St. Paul’s Church in
Bergen, Jersey City NJ
June 23, 2013
Year C: Proper 7 –
The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost
1 Kings 19:1-15a
Psalm 42 and 43
Galatians 3:23-29
Luke 8:26-39
Proclaiming Throughout the City
It’s
been very interesting to move back to Jersey City after having been away for
five or six years. I love walking the streets among so many people – and so
many different kinds of people. And as I’ve walked around, I’ve noticed lots of
changes, but lots of things are still pretty much the same.
I
have to say, though, that I’ve been very sorry to see Journal Square in such bad
shape. As most of you know, there’s a big empty lot right in the middle of the
Square where stores and restaurants used to be. Lately there’s been talk that
new high rises will finally go up there, but we’ve all heard about those kinds
of plans before.
And
as you walk through the Square you can’t help but notice the large number of
seemingly homeless people hanging around the dried up fountain. I’m sure a lot
of you know who and what I’m talking about. It’s a sad and desolate scene. I’ve
actually recognized some of the faces. So, at least some of them have been
wasting away their days at the Square for years.
Obviously
a good number of these “men and women of the city” suffer from some combination
of mental illness and substance abuse. It must be a terrible and often
terrifying life.
I
thought about those lost souls of the city when I first began reflecting on
today’s gospel lesson.
In
the lesson I just read from the Gospel of Luke, we heard a story of God’s power
manifested in and through Jesus.
Luke
tells us that Jesus is on foreign soil, “in the country of the Gerasenes,”
which was across the River Jordan from Jesus’ home base of Galilee.
And
it’s there that Jesus encounters a truly pathetic and horrifying figure, “a man
of the city” who we’re told was possessed by demons, a man of the city who for
a long time had worn no clothes, who didn’t live in a house but lived in the
tombs. We’re told this man of the city was kept under guard, but the demons inside
him were so powerful that he would break out of the chains and shackles.
Now,
Jesus’ disciples usually have a hard time figuring out who Jesus is, right? But,
somehow the demons know exactly who he is: “Jesus, Son of the Most High God.”
The
possessed man tells Jesus that his name is “Legion.” A legion was a company of
about 5000 Roman soldiers. So, this poor man was possessed by many, many
demons.
It
must have been a huge relief for this poor man when Jesus frees him from the
demons.
And,
naturally enough, the man who has been freed from this horrible possession –
the man who has been brought from death to new life - wants to be with Jesus.
But, instead, Jesus says to him, “return to your home, and declare how much God
has done for you.”
Finally,
we’re told that the liberated man went away, “proclaiming throughout the city
how much Jesus had done for him.”
No
question, it’s a powerful story. But, what does it have to do with us here today?
Well,
first, I think at one time or another we’ve all been like that poor man of the
city possessed by a legion of demons. I’m not saying that we’ve been demonically
possessed exactly, but for all of us there have been times when we’ve been
lost. For all of us there have been times without hope. For all of us there
have been times of death.
And,
yet, here we are. Through the grace of God and with the help of those who love
us we come through those times – lost but now found – despairing but now hopeful
– dead but now alive.
A
few weeks ago, the vestries of the three Episcopal churches in Jersey City met
here at St. Paul’s. It was part of our effort to get to know each other better,
to build relationships, and to work together to build the kingdom of God right
here and right now.
As
part of our Bible study, the Rev. Laurie Wurm from Grace Van Vorst invited all
of us to reflect on times when we moved from death into new life.
People
shared their stories. For some moving from death to new life meant battling
substance abuse; for others it meant facing a life-threatening illness; for
others it was a near-death experience; for others it was a job or a dream that seemed to have ended in a dead end.
And
as I was listening to these amazing stories, I thought, we should tell our
stories more often.
We
should, like Jesus says to the man who had been possessed by demons, declare how
much God has done for us.
Like
the man who had been possessed by demons we should proclaim throughout the city
how much Jesus has done for us.
And
I know that’s hard for most of us.
Most
of us tend to be private people. We think of our religion, our faith, as a
private matter between God and us.
But,
we are the Body of Christ on earth. And we can’t really be the Body of Christ
on earth if we keep our story – if we keep our stories – to ourselves.
We
can’t really be the Body of Christ if we keep our story of moving from death to
life to ourselves.
So,
on one level we’re like the man who was possessed by demons.
But,
on another level, we’re called to be like Jesus. We’re called to go out beyond
the walls of our church. We’re called to head into foreign lands – into places
like McGinley Square, Bergen Avenue, and, yes, Journal Square. We’re called to
go to places like Journal Square and, in our own way, offer hope, healing and
freedom.
Maybe
we do that by sharing our own stories of moving from death into new life – by
declaring how much God has done for us.
Maybe
we do that by every week filling our food bin in the back of church to
overflowing.
Maybe
we do that by getting involved, volunteering with organizations helping the
poorest and weakest among us.
Maybe
we do that by praying, by asking God to open all our hearts, to expel what
possesses us and what possesses those poor people wasting away their days
sitting around the dried up and desolate fountain at the Square.
So,
this story of God’s power working in and through Jesus has a lot to say to us
here today.
The
story reminds us that we’re called to be the Body of Christ in the world – to
be the Body of Christ right here in Jersey City. Like Jesus, we’re called to
offer healing and freedom to the men and women possessed by the demons of
today.
And
the story reminds us that at one time or another we’ve all been like that poor
man of the city possessed by the legion of demons.
Yet
through the grace of God and with the help of those who love us we come through
those times – lost but now found – despairing but now hopeful – dead but now alive.
Like
he told that healed and liberated man long ago, Jesus tells us to tell our
stories, to declare how much God has done for us.
And,
like that healed and liberated man long ago, we’re called to proclaim
throughout the city, to proclaim in word and action, how much Jesus has done
for us.
Amen.
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