago a Church in Swan Quarter, North Carolina was a mission church with very few members. They put a few dollars together to build a little church with a steeple. They prayed to build the church on land that was owned by a wealthy man, but he refused to sell to Methodists so the church was built on Oyster Creek Road instead. Some time later, a bad storm brought flooding and the little church was uprooted from its foundation and seen floating down the street. They tried to bring it back but the little church kept floating until it reached the lot for which the people had originally prayed. The owner just handed over the deed. This week, I talked to Pastor Gerald Craddock in North Carolina who confirmed the story.

The widow did not have to ask for help. The spirit moved in her life and brought the blessing to her. All she had to do was to receive it. Elijah, the servant of God needed a blessing because the whole region was in a drought. It affected him also. God knows where to find water and food in a time of drought. All we have to do is receive it. Is your heart open to the love of God today? Are you ready to receive the good that God has for you? Are you ready to give up the ways that do not lead to life?

As we sing this next song, may our hearts turn to God for the blessings that only come from heaven, knowing that God is in the blessing business. Amen

June 2 2013 Biblical Characters - Baal, Lord of the Flies

June 2 2013  *I Kings 18.20-39, Luke 7.1-10  “Biblical Characters – Baal - Lord of the Flies”  Rev. Jacqueline Hines

Ahab was one of the worst kings that Israel ever had. He was slimy and grimy in every sense of the word. You all know his wife Jezebel. She was even worse. Their politics were soaked through and through with every manner of greed, murder, and lust that could be imagined. Together they made false charges against a man and killed him so that they could have one of his fields which he refused to sell them. Ahab was supposed to be serving and representing God as he ruled. Instead he went along with Jezebel. He had married her for political reasons. She was of the Canaanite persuasion; the Holy ways of God were foreign to her culture and in her heart she despised the God of Israel. She married only for money and power.

When the prophets of God – the Billy Grahams of the day - agitated her with their preaching, she had many of them killed. Jezebel was a name synonymous with the devil himself. In the Canaanite language her name sounded like the Canaanite god Baal also known as Beelzebub which means lord of the flies or lord of the sewage dump.

How tough it must have been to serve God while politicians like Ahab and Jezebel were in office. The world is just as topsy turvy today as it was back then in the 9^th century.  In every area of life we can identify something that leaves us gasping for air, whether it be political oppression, natural disaster, family difficulties, health crisis, or employment issues – the world can be a really crazy place. Our only sanity and centeredness is found in our faith in God. Malachi 3.16 tells us “I am the Lord your God. I change not.”

Isn’t it true though that the crazier life is, the more we are inclined to go to our Creator for help. Trusting in God makes all the difference in this world, no matter what we have on our hands. As the Gaither song goes, “Something beautiful, something good, all of my confusion, he understood. All I had to offer him was brokenness and pain, but he made something beautiful out of my life.” 

Elijah was a very bold prophet, preacher, and teacher. He was bold enough to say to King Ahab and his Queen Jezebel. You know you are wrong. You should be serving the true God and putting away these slimy ideas and tokens that you worship. We all worship the things that are worth something to us.

Lee Stroebel was an atheist who learned grew to worship God. (Hear his story –video clip)

Elijah was so confident in the power of God that he invited the 450 minsters of Baal to a contest in hopes that for once and for all they would get off the fence and decide to worship a loving and holy God instead and nothing less. The ministers were highly competitive and they agreed to a contest. Elijah said let’s build an altar and prepare a bull for sacrifice. You call your God and I will call my God to light the fire on this altar. The God who brings the fire will be God indeed.

Fire symbolizes power, the power of Pentecost that unites us in spite of being worlds apart, the power of praising God from whom all blessings flow, the power of love to lift us higher than we’ve ever been lifted before.

Jezebel’s ministers went first in this contest. They called on Baal from morning to noon, but there was no fire. When it was Elijah’s turn to call on God to send fire to cook the sacrificial bull on the altar, the first thing he did was to ask everyone to come closer and be clear witnesses to what God was getting ready to do. We all need to be as close as can to witness the work of God. That’s how we grow in faith. The altar needed repair so Elijah surrounded it with 12 stones, symbolizing the unity of the 12 tribes, the community of the people of God. The stones in the fireplace in the Bethel grove can remind us of the altar Elijah was preparing. We all need to bring something that unites us as we wait for God to show up.

Elijah poured 4 jars of water around the altar to dramatize God’s ability to bring fire in spite of the circumstances not once but 3 times, so when the fire came, God’s power would be undeniable.  We all need to let go and let God, not worrying about how the odds seem stacked against us or how troubling our circumstances. As we grow spiritually, we are free inch by inch of being overly concerned about life, death, the future, the past or anything else. Charles Stanley put it this way, “God assumes full responsibility for our needs when we obey him.”  

The next thing Elijah did was the most important. Elijah stood before the altar and said these words: ‘O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your bidding. Elijah was not putting on a show. He was not making up things to do according to his imagination, training, or creative instincts. Elijah was prompted and directed by the Spirit of God!!

Elijah continues praying with these words: 37Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.’

Verse 38 says - Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt-offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench. 39When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, ‘The Lord indeed is God; the Lord indeed is God.’

May we too affirm in our hearts that the Lord is God. May we always find it worth it to worship. May we know the power of God in our lives in spite of dire circumstances. As we sing this next song, may the spirit turn our hearts back to the things of God that we may have forgotten along the way. Amen.