Sermon for the 2nd Sunday after Pentecost

22 June 2025

The Rev. Matt Rowe

Emmanuel Episcopal Church, San Angelo, TX

It is good to be back with you today after a week away. We made a trip to the farm in Deep East Texas to spend some time with Shelby, who came down from Philadelphia to spend some time with her folks. It was a grand time I am thankful to have had. I am thankful also for those who stayed here to keep things humming along. Last Sunday’s worship service was made a worthy offering to the glory of God, thanks to the contributions of Denise, Carly, and the choir; the Altar Guild, whose duties last week were to change the altar from its Day of Pentecost Red to the festive tapestry; Elizabeth and Bill, who did a fine job presenting the Scripture Readings; and of course to Landon, for officiating and sharing my Trinity Sunday message, which I hope encouraged your awe and reverence for the glory of the eternal Trinity in whom we live, and move, and have our being; the One who holds our souls in life, who guides us into perfect freedom and bliss.

The freedom into which God would guide us is a freedom from and a freedom to. The freedom from part is all that we renounce when we make or renew our Baptismal Covenant (BCP 302):

Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God;
the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God; and
sinful desires that draw us from the love of God.

The destruction that can result from yielding to these forces is on display in the Scripture readings we hear today.

Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God

When Jesus sails to the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, he encounters a man who has been overtaken by Satan, the Adversary, and his demonic allies who are in open rebellion against God. The man's true identity is nowhere to be seen. Is it lost? Is it gone for good? He is unclothed, having lost his sense of being human, living more like a wild animal. He dwells among the tombs, the place of death and decay, away from any neighbors, who fear him, because he can become enormously strong and violent, bent on destruction, as is the way with demons. He is a very intimidating individual, but Jesus is not intimidated, not fearful. I am reminded of the First Letter of John - “there is no fear in love. . .(for) perfect love drives out fear (1 John 4:18). The demonic forces at work in the man know immediately their time is short because they know who has just stepped out of the boat is the very epitome of the perfect love that will drive them out. “Leave us alone, Jesus, Son of the Most High God!” “What’s your name?” “Legion, for we are many.” A Roman Legion is about 6,000 soldiers, a fearsome fighting force. But, this Legion knows from the outset it cannot win the day, and so begins to ask for terms. “Don’t send us to the Abyss, the eternal waste heap. Let us go into that herd of pigs.”

The presence of a herd of pigs tells us that this skirmish is taking place, not in Jewish, but in Gentile country, Jesus is previewing that his Good News will go out in concentric circles from Jerusalem into Judea, the homeland of the Jews, God’s chosen; and from there to the ends of the earth, where all those Gentiles live, loved by God, sought out by God.

The recovery of this man is more important than a herd of pigs, and so Jesus gives them leave, and the pigs run in a squealing, panicking herd, tumbling down a steep embankment into the water, they and their demonic tormentors. Their herd lost, the pig tenders go into town to tell their neighbors what has happened. The townspeople come out to the site, where they find that, yes, the pigs are gone. The price of pork just went up. They see also the man they have known as a threat has now recovered his sense of self, is wearing clothes, and seems perfectly normal as he sits at the feet, now a disciple, of the man who confronted the Legion. The townspeople are faced with a life-altering opportunity. They could welcome Jesus into their community, they could hail him as a great liberator. Instead, they choose to be fearful and they ask him to go away, which he does, getting back into the boat to return to Capernaum on the Jewish side. The man who was so tormented, but who now is his disciple asks to go with Jesus, but Jesus says, “I need you here. Go and tell how much God has done for you.” The man does as he is told. He goes, and he tells, but he tells how much Jesus has done for him. He understands the works of Jesus are the works of God, and are greater than the power of Satan.

Evil powers which corrupt and destroy

During his missionary endeavors, St. Paul established churches in the Province of Galatia,

in modern day Turkey. We have heard today from his Letter to the Galatians, which was written under urgent circumstances. The churches were in various towns and were made up of Jews who, through Paul’s ministry, believed Jesus to be the Messiah; and Gentile God-Fearers, who believed in the God of Israel, but had not received the specific physical procedure that marks one as a Jew. These Gentiles also were convinced through Paul that Jesus is the Messiah.

Paul’s message was that one need not become physically Jewish in order to be a Christian, but there were other teachers who came through Galatia who taught that it was necessary, and they did so convincingly, so that the Galatian churches were teetering on embracing the Law of Moses as a requirement to be a follower of Jesus. They were in peril of following powers that would corrupt and destroy by virtue of leading them away from the grace of God, causing them instead to trust in their ability to observe the Law of Moses to justify their righteousness before God. Paul says the Law of Moses was our guardian until Christ came. Now we are justified by faith, not by observing the Law, which would undermine God’s grace in Christ. Paul says the purpose of the Law was to train Israel in preparation for the coming of Messiah, and now that he has come, the Law has fulfilled its role in God’s saving plan.

The Law of Moses was a guardian. The word Paul uses is pedagogue. In Roman times, the pedagogue was a slave who was charged with getting the children to and from school without getting into mischief (N.T. Wright, Galatians, in Commentaries for Christian Formation. Eerdmans, 2021). But, the children of Israel just couldn’t keep out of mischief, and they often ditched class, choosing instead those sinful desires that draw away from the love of God.

Sinful Desires that Draw Us from the Love of God

The Old Testament is full of ditching stories. We have Isaiah 65 as an example. God told Israel, “Worship only me, don’t embrace foreign religions, Love me with your whole heart, mind, strength, and soul.” In Isaiah 65 God reminds the people of Israel, who are living in exile in the kingdom of Babylon, how they got there. “You didn't pray to me. You didn’t seek me out. You stubbornly went your own way. You offered pagan sacrifices at sacred gardens and burned incense at pagan altars. You went into caves at night with your Ouija boards. You didn’t even keep kosher, but you ate pork, and soup with meat in it that was offered in pagan temples. Then you had the nerve to say to your neighbors, ‘We’re holier than you.’ I couldn’t handle you people, so I let the Babylonians deal with you for these years.” “But,” the Lord also says, “I know it wasn’t all of you. Some of you did pray and seek me out. You kept kosher and you didn’t visit pagan services. Unfortunately, you’ve been in this mess with all your disloyal neighbors. But, I know you are the good grapes, and from you I will make good wine. I won’t destroy those who serve me.”

Very soon after this prophecy God’s faithful people were set free to return and rebuild Jerusalem and their temple, but they had paid a steep price because they had been stubborn and had chosen their own way instead of God’s way.

Today’s lessons remind us that the renunciations made at a baptismal service are more than just words in the Prayer Book. They speak of real forces that would diminish, deter, deface our relationship with God if we do not remain spiritually vigilant.

Our best course is to choose Christ, nothing but, no one but, Christ as Lord of our lives. He is the one who sets us free from

every evil power
every deceitful message
every selfish impulse,

granting us instead the freedom to

sit as disciples at his feet
be perfectly outfitted in the baptismal garment
be God’s children by faith, living in imitation of him who frees us
tell out far and near the great good God has done, and is doing in our lives
be God’s children, truly free, not to do as we please, but to do what is pleasing to him, as we serve him, each of us playing a part in God’s saving plan for this often troubled world, that despite the confusion and conflict, God still so loves.