January 23, 2022 – Epiphany 3C

^”Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding country. He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
  because he has anointed me
   to bring good news to the poor.
 He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
  and recovery of sight to the blind,
   to let the oppressed go free,
 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:14-21

“Silence is the welcome mat for hate” Ann Van Dyke (PA Human Relations Commission)

It is true in the home, it is true in the work place, it was true 100 years ago, 50 years ago, and it is true today. And, it was true in Jesus’ day. Jesus was not going to remain silent—and neither should we. Fresh off his temptation in the wilderness experience, Jesus is still full of the Holy Spirit. Not only full of the Holy Spirit, full of the POWER of the Holy Spirit. My friends, not only does the Holy Spirit build faith in our lives, the Holy Spirit gives us POWER—fills us with POWER. What do we think of when we think of power? Power can mean several things:

Force—the ability to move something, lift something, like a powerful engine or a power lifter.

Influence—the ability to make things happen—to tell others what to do.

Wealth—power is often paired with wealth, those who have a lot of money often have or wield a lot of power.

So, Jesus is full of the POWER OF THE Holy Spirit, so what does that mean? Well, through the power of the Holy Spirit, Jesus had influence over the Devil, he forces the Devil to bow to his will, and he has a wealth of knowledge to do battle because he is filled with the Word. So Jesus knows how to use his power. But people in our world who have power generally use that power to benefit themselves first—they act selfishly with that power. I mean, what good is power if you do not personally benefit from that power. However, the only time Jesus uses his power for himself is in His battle with the Devil. From that moment on Jesus “redefines” the human understanding of power. Oh, he does use force, and influence, and wealth—but in his own way, in his own time. Now, there is another aspect of this idea of power that I have not spoken about yet, and that is the power of silence. You see, people who have power like to keep the “powerless” silent. In our world, one of the most prevalent issues we have to deal with is the willingness of the silent majority not to wield their power. Too many people see injustice, or inequality in this world, and rather than speak out, they choose to remain silent. Jesus, today, models how we should respond in the face of a society who wishes to keep people down…..he does not remain silent. “Silence is the welcome mat for Hate, Injustice, and Bigotry”.

My friends, do you think silence has no power? We often see how sound carries power—at sporting events, at concerts, and at the launching of a space rocket. We know how sound has power. There are stadiums in this country who take the sound of the crowd and they amplify it so they seem much louder than what they really are. They pump that sound back into the stadium. The power of thousands of people yelling and shouting has tremendous power. If you have ever been to a rock concert, and have experienced the ringing of the ears when you leave, you know how sound has power. But silence can also have tremendous power. There are a few rooms across the world that are so sound-proofed people have trouble sitting in the rooms for more than a few minutes. We are so used to noise, but silence can make us crazy—and silence can have a huge impact.

You and I have been given power—not our own, but G-d’s power—even through our human weaknesses, G-d still empowers us through the Holy Spirit to be the people of G-d. And we are called to share that power with the world—especially the poor, oppressed, down-trodden and forgotten. When we lift others up, when we serve others, when we free others, we are lifted up, freed and empowered through Christ. It is for these reasons that we cannot remain silent.

Pastor Dave

January 22, 2022 — “Mad as a hatter” (Luke 8:26-39)

“Then they arrived at the country of the Gerasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he 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.” Luke 8:26-39

“Mad as a hatter”

“Mad as a hatter” refers to someone who is completely crazy. The origins of this idiom is an interesting tale. While “hatter” refers to Lewis Carroll’s Mad Hatter character in Alice in Wonderland, the expression has its origins in the effects of the chronic mercury poisoning commonly experienced by 18th and 19th century hat manufacturers. Apparently they used a copious amount of mercurous nitrate in felt hats. Erratic, flamboyant behavior was one of the most evident alterations in a person’s personality caused by mercury. (Others included excessive drooling and mood swings.)

The Gerasene demoniac would have appeared to be someone we might call “Mad as a Hatter” in the 18^th century. What we know of mental illness today suggests that this man had some break with reality — and suffered severely for it. We can only imagine what it might have been like to know you are ill, even severely ill, and to have no resources to combat your illness, let alone any support from the community. Thus, once the demoniac has been cured by Jesus, to be sent back to the community to share what G-d had done for him would have taken a lot of courage. And yet, we are left wondering what success he had — and how well his community received him.

We always need to be mindful of our friends and family who are experiencing difficulty with mental illness. It is not easy to live through such an illness — even though there are so many treatments available today. If you are struggling with depression, or anxiety, or even just feel blue once in a while, talk to someone. For so many in our communities, mental illness is a silent disease — but you can’t find help is you suffer in silence. And, as a community, we need to not only provide the proper help, but we need to welcome them, embrace them, and join them in the journey.

Let us pray,

Lord Jesus, help us to see those in need of our love, mercy and understanding today. For those suffering from mental illness, we pray for their healing and recovery. Amen.

Pastor Dave