When Jesus Shows Up (MPLS)

Revelation 1:4-8

John to the seven churches that are in Asia:

Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.

To him who loves us and freed us from our sins by his blood, and made us to be a kingdom, priests serving his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Look! He is coming with the clouds;
every eye will see him,
even those who pierced him;
and on his account all the tribes of the earth will wail.
So it is to be. Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.

Mark 5:1-17

They came to the other side of the lake, to the country of the Gerasenes. And when he had stepped out of the boat, immediately a man out of the tombs with an unclean spirit met him. He lived among the tombs; and no one could restrain him any more, even with a chain; for he had often been restrained with shackles and chains, but the chains he wrenched apart, and the shackles he broke in pieces; and no one had the strength to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always howling and bruising himself with stones.

When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and bowed down before him; and he shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.’ For he had said to him, ‘Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!’

Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He replied, ‘My name is Legion; for we are many.’ He begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. Now there on the hillside a great herd of swine was feeding; and the unclean spirits begged him, ‘Send us into the swine; let us enter them.’ So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and were drowned in the lake.

The swineherds ran off and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came to see what it was that had happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, the very man who had had the legion; and they were afraid. Those who had seen what had happened to the demoniac and to the swine reported it. Then they began to beg Jesus to leave their neighborhood.

I’m curious… how many of you have ever been to Hillman Township, Minnesota? How many have heard of it?  It’s near Mora, about 90 miles north of the Twin Cities. In 2019, the town reported a population of 35. I first learned about Hillman in a recent article in the Star Tribune. There’s a dispute that’s dividing the town.

A family bought land there in 2017 and built their home at the end of Hornet Street. The town had neglected to maintain the last quarter-mile of Hornet Street for 40 years. When the family asked to have the remaining portion maintained the township board denied their request, declaring that the road no longer existed. A judge recently ruled in the family’s favor declaring that the law doesn’t allow a township to ignore maintenance on just a portion of a road. Failure to maintain the road puts the family in danger, isolating them from emergency vehicles and the community.

In the article, one of the homeowners, Renee Chrisman, spoke highly of the good people in Hillman and the blessing it is to live and raise a family there. The dispute, it turns out, is with their immediate neighbor who, for reasons the article didn’t say, is determined to make it difficult for the Crisman’s to access their home. 

It only takes one to wreak havoc in a community.

We get an example of it in the Gospel today. The story includes some weird details — like Jesus casting demons into pigs, but I’m going to take seminary professor Rolf Jacobson’s advice and not get distracted by the pigs. If you pay attention to the pigs, you fail to see the man and you end up missing Jesus too. 

What we do learn is that the neighbors have had enough of this guy who is tormented by something that is possessing him. They have cast him out from the city, forced him to live among the dead, and kept him in shackles in an attempt to protect both them and him. They isolate him, hoping the distance will bring peace. Except it doesn’t. His suffering and pain persist. They hear his cries. There is no peace — for him or for them.

But when Jesus shows up everything changes. Jesus crosses ethnic, religious and economic boundaries to get to this place. Nothing keeps him from his God-given purpose of transforming lives, healing people, showing folks the way of God, and restoring relationships with God and their community. Turns out, that’s what we need to be made whole. We need God and we need each other.

We rarely talk about demons any more but there are plenty of things that take hold of us these days… fear, anger, resentment, violence, lies, depression, anxiety. Our souls are sin-sick with addictions —to quick fixes, easy answers, self-medication and broken systems. 

In response to Friday’s acquittal, ELCA Bishop Eaton urged us, the church, “to become more involved in countering the reality and fear of violence in our communities and our neighbors’ communities, pursuing justice and seeking peace no matter how long the journey or complex the challenge. When a child is allowed to become a vigilante without recourse, we are forced to confront the idols of our society: guns, violence and white supremacy. To be sure, this is not about one person, but indeed about all of us, together. The acquittal is an injustice [that] points to the disorder in which we all live. As we seek to restore justice; so also will we restore God to God’s rightful place at the center of our life together.”

There is so much that binds our hearts and minds, keeping us from the life God intends. We may not understand these demons but we do know they are not what Jesus wants for us.

I’ve invited Mark Beenken to share a part of his story with you today. He has bravely agreed to reflect on a difficult time in his life and the healing he received from God and this community.

Good morning! Pastor Mary asked me if I could make some comments to the congregation this morning, sort of as a follow-up to what I shared in writing in the November issue of Bethlehem’s Together newsletter.

For those of you that may not have seen the article, here’s the condensed version. About 3.5 years ago I went through a period of steadily worsening anxiety and depression, largely work-related. As I became more stressed-out and despondent, I increasingly had thoughts of suicide. I’m convinced I wouldn’t have acted on those thoughts… but it was a miserable place to be and I knew that it wasn’t normal. I finally reached a point in the summer of 2018 where my wife, Beth, knew I needed more help than just seeing a counselor (which I had been doing) and took action.

And that’s where I want to stop and tell you what you need to know when you walk out of church this morning… 

If you or someone in your life…. a spouse, family member, parent, child, friend, co-worker is clearly having what you perceive to be a difficult time with their mental health… do something!!

• Ask how they’re doing… and don’t just settle with “fine” as an answer if something’s clearly wrong.

• Ask if you can be of help… many of us may have grown up with a sense that we should mind our own business, or “not get involved”.  Baloney! As fellow Christians we are instructed to help “bear each other’s burdens” and to treat others with empathy, compassion and care. See the Good Samaritan.

• Over and over and over again we are given examples in the Gospels of where Jesus took action to help people who were very likely struggling with mental illnesses. He didn’t hesitate to act, he ALWAYS reached out with empathy and compassion, and every single time he restored these people back to full health.

• That’s called “Being the Church” folks!!

I’m not a mental health professional… and I’m guessing most of you aren’t either. That’s OK, because right here at Bethlehem we have resources that can help you, your loved one, your friend get connected to a starting point for the help they need. Reach out to any  one of our pastors or to Bethlehem’s Director of Health and Wellness Ministries, and Founder of Mental Health Connect, Diane Waarvik.

What’s Mental Health Connect?  It’s a collaborative effort, now encompassing more than 30 faith communities here in the Twin Cities. It was started as an outreach ministry to the community by Bethlehem several years ago but is growing rapidly as faith communities are recognizing the importance of helping their own members and surrounding community with removing the stigma of mental illness, the importance of getting professional help, and the importance of supporting those in our midst who are going through those trying times. MHC’s provides trained staff, called “navigators” to help folks get connected to the resources they need, whether that’s a counselor, therapist, physician, clinic, hospital inpatient or outpatient program, working with insurance companies, and so on. We’ll include MHC contact information on a slide at the end of the service. Or again, you can reach out to a pastor and they’ll get you connected.

A number of you have come up to me and thanked me for sharing my story in that recent issue of Together.  That’s nice, and I appreciate it.  But please let me redirect you to who the real heroes are in my story.

• God… who placed the following people in my life and who made my recovery possible:

• My wife, Beth

• Our daughters, Rachel and Mary Beenken; my mom; my amazing brother, Eric; and my friends, all of whom were constant sources of support and encouragement when I needed it.

• Diane Warvick and Bethlehem’s pastoral team, especially Pastor Kris TM.

The one thing I want to leave you with this morning… Get involved and be there for that person in your life who is struggling, and in this community you don’t have to go it alone! Thanks!

“One of the greatest lies of mental illness,” writes Pastor Emmy Kegler (“All Who Are Weary,” pg. 34), “is the story that we are alone… Jesus had the capacity to heal in a moment; the church and the work of the Spirit, has the gift of walking with us along as many moments as will be needed on the journey toward a lighter burden.”  

Jesus never met a demon he didn’t defeat. Not even death. So if you’re feeling alone, in pain, out of control, distraught in any way, know that none of this separates you from the love of God in Christ Jesus. God, who draws near in Jesus, gives you authority in Jesus’ name to face the things that seek to destroy life. Know, too, that we are in this together. So let us be bold in our prayers for healing, relentless in the work for justice and peace, and generous with mercy and compassion. Tell others what Jesus has done for you, that they might encounter God who is here, God who is love.