Dear Church Family,
It has been a long time since we communicated this way. I guess I am back int he saddle again, so I appreciate your willingness to read some of my musings.
The sermon text for Sunday is Luke 8:26-39, the healing of the Gerasene Demoniac. It is a passage that stands out because of the seemingly crazy, demon possessed man meeting Jesus just as He arrives on the shore. "What is your name?" Jesus asked; to which the man replied, "Legion, for we are many." The man was greatly troubled - he lived alone among the tombs, harming himself physically, unwilling to be bound by anyone or anything.
In just one moment, Jesus casts the demons out of him. We soon see the man, sitting at Jesus' feet, listening and worshiping his Savior. The townspeople saw this and wanted to meet the man who could cast out demons. But instead of asking for help themselves, or celebrating the disturbed man's cleanings, they looked at Jesus and asked Him to leave. They were not comfortable around unbridled power. They must have wondered: "If Jesus can do that to him, what can He do to me?"
Though we often dismiss the understanding of demon possession in modern society, it is clear to me that we all fight demons - we are all possessed by something. Whether it drinking or gambling, trouble with anxiety or depression, or the desire to win the approval of others, all of us face demons; but the good news of Jesus Christ is that He can cast them out of us if we only allow Him to.
How will we react when Jesus shows up looking to help? Will we meet Jesus like the man did and become His disciple, or will we ask Him to leave like the townspeople did? Think on these things and come to worship Sunday with an open mind and an open heart.
Thanks for reading,
Josh
It has been a long time since we communicated this way. I guess I am back int he saddle again, so I appreciate your willingness to read some of my musings.
The sermon text for Sunday is Luke 8:26-39, the healing of the Gerasene Demoniac. It is a passage that stands out because of the seemingly crazy, demon possessed man meeting Jesus just as He arrives on the shore. "What is your name?" Jesus asked; to which the man replied, "Legion, for we are many." The man was greatly troubled - he lived alone among the tombs, harming himself physically, unwilling to be bound by anyone or anything.
In just one moment, Jesus casts the demons out of him. We soon see the man, sitting at Jesus' feet, listening and worshiping his Savior. The townspeople saw this and wanted to meet the man who could cast out demons. But instead of asking for help themselves, or celebrating the disturbed man's cleanings, they looked at Jesus and asked Him to leave. They were not comfortable around unbridled power. They must have wondered: "If Jesus can do that to him, what can He do to me?"
Though we often dismiss the understanding of demon possession in modern society, it is clear to me that we all fight demons - we are all possessed by something. Whether it drinking or gambling, trouble with anxiety or depression, or the desire to win the approval of others, all of us face demons; but the good news of Jesus Christ is that He can cast them out of us if we only allow Him to.
How will we react when Jesus shows up looking to help? Will we meet Jesus like the man did and become His disciple, or will we ask Him to leave like the townspeople did? Think on these things and come to worship Sunday with an open mind and an open heart.
Thanks for reading,
Josh
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