Sermon by Michael R. Martin, Certified Lay Speaker
First United Methodist Church of Saranac Lake, NY
In the readings for this week, we hear from and about people who are dealing with some pretty dark moods: depression, dispair, fear. I’m going to look at some excerpts from these readings and talk a little bit about the experience of those in the stories, and reflect on those times in our own lives when we are perhaps taken a bit by these moods. And once again I invite you to find a time later when you can read and reflect upon the lectionary readings which are listed on your bulletin.
In our Psalm for this week, Psalm 42, we get some lovely imagery that has been captured in the song we will sing after the message: “As the deer longs for water, so my soul longs for you.” The psalmist speaks of a longing, his soul thirsting for God, brought on by a deep sadness. “My tears have been my food, day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" and “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?”
Yes, the psalmist writes: “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” but then answers himself in the next lines with “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” The answer to each blue mood is, "Put your hope in God." This Psalm is a teaching psalm designed to show us where to turn in times of dispair. If you read it through you will note that it traces three stages of the Psalmist's experience, and at the end of each stage there comes the refrain that describes what brought him through, " hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."
In our Old Testament scripture, Elijah is running for his life, away, afraid, for all of the other prophets had been killed with a sword. And Jezebel has threatened to do likewise to him. He ran to the town of Beersheba, left his servant, and continued into the desert. Elijah sat down beneath a broom tree and prayed for God to take his life. He fell asleep, and was twice awoken by angels who instructed him to get up and eat, and there was before him fresh bread baked on coals and a jar of water. God then asks Elijah, "What are you doing here?" and Elijah explains what he is fleeing.
The reading invites us to take a look at how God deals with us when we are afraid for our lives and dealing with depression. We run away, we hide. But what if we are silent, in worship and prayer, might we not hear God? What if, like Elijah, we were to lie down in a quiet spot, and sleep. Wouldn’t God see that we are fed? Too often we expect powerful, big, impressive things to awaken us to God’s presence. Have you ever prayer for a sign – a powerful wind, an earthquake, a fire – when perhaps it was the whisper you should have been silently awaiting?
Luke: story of Legion & the Pigs
In Luke, we read of the demon-possessed man in Gerasenes. Gerasenes was Gentile country, evidenced by the presence of a herd of swine, to the Jewish an unclean animal. This is the only account in the Gospel of Jesus in Gentile territory, and the second of four stories demonstrating the authority of Jesus, the first being the calming of the storm. So, Jesus and the disciples come to land sometime after the calming of the storm, and are met on the shore by a man who was demon-possessed. He wore no clothes, and lived in the tombs. This possessed man had broken the chains and shackles the townsfolk had used to try and contain him, so he had incredible strength. Yet, he fell to the ground and cried out “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?!” when he saw Jesus. For the demons had recognized Jesus for who and what he was. When Jesus asked the man’s name, he replied “Legion” for there were many demons within him.
A legion was a Roman army unit of about six thousand soldiers, a powerful occupying force whose power was overwhelming and whose presence meant the loss of control over every dimension of free society. The man's response tells us the extent of the forces arrayed against Jesus. The man's demons are many and powerful. It also tells us that the man had lost his identity to his demons. He bears their name and is controlled by their power.
But the legion of demons within the man recognized Jesus’ power, begging Jesus to spare them, allowing them to enter into the nearby herd of pigs rather than being thrown down into the Abyss, which is the dwelling place of spirits and the dead. And when Jesus so allowed, the demons went into the pigs, which ran into the water and drown. But the pig herders and the townspeople, rather than being amazed by what Jesus had done, were seized with great fear and asked him to leave.
Why were these people afraid? Surely, Jesus has performed a miracle. The possessed man was now sitting with Jesus, dressed in good clothes, and talking rationally. They were probably afraid because they did not understand this power they had witnessed and were uncertain what it would do next. After all, this power freed the possessed man, yet bankrupted the poor swineherds. Uncertainty, doubt -- fear! And then, there was the loss of the known to the unknown. Sure, the man was possessed, was mad. But they knew him and of him, and were adjusted to having him run free, living naked among the tombs. Now that he is "clothed and in his right mind", they will have to find room for him in their village. Will his family welcome him home, or will someone have to take him in? Has his wife remarried? Have his children made their peace with his absence? How will he make a living? Can they trust his healing to be permanent? Will he become dangerous again? Will one of their daughters fall in love with him? Jesus has solved one problem and created a thousand new ones! The routine changed, and therefore more uncertainty -- fear again!
Name your fear
Fear can be a very debilitating treacherous emotion. There is a healthy level of fear that we all need for basic survival but some people literally let fear rule their lives. This can take a person to the 'depths of hell' so to speak and keep you chained to a life that is full of guilt and regrets.
Catherine Glennie, in Overcome the Dragon of Fear, wrote:
Fear is different things to different people. Certainly, there are clinical fears or phobias. Phobias are characterized by being an irrational fear that is instantly triggered, provoking an immediate anxiety response – the phobic typically knows that the fear and response is unreasonable or out of proportion but can not help it. I did a little research and learned that are between 200 and 500 named phobias that clinical psychologists deal with, nearly 200 which are considered most observed in practice. These phobias cover pretty much anything you can think off – for instance, Philemaphobia, which I think my son has, since he always turns away when he sees this in a movie, is the fear of kissing. Meathesiophobia is the fear of change -- I think perhaps this afflicted the folks in Gerasenes. Autophobia is the fear, not of automobiles, but of being alone with one’s self. I think these last two fears are quite commmon, perhaps not at the level of being a phobia, yet many fear change and being alone with one's self.
I don’t know how many people carry secret phobias around with them – you know, I am afraid of spiders but I wouldn’t call it a phobia – but I suspect that many, many people, myself included, carry within them a number of secret fears that they allow, knowingly and unknowingly, to rule their lives. When I played trumpet in high school, I would make myself physically sick with nervousness before a concert; the first time I ever had to speak professionally in public, before my peers, I was a nervous wreck, and simply read what I had written. And I used to be sick for days before I had to get on an airplane to fly somewhere. I recognized these fears, named them, but it has taken me literally decades to get to where I am now, more comfortable flying because I love to visit different parts of the country and flying allows me to do that; typically at ease speaking or playing music in front of an audience, large or small. When I speak professionally now, which is fairly often, I don’t even bother to write out a script, because I have gained the confidence that I know what I need to say and will say it. Of course, as you can plainly see, I am not so comfortable preaching the Gospel that I’m ready to throw away my notes and wing it – though this is certainly how Jesus instructed his disciples.
So, yes, I am still far from perfect, far from being whole. I still fear many things, named and unnamed, that prevent me from being the best Christian, the best husband, the best father that I could be – fears that drive me to unhealthy habits when I know what would be better for me.
What fears to you have? Maybe it’s simply the fear of change, or fear of the unknown – common fears so well illustrated by the people of Gerasenes. What fears do you have? Can you name them? We probably inherit some fears, perhaps learn others: however we get our fears/wherever they came from -- our fears are ours alone and it is only between ourselves and God to name them, acknowledge them, learn from them, and ultimately deal with them. Not an easy task – conquering your fears – and it may take a lifetime. But not only will this make you a happier, healthier person, but it will also make you a better servant for Christ.
The man whose legions of demons had been driven away asked if he might continue on with Jesus. But Jesus instructed him to stay and proclaim throughout the city what Jesus had done – to give testimony to the Gentiles, who were not yet ready to receive Jesus. The man must have been disappointed at being denied the opportunity to stay with Jesus, but he obeyed. Like him, we find ourselves called to a different calling than the one which we would have preferred. For instance, many pastors are introverts who are uncomfortable in their very public life – our own Pastor Bill admitted to being extremely introverted during one of our small group lessons. Others, who might enjoy preaching or teaching, find themselves serving in quieter, behind-the-scenes ways – how often have you paused to appreciate the unseen at a function who prepared the meal. Some might have wished to serve on some distant mission field, but find themselves called to live their whole lives within the confines of their home state. Or, like Albert Schweitzer, a renowned physician and concert organist, we might find ourselves called to leave the limelight to serve in the hinterlands. The important thing is to listen carefully and to obey faithfully the call to which we have been called. It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than to be a prince or princess anywhere else – if God has called us to be a doorkeeper.
So, seek quiet prayer and reflection, name your fears, and listen.
God will feed you.
God has the power to chase away your demons.
God will call you to serve.
Can you hear His whisper?
Michael R. Martin – June 20, 2004
First UMC of Saranac Lake, 8:30 AM
First United Methodist Church of Saranac Lake, NY
1 Kings 19:1-15a • Psalm 42
Galatians 3:23-29 • Luke 8:26-39
In the readings for this week, we hear from and about people who are dealing with some pretty dark moods: depression, dispair, fear. I’m going to look at some excerpts from these readings and talk a little bit about the experience of those in the stories, and reflect on those times in our own lives when we are perhaps taken a bit by these moods. And once again I invite you to find a time later when you can read and reflect upon the lectionary readings which are listed on your bulletin.
In our Psalm for this week, Psalm 42, we get some lovely imagery that has been captured in the song we will sing after the message: “As the deer longs for water, so my soul longs for you.” The psalmist speaks of a longing, his soul thirsting for God, brought on by a deep sadness. “My tears have been my food, day and night, while men say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" and “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?”
Yes, the psalmist writes: “Why are you so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?” but then answers himself in the next lines with “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” The answer to each blue mood is, "Put your hope in God." This Psalm is a teaching psalm designed to show us where to turn in times of dispair. If you read it through you will note that it traces three stages of the Psalmist's experience, and at the end of each stage there comes the refrain that describes what brought him through, " hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God."
In our Old Testament scripture, Elijah is running for his life, away, afraid, for all of the other prophets had been killed with a sword. And Jezebel has threatened to do likewise to him. He ran to the town of Beersheba, left his servant, and continued into the desert. Elijah sat down beneath a broom tree and prayed for God to take his life. He fell asleep, and was twice awoken by angels who instructed him to get up and eat, and there was before him fresh bread baked on coals and a jar of water. God then asks Elijah, "What are you doing here?" and Elijah explains what he is fleeing.
The LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the LORD , for the LORD is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
The reading invites us to take a look at how God deals with us when we are afraid for our lives and dealing with depression. We run away, we hide. But what if we are silent, in worship and prayer, might we not hear God? What if, like Elijah, we were to lie down in a quiet spot, and sleep. Wouldn’t God see that we are fed? Too often we expect powerful, big, impressive things to awaken us to God’s presence. Have you ever prayer for a sign – a powerful wind, an earthquake, a fire – when perhaps it was the whisper you should have been silently awaiting?
Luke: story of Legion & the Pigs
In Luke, we read of the demon-possessed man in Gerasenes. Gerasenes was Gentile country, evidenced by the presence of a herd of swine, to the Jewish an unclean animal. This is the only account in the Gospel of Jesus in Gentile territory, and the second of four stories demonstrating the authority of Jesus, the first being the calming of the storm. So, Jesus and the disciples come to land sometime after the calming of the storm, and are met on the shore by a man who was demon-possessed. He wore no clothes, and lived in the tombs. This possessed man had broken the chains and shackles the townsfolk had used to try and contain him, so he had incredible strength. Yet, he fell to the ground and cried out “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?!” when he saw Jesus. For the demons had recognized Jesus for who and what he was. When Jesus asked the man’s name, he replied “Legion” for there were many demons within him.
A legion was a Roman army unit of about six thousand soldiers, a powerful occupying force whose power was overwhelming and whose presence meant the loss of control over every dimension of free society. The man's response tells us the extent of the forces arrayed against Jesus. The man's demons are many and powerful. It also tells us that the man had lost his identity to his demons. He bears their name and is controlled by their power.
But the legion of demons within the man recognized Jesus’ power, begging Jesus to spare them, allowing them to enter into the nearby herd of pigs rather than being thrown down into the Abyss, which is the dwelling place of spirits and the dead. And when Jesus so allowed, the demons went into the pigs, which ran into the water and drown. But the pig herders and the townspeople, rather than being amazed by what Jesus had done, were seized with great fear and asked him to leave.
Why were these people afraid? Surely, Jesus has performed a miracle. The possessed man was now sitting with Jesus, dressed in good clothes, and talking rationally. They were probably afraid because they did not understand this power they had witnessed and were uncertain what it would do next. After all, this power freed the possessed man, yet bankrupted the poor swineherds. Uncertainty, doubt -- fear! And then, there was the loss of the known to the unknown. Sure, the man was possessed, was mad. But they knew him and of him, and were adjusted to having him run free, living naked among the tombs. Now that he is "clothed and in his right mind", they will have to find room for him in their village. Will his family welcome him home, or will someone have to take him in? Has his wife remarried? Have his children made their peace with his absence? How will he make a living? Can they trust his healing to be permanent? Will he become dangerous again? Will one of their daughters fall in love with him? Jesus has solved one problem and created a thousand new ones! The routine changed, and therefore more uncertainty -- fear again!
Name your fear
Fear can be a very debilitating treacherous emotion. There is a healthy level of fear that we all need for basic survival but some people literally let fear rule their lives. This can take a person to the 'depths of hell' so to speak and keep you chained to a life that is full of guilt and regrets.
Catherine Glennie, in Overcome the Dragon of Fear, wrote:
Every single person faces the dragon of fear. No one is exempt. Fear is man's enemy. Fear is the factor that holds people back from doing what they really want to do in life. Fear is also the father of all bad behavior. Fear, unchecked, will lock into your body and there begin its awful work of disease.
Fear is different things to different people. Certainly, there are clinical fears or phobias. Phobias are characterized by being an irrational fear that is instantly triggered, provoking an immediate anxiety response – the phobic typically knows that the fear and response is unreasonable or out of proportion but can not help it. I did a little research and learned that are between 200 and 500 named phobias that clinical psychologists deal with, nearly 200 which are considered most observed in practice. These phobias cover pretty much anything you can think off – for instance, Philemaphobia, which I think my son has, since he always turns away when he sees this in a movie, is the fear of kissing. Meathesiophobia is the fear of change -- I think perhaps this afflicted the folks in Gerasenes. Autophobia is the fear, not of automobiles, but of being alone with one’s self. I think these last two fears are quite commmon, perhaps not at the level of being a phobia, yet many fear change and being alone with one's self.
I don’t know how many people carry secret phobias around with them – you know, I am afraid of spiders but I wouldn’t call it a phobia – but I suspect that many, many people, myself included, carry within them a number of secret fears that they allow, knowingly and unknowingly, to rule their lives. When I played trumpet in high school, I would make myself physically sick with nervousness before a concert; the first time I ever had to speak professionally in public, before my peers, I was a nervous wreck, and simply read what I had written. And I used to be sick for days before I had to get on an airplane to fly somewhere. I recognized these fears, named them, but it has taken me literally decades to get to where I am now, more comfortable flying because I love to visit different parts of the country and flying allows me to do that; typically at ease speaking or playing music in front of an audience, large or small. When I speak professionally now, which is fairly often, I don’t even bother to write out a script, because I have gained the confidence that I know what I need to say and will say it. Of course, as you can plainly see, I am not so comfortable preaching the Gospel that I’m ready to throw away my notes and wing it – though this is certainly how Jesus instructed his disciples.
So, yes, I am still far from perfect, far from being whole. I still fear many things, named and unnamed, that prevent me from being the best Christian, the best husband, the best father that I could be – fears that drive me to unhealthy habits when I know what would be better for me.
What fears to you have? Maybe it’s simply the fear of change, or fear of the unknown – common fears so well illustrated by the people of Gerasenes. What fears do you have? Can you name them? We probably inherit some fears, perhaps learn others: however we get our fears/wherever they came from -- our fears are ours alone and it is only between ourselves and God to name them, acknowledge them, learn from them, and ultimately deal with them. Not an easy task – conquering your fears – and it may take a lifetime. But not only will this make you a happier, healthier person, but it will also make you a better servant for Christ.
The man whose legions of demons had been driven away asked if he might continue on with Jesus. But Jesus instructed him to stay and proclaim throughout the city what Jesus had done – to give testimony to the Gentiles, who were not yet ready to receive Jesus. The man must have been disappointed at being denied the opportunity to stay with Jesus, but he obeyed. Like him, we find ourselves called to a different calling than the one which we would have preferred. For instance, many pastors are introverts who are uncomfortable in their very public life – our own Pastor Bill admitted to being extremely introverted during one of our small group lessons. Others, who might enjoy preaching or teaching, find themselves serving in quieter, behind-the-scenes ways – how often have you paused to appreciate the unseen at a function who prepared the meal. Some might have wished to serve on some distant mission field, but find themselves called to live their whole lives within the confines of their home state. Or, like Albert Schweitzer, a renowned physician and concert organist, we might find ourselves called to leave the limelight to serve in the hinterlands. The important thing is to listen carefully and to obey faithfully the call to which we have been called. It is better to be a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord than to be a prince or princess anywhere else – if God has called us to be a doorkeeper.
So, seek quiet prayer and reflection, name your fears, and listen.
God will feed you.
God has the power to chase away your demons.
God will call you to serve.
Can you hear His whisper?
Michael R. Martin – June 20, 2004
First UMC of Saranac Lake, 8:30 AM
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