Sermon Title: Hungering for Healing
Sermon Text: Luke 4:31-37
Sermon Date:
Chris’ Story
continues:
Questions of theological correctness, doctrinal purity, elegant exegesis … all are at best pretenders or step children to the real questions of our own preferences, comfort zones and personal power.
The debate inside the small church over whether or not to hire Chris, a young but very talented seminary grad and hometown favorite, had degenerated from anticipation and excitement and to the same kind of tired arguments every struggling church faces:
“I heard what he said. He made it sound all fancy, but he’s talking about bringing in outsiders …and he wants us to do it.”
“I don’t know about you all, but I’m already doing plenty around here. Besides, that’s his job.”
“Same goes for me, too. Who has time to meet new people?”
“Come on Frodo. Did you see all those new people this morning who came to hear him? This could be really exciting!”
“But they’re … not like … us. What in the world would we do with all of them?”
“Put ‘em all on committees!”
“But they have to take those rings out of their lips and eyes and God knows where else.”
“And sitting in the back, wasn’t that Endora’s sister? The one with A-I-D-S?”
“Yup, in all her glory with her brood of waifs and strays.”
“I heard she got it from a needle. Addicted to something awful. That’s what I heard.”
“You know, he’s probably going to want to change things up to keep all them happy.”
“Who’s church is it anyway, ours, or theirs?”
“This is our church!”
“I don’t know about you, but as far as I’m concerned, he can do whatever he wants, but I was here before he was born, and I’ll be here when he leaves. This is my church!”
And so it went on. The moderator, new to church governance because no one else would take the job, knew where this was heading and he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Meanwhile, Clark
The vote was in favor of calling Chris, but it was hardly a mandate. Four “ayes” over the required minimum. The moderator went out to tell Chris about the vote but Chris was already gone.
In fact, Chris, wise beyond his years, spared both himself and the old church more than a few awkward moments by jumping in the car and heading out of town. Bicknell was his destination. He had some friends there and he’d spoken at the church a few times. They already had a great pastor and didn’t need another, but they really liked Chris and they took him seriously. He knew he’d be welcome, but more importantly, he felt he had some loose ends to tie up there.
The church was reeling from the recent suicide of a young woman, a Meth addict. The incident had opened the proverbial can of worms … Pandora’s Box. On his last visit many parishioners and townspeople had come to him privately to talk about their own personal struggles and demons. Issues of money and debt, sex and fidelity, teen preganancies, drug use, issues of anger and trust and power. The Spirit of God was moving among these people, stirring up the ugly and dead things that paralyze and eat away at the Image of the Most High.
Chris was beginning to understand his gifts and his calling.
MESSAGE
I’ve always thought I have an
addictive personality. Alcoholism has
been in our family. I have difficulty
staying away from chocolate. I have
thought I was addicted to one or two computer games in my lifetime. But then I found this quiz online: do you have an addictive personality? Come to find out that I’m only 36%
addictive. (go to: http://www.blogthings.com/doyouhaveanaddictivepersonalityquiz/
to find out if you have one.)
I’m a little discouraged about
this. Now I have to figure out what I
can blame my problems on. I’m
kidding….sort of.
You might have figured out that I am
losing weight. I’ve lost 46 pounds since
April when I started keeping track on a computer program that keeps track of
what I eat and weigh. When people ask
how I’m doing it, I say, “the old fashioned way. Counting calories.” I have discovered that all of these fad diets
I’ve tried over the years have been FOR ME ways to avoid eating better,
watching portion sizes and exercising.
When my sister in
I’ve lost weight before only to do
okay for a while and then allow it to creep back. You know it never comes back all at
once. I’ve never woke up one morning and
said, “I want to gain all of this weight back so I’m officially eating
everything I can find.” No, it doesn’t
work that way. You have an unhealthy
eating day promising yourself that tomorrow you will be “better.” But tomorrow never comes and before you know
it, your clothes don’t fit anymore and you are once again miserable.
No one ever intends to be addicted
to anything. Kids don’t aspire to be
drug addicts. Teenagers taking their
first drink don’t hope that someday they will spend Saturday nights at AA
meetings. No teenage girl decides to
become anorexic or bulimic. No one looks at pornography and believes they will
become addicted. That is one of the most
massive addictions right now. Online
pornography is ruining lives and marriages.
It is even a problem among ministers, I’m sorry to say. I cannot begin to tell you how many emails I
have received offering me a chance to look at young women who are scantily clad
OR to enhance body parts I do not possess.
Nonetheless…..when we look at the
scripture today, let’s think about the demons facing us today.
31-32He went down to
Don’t
you wish it were that simple! “Hey
Jesus, I have a demon inside of me.
Come, I dare you…make it come out!”
Some
might say it is. Some preachers stand
before their congregations and say that all you have to do to get rid of the
demon in you is to claim Jesus as Lord and everything will be okay. And you know, once in a while it happens that
way. Someone addicted to drugs makes a
public confession of faith claiming Jesus as Lord and Savior and then never
again did he want to smoke crack cocaine.
Someone who beats his wife regularly makes a confession and says that
never again did his temper get out of control.
Someone was addicted to sex and makes the confession, never to be
tempted again. And I say,
“Hallelujah!” Unfortunately that isn’t
the norm. Most of us make the confession
and claim Jesus and life still goes on.
We are still tempted. We still
struggle. Does that mean our confessions
were real and true? Does that mean God
loves them more than us? What does it
mean?
It
seems that it means that sometimes our addictions can be easily given up and
sometimes they can’t. Sometimes we have
to struggle through them and deal with these demons for many years to come. And to be honest, that struggle makes us more
compassionate to the ones who also struggle.
One
of the things I have been very aware of in this weight loss is that it would be
easy for me to look at others and wonder why they just can’t get with the
program. But I know that plenty of
people have looked at me and wondered why I didn’t. You know the Indian proverb “don’t judge
someone until you have walked a mile in their shoes.” Don’t make snap judgments about people
either. Every day I am aware that it
doesn’t take much to fall back into old habits.
Every day I am very thankful that I have been able to remain
motivated…most of the time…and continue to lose weight.
Perhaps
you are struggling with an addiction or at the very least a habit you’d like to
rid yourself of.
Perhaps
you live with someone who struggles.
Perhaps
your child or grandchild or friend is struggling with a demon.
What
do you do about it?
a.
Of
course it is certain that there is clinical depression but there is also
situational depression, i.e. situations that depress us. Making a decision to get help is often as
important as getting the help. The first
step really is admitting that you can’t do it alone.
We
all have demons. Every single one of us
have dealt with or are dealing with a demon.
You don’t need to feel as if you are the only one dealing with it. You needn’t be ashamed. You need not hide from the rest of the
world. You do need to read the gospels
and look at the number of times that people with demons come to Jesus to seek
healing. If you are hungry to be healed
of an addiction, talk to Jesus and seek help.
If you are hungry to be healed of a tendency to gossip or be short
tempered, ask God and a friend to help.
If you are hungry to be healed of a broken heart or angry spirit, let
God work in your life. Perhaps the pain
you are feeling is really the hunger to be healed. And Jesus is in the healing business, waiting
to heal you.
Listen
to the words of our closing hymn:
Close with “Heal
Me, Hands of Jesus” #636
Heal me, hands of
Jesus, and search out all my pain;
Restore my hope,
remove my fear, and bring me peace again.
Cleanse me, blood
of Jesus, take bitterness away;
Let me forgive as
one forgiven and bring me peace today.
Know me, mind of
Jesus, and show me all my sin;
Dispel the memories
of guilt, and bring me peace within.
Fill me, joy of
Jesus, anxiety shall cease
And heaven’s
serenity be mine, for Jesus brings me peace.