Rev. Cari Pattison
Woodstock Reformed Church
Sunday, June 19, 2022
“Seized by the Power of a Great Affection”
Luke 8:26-39
Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As Jesus 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.
***
WRC Cookbook- mid-70’s- not the Woodstock concert- so charming
The woman who sent it
beef, lamb, pork (pig) chart
common causes of failure in baking
a whole section on appetizers and pickles (including watermelon rind pickles)
loads of jello salads
a whole section on cheese and casseroles (including a sausage casserole given by Fred Astaire’s daughter June- ?)
also “teen favorites” (Canadian butter tarts) and “men’s favorites” (Harry Tysen’s bbq short ribs) – with “advice to the housewife” on p. 69
and then you have to love: “dutch treat- couples club” recipes
Little drawings and poems throughout – like this little nugget: p. 26
But this was no run-of-the-mill cookbook! They went above and beyond:
427 household hints! Including how to clean a white fur coat and how to remove at least 30 different types of stains, how to iron a man’s shirt, and how to water your plants when you’re away, a whole first aid section on chiggers and inflammation of the eye
***
Why I called the sermon title that-
Demons seized the man
The people were seized with fear
Lisette’s reaction
***
Brennan Manning- “seized by the power”
In the mid-1700’s, New England and other colonies along the Eastern seaboard experienced a religious revival that historians call “The Great Awakening.” The people who became followers of Jesus at that time had a unique expression to describe their salvation experience. Instead of saying, “I’ve been born again,” or “I gave my life to Jesus,” or “I’ve become a Christian,” they’d say, “I have been seized by the power of a great affection!” With a loud voice and lots of enthusiasm.
For those who had been “seized,” the great affection became the central focus of their lives. Jonathan Edwards said, “The engagedness of their hearts in this great concern could not be hid, it appeared in their very countenances.”
That is- you could see it on their face! The thought about Jesus. They talked about Jesus. They wanted to hear more about Jesus. They told others about Jesus. They read their Bibles. They sang worship songs on the streets.
According to one historian, at least temporarily- Bars emptied. Brothels went out of business. The poor, hungry, and needy received care.
***
4 pages of the sermon:
Wrong side of the tracks: Gentiles, pig herds, Jesus is going there? 1st time in Luke
Man with demons, no clothes, living among the tombs
Bound with chains and shackles and guards
And there are legion…
The name “Legion” refers to a unit of 5000-6000 men in the Roman army
The demons in him seem to recognize Jesus, but are afraid of Jesus
“What do you have to do with me?”
Demons offer a false liberation from the shackles
There are people who unsettle us
Scenes we’d rather not see
People we as society keep under lock and key
There are people with troubled minds and spirits
Also people who’ve been traumatized and oppressed (slavery)
There are legion…
Suffering is a stumbling block to faith- bible study on Thurs.
“What does Jesus have to do with this?”
We look to false liberations, that only bind us further and drive us away from community
Jesus goes there
And sees him
He asks his name
“We are legion”
He casts them out and heals the man! Aka “saved”
He gives him true liberation! Not to the wilds, but back to community
At the end he is clothed and in his right mind- sitting at the feet of Jesus like a disciple
Yet this scene is also troubling- what’s going on here, in Jesus’ negotiations with the demons? And the pigs!
Re: the pigs- Christina says- “They’ll snort when they see you and run towards you to always say ‘hi.’ They love licking your shoes and nipping your heels. I still think of them and feel bad for betraying their trust. If it keeps being too hard, I might want this to be just a chicken farm.”
Those poor pigs and swineherds. No wonder the people ask Jesus to leave. Their economic livelihood is gone! Did Jesus send them into the pigs? Or did the demons just rush into them on their own?
***
And when they see the healed man, they do not rejoice- they are afraid. Why?
I wonder what it does to us, to see evidence of healing, that we weren’t prepared for?
Stephen Farris (noting other instances of this fear in the gospels): “We become used to an ordered life distant from a God we believe is confined to a few religious moments and ceremonies. It is a fearful thing when God steps into our ordered lives and shakes them up with the divine presence.”
I wonder why Jesus tells him to go back home instead of following him? First commissioned evangelist!
What if Jesus knew- that the man’s greatest calling was in his testimony? In going back among the very people who feared and rejected him – and serving as a living witness of God’s love?
Jesus restores us from chaos to order, from isolation to community
Recipe for us-
We can choose to never give up on people
Including ourselves
And welcome people into the community- or back into the community- even when we don’t understand them.
Even when their condition confounds us, or their transformation baffles us
We can declare how much God has done for us! To share how we too have been healed and freed from something, by the grace of God.
***
Rabbi Jonathan:
“It’s a challenge these days, to keep people involved in Jewish life. At this point in my rabbinate, I am much more interested in being the fire-keeper rather than the gatekeeper. That is, I find that I no longer have much interest in policing the boundaries of the Jewish community, nor am I particularly concerned with the question of ‘Who is a Jew?’
It’s not that these questions are not important, but being the ‘gatekeeper’ into Jewish life is not primary for me. Rather, I want to keep the fire at the heart of Judaism burning brightly, and invite anyone and everyone to come warm themselves and gain illumination by that blazing hearth. I want to leave all the gates and doors open, and focus my effort on being an able fire-keeper.”
Yard sale – how you all came to serve, and then also listened to people’s stories and invited them to church
We can be fire-tenders, for one another and for those who haven’t yet felt the flame.
We can declare what God has done for us, the Great Affection that has powerfully enfolded us.
Let us pray.
***
Benediction:
“Come, all you seekers- the flame abides. Come near, warm yourselves, learn from it, and grow with us. Help us tend this precious inheritance, and keep it burning brightly.” And may you, in the gentlest yet joyful-est way, be “seized by the power of a great affection.”