5 Pentecost Yr C Proper 7 June 19 2016

5 Pentecost Yr C Proper 7 June 19 2016 Audio

Again we have a story that shows us, that gives us a clear image of what the new life, this good news that is Jesus, looks like in the world. Just as we have read in the last two weeks, about the women to whom Jesus gave new life by bringing them back into the community and restoring their honor, we read about this man. Jesus commanded the unclean spirit to come out of him, and it did. By doing this, Jesus restores this man to new life.

So this story is like the others, it is a story about restoration to the community of the one who is on the margins, a story of transformation. This time though, it is a man, whose dis-ease puts him on the outside, makes him uncles. Let’s take a closer look at this man who is presented to us in Luke’s gospel today, where he is and why he is important.

First, we learn that this story takes place in Gentile territory, already we are not at “home,” we are in the country of the Gerasenes, opposite Galilee. Another marker that we are not at home, that we are on the margins, is the large herd of swine feeding. According to Jewish dietary regulations, pigs are unclean, so we know we are not in Jewish territory. This man did not live in a house, but in the tombs, which are also unclean, and which also makes him homeless. He had no clothes on, and he was possessed by demons. The setting of this story, and the description of the man, alerts us so that we know this is a story that puts Jesus into a non-Jewish setting, it puts Jesus into a place to encounter someone who is just not like the others. This man did not have a chance in Jewish or Greek society. He was tossed out, he didn’t have a chance for any honor or status, he may as well have been dead. In this way he is not unlike the widows we’ve recently read about.

Jesus restores this man, Jesus transforms this man, Jesus brings this man into the community. This is a very clear picture of what the kingdom of God looks like in the life of this one man, and what it looks like in our lives as well. Because of this man’s encounter with Jesus, he is clothed, he is in his right mind, and he can go home. Because of this man’s encounter with Jesus, he is brought into the community; he is no longer cast off. Because of this man’s encounter with Jesus, he is made whole, he has new life, he is transformed.

This is a story about God’s abundant grace and God’s unfailing love that calls us into relationship, and transforms us. This is a story about when we encounter Jesus; we will never be the same.

This man didn’t seek Jesus out. Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem when he happened upon this man. But in the encounter, Jesus truly recognized this man, and knew he was not himself. Jesus brought him to himself. The truth of God’s love and grace and abundance called the real man forth, and that expelled all that was not real, all that was keeping this man a prisoner in his own body.

Our encounter with Jesus does the same. Sometimes we seek Jesus out; more often than not our encounters with Jesus are accidental, coincidental, or providential, depending on what you want to call it. But, when we do encounter Jesus, we can not be the same. We are clothed anew, our mind is set right, and we find our home.

When we are baptized we are often clothed in a white garment. For some, that garment is the same one many infants before us have also worn for the occasion, for others we get a new set of clothes just for the occasion. The language and symbolism of baptism evokes this. We enter the waters of baptism with Jesus, and are robed in our new garments.

In baptism we pray for each child, we ask for an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love God, and the gift of joy and wonder in all God’s works. I think that is a description of being in our right mind. We spend much effort in our lives to be right minded. We spend much time trying to be right, we have a need to convince others of our rightness. We even get angry and fearful when our rightness is threatened. When we encounter Jesus our mind is right. When we encounter Jesus we become clearheaded, we are filled with right thinking. Remember last week I described being made right, being justified, like justifying the margins on your page. That illustration still works in this story.

In baptism we find our home. Our home for now is the community of faith, the gathering of people who love and worship God, the assembly in which we share the reality of Jesus in the bread and the wine. Home is the people who patiently wait for us to realize that we are not alone in our faith journey. Home is where we can be fully alive, where we go to find ourselves. Home is where we find ourselves fully alive in Christ. Home is being in relationship with God and with one another.

The very hard part of encountering Jesus, is that we must open our eyes to living the transformed life that Jesus calls us to live. And the very hard part of living this transformed life that Jesus called the man with the demons into, and that Jesus calls us into, this life of being clothed in Jesus’ new clothes, being right-minded, and in coming home, is that our culture would have us believe a very different story. Transformation turns us away from ourselves, turns us away from being full of ourselves. Rather than looking out for ourselves, we look out for the other, we look out for our neighbor. We are in our right mind when we spend time in prayer, when we listen through prayer and scripture study, and when we listen to others to what God would call us to, to what God would have us do, to whom God would have us be. Rather than convincing others that we are right, that our way is right, we listen to other peoples stories, we encounter Jesus in the story telling, we are filled with the real presence of Christ.

This encounter with Jesus brings us home, when we are transformed we no longer turn away from God, but are bathed in the hospitality that Jesus offers. Home is the fullness of our relationship with God, and with our neighbors. Home is not acquiring stuff, home is not even the place we live. Home is living fully in the unfailing love of God, home is the abundant life God has for us. Home is being a wonderful and beautiful creature in God’s eye’s, no matter what, each and every one of us, not just some of us.

Like the man in our story today, who by his encounter with Jesus is restored and made whole, who is clothed in a new garment, who is right minded, who is brought home, God loves us abundantly and unfailingly so we too are clothed with a new garment, made whole, restored to fullness in God’s amazing kingdom. Today, we are invited to live the abundant life that God has for us.

So much of what we see in our culture in these days, people put out on the margins because of who they are, people killed because of who they are, call us to listen to this story and the stories that precede it with hearts of compassion. These stories show us what life in God's kingdom look like, what new life in Jesus look like. Everyone, everyone, has a place in God's kingdom, because love wins.

Thanks be to God. Amen, Alleluia.