WHO ARE YOUR DEMONS?

Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 

Mark 1:23-26

I am not preaching anywhere this Sunday, but I thought I would begin doing some preparation for the upcoming weeks when I will be preaching on a regular basis.

Don’t worry. This is not a full-blown sermon. However, it’s three o’clock in the morning as I am writing, so who knows what thoughts may come out of my head at this seemingly ungodly hour.

One of the ironic ideas that did jump out at me from this coming Sunday’s Gospel reading was that just about every congregation with which I’m familiar is having its annual meeting this Sunday.

For the uninitiated, the annual meeting is where a congregation approves the annual budget, the various mission and ministry areas and committees of the church report their accomplishments of the past year and cast a vision for the future.

The last congregation I served as an active full-time pastor held, not one, but THREE of these events over the course of a year.

True confession: when I was in full-time ministry, I dreaded this Sunday. Talk about unclean spirits! They lived for the annual meeting! This is where they thrived.

At my very first meeting of a congregation I served, the former treasurer and the newly appointed treasurer got into a heated verbal argument over a change in the accounting system from an alphabetic to a numeric designation of the accounts.

I was petrified with fear. What had I gotten myself into by accepting this call?

All the bad behaviors that people – otherwise good, decent, Christian folk – have been harboring for months, all their grievances, are on full display at an annual meeting.

For the pastor and congregation president, it is a true test of their non-anxious presence.

The complaints are endless. A running joke among clergy is that parishioners love to complain about everything from the choice of music in worship to the color of the carpet.

Of course, I’m exaggerating. But the characterization isn’t all that far-fetched.

Now, let me quickly add that not every congregation functions in this fashion. Yet, I would bet that if you’re a long-time member or any congregation, you’ve witnessed one of these unholy episodes at least a time or two.

But, enough of the cynicism already! Let me get to more serious matters.

At the center of the conflict in this Sunday’s Gospel reading is a man with an unclean spirit who enters the synagogue.  The unclean spirit within the man challenges Jesus, questions His authority by asking him: “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?  Have you come to destroy us?”

Jesus, by the simple command “be silent and come out of him” cast the unclean spirit out of the man. (Oh, if it only were that easy!)

We who are a product of the 20^th and 21st century scientific world view tend to believe there is an explanation for almost everything, and that research is one of the best ways to study and understand our world. 

In other words, we dismiss such talk of unclean spirits, evil spirits, and demons. 

But should we be so quick to do so?

I, for one, believe in demons.

(I use the terms “demons” and “unclean spirits” interchangeably, although scholars argue that the two are not synonymous.)

In Jesus’ time, mental illness was thought to be caused by demons, or as our text calls it, unclean spirits.  Today, we rarely attribute mental illness or epilepsy to demonic possession.  Yet, I honestly believe that there are demons and unholy spirits that possess us. 

Here is my definition of a demon:  Any power that prevents a human from being fully free is a demon that possesses us.

The greatest of those demons is fear.

People are bound by a type of fear, even terror, which robs them of a good quality of life.  

I’m not saying that you shouldn’t take precautions. But when those become the overriding, overwhelming concerns in your life, they become demons.

Another of those demons is anger.

I confess that on occasion I have been possessed by anger, or jealousy, or envy at a colleague or family member that has led me to say and do things I regret. I work on that constantly.

I take my vocation seriously. And I feel that God has blessed me to be a blessing to others. Therefore, when my anger gets the better of me, that is so clearly not the Spirit of God blessing me to be a blessing to others!

The evil powers that can and often do take over people’s lives are many. A partial but certainly not exhaustive list includes: alcohol, drugs, gambling, greed, consumerism, racism, bigotry, any kind of phobia, poverty, wealth…I could go on and on.

Again – any power that prevents a human from being fully free is a demon that possesses us.

Those powers even lurk in the corners of our churches.

I used the annual meeting as a somewhat lighthearted example.

But on a more serious level, there are those demons that make us resistant to change, whether it be in the hymnal, the worship style or the music.

Or even more somber, the demons that would rather let us see a church die than do ministry to those who are different. Those powers that would hold fast to the way things used to be, rather than accept change that is healthy.

All these are powers that question the authority of Jesus, rather than see Him as the presence of God in our midst.

They are demons in us that need to be cast out, so that we can help cleanse and restore ourselves and those who are in need of it. 

I pray that your church, whatever the situation in which it finds itself, can look to Christ to overcome those demons, to cleanse and restore those who are in need of it.

For when we treat one another as we would desire to be treated, we can love one another as God loves us, we can love one another as we love ourselves, and we can love one another without fear.

Let us pray.
Lord, heal us and restore the brokenness in our lives. Sustain us with your presence, rest our troubled spirits, calm our fears, ease our struggles, and surround us with your peace. Amen.