Biblical Imagination with Luke 8: 26-39

Luke 8     26 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes,[b] which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus’ feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.

How about playing a little imagination game with me today? This is actually an exercise for reading the Bible that we used in my Spiritual Direction classes. It is Biblical Imagination.

So instead of just reading this story of healing, let’s put ourselves into it. Let’s pretend we were part of the narrative.

The question would be, who are you in this story? In reality our feelings about ourselves and where we are in our spiritual journey change daily. So you might feel more like one actor in this play today and tomorrow it all changes. The beauty of having the Living Word of God in our hands is that that is how it was written. So that God can talk to us in different ways on different days. 

But back to our game. Who are you in this story today? And if you say you are one of the pigs, let’s talk after service!

There are in fact several actors in this narrative. It is interesting to me that the disciples are nowhere to be found. Just before this encounter they had been on a wild boat ride. A storm had come up and they woke Jesus up in a panic. He of course calmed the storm. So perhaps they were busy cleaning the boat. Or perhaps Luke simply told the story as he had been told and no one mentioned the disciples. Maybe they were just on the side watching.

And maybe that is exactly where you are today. You feel like you are on the sidelines watching God work. Or perhaps you are preoccupied with some task. If it is you, how does that make you feel? If you’ve been through a storm catching your breath my be wise.

Just know, there is much to see and learn and there is more story to come. God hasn’t left you out!

Or do you feel more like the poor demon possessed man in this story who has found himself troubled, frightened, distraught, overwhelmed?

I would ask you to not get hung up on the demons. I would prefer to not do a theological discussion on demons and devils. I would rather focus on how this story may be speaking to each of us. That is really what Jesus is all about. Reaching out to us in love.

So having set that piece aside, there are many things in our lives, in our hearts that can torture us and leave us wanting to act out or run and hide. Things like guilt, shame, self condemnation, low self esteem. Feeling worthless is down right demonic because it is a lie.

Fear is another type of demon. It shuts us down and makes us unable to move forward. We might be afraid of losing our job, our home, or for those of us facing aging, our ability to think and take care of ourselves. 

And of course there are addictions of all kinds. Things that steal our time, our energy, our resources and yet we can’t find freedom from them. 

If this is you, then this healing is yours. Jesus is the healer who listens. He asks you to name the storm that is raging in your soul. And when you name it, confess it out loud, you give Jesus the power over it. This isn’t about knowing the right prayer, belonging to the right church, or sending your money to the right person. No, this is simply about giving Jesus the power over what rages within. I say simply, but I know it is not easy. Just begin by naming it.

There is a wonderful quote in the book of James that we rarely talk about but if we think about it carefully, it is powerful.

“Therefore confess your faults (name them) to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”

And if this is you also notice that, once healed, Jesus sends you home to tell everyone what God has done. No theological education necessary. Just go tell what God has done for you.

Sometimes we might even find ourselves being frightened by what we see happening. Is God moving and changing things in life? That can be scary. And truth be told, often we are asked to let go of something when that happens. 

The townspeople lost their livelihood that day. They could not see that God was moving, healing, changing the way things had always been. All they could see was what they had lost. Sometimes it feels that way in the church. What if God is moving and creating something new and all we can see is that we are losing what always has been?

Perhaps that job has to go so new and more fruitful things could happen. Or perhaps the injury or illness has allowed us more time to look for God in our life. Please know, I am not saying that God made you ill, took your job, or emptied the pews but rather that through Jesus, God can and will use it. 

There are many more examples but how about naming your own?

And If this is you then know that God is putting someone in your midst who would tell you all that God has done and is doing. Someone who will understand how scary it all seems. 

And finally, you may be the messenger for God’s healing grace. Yes, you may find that today you are Jesus’ hands and feet and mouthpiece. Then notice what Jesus does. He stops and talks to the one being tormented. He asks the person to name what is within. And he listens without condemnation. 

Perhaps, today, you are the healer who must pray for the one who has confessed, named those things hidden within. If this is you, then God bless you. We need you to be who you are called to be in this moment. Do not be afraid. You have the same Holy Spirit that Jesus walked this earth with.

Who are you in this story? What is the Holy Spirit saying to your soul? How will you respond? That is your part of the story. 

Finally, no matter who you are in this story there is one more thing we must take with us. Jesus calmed the storm on the lake for the disciples and Jesus calmed the storm within this man. God’s power is always greater than anything raging within or around your life. No evil, no demonic manifestation is greater than the power of God’s love for you. 

Waiting in the Questions

Romans 5:1-5 Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.

John 16:12-15  "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

The conversation as I might imagine it:

“I have so many more things to tell you. But now is not the time.”
“You have already told us so much. Why hold back anything now? Tell us. So we can know too.”
“No, you would not be able to understand. There are things to come that are beyond your comprehension.”
“But how will we know when the time comes what is right?”
“I am sending a messenger, one that will live within you, who will reveal all that you will need to know when the time comes. That messenger will speak out from the love that God has poured into your hearts.”

Can you imagine? I would be one who would say to Jesus, tell me now! I want to know NOW! We are a people who search for answers, who want our questions answered. I often wonder if that is why so many of the Evangelical denominations are so popular. They seem to have all the answers. But Jesus himself has said, you couldn’t handle all the answers now.

What if Jesus tried to explain the dilemmas of our time to the disciples? AI, atomic bombs, climate change, immigration etc etc. 

One of my heroes, Corrie Ten Boom, told a story that makes Jesus’ conversation clearer. Worried about the future, Corrie looks to her father for answers. She writes in “The Hiding Place,”

“Father sat down on the edge of the narrow bed. "Corrie," he began gently, "when you and I go to Amsterdam-when do I give you your ticket?"
I sniffed a few times, considering this.
"Why, just before we get on the train."
"Exactly. And our wise Father in heaven knows when we're going to need things, too. Don't run out ahead of Him, Corrie. When the time comes that some of us will have to die, you will look into your heart and find the strength you need-just in time.”

Jesus said, “The Spirit will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”

No one would be overly surprised if I were to say to you that we are at a time in our history when we have many many questions. What is the right thing to do? What is expected of me? Why is all this happening?

But in truth, we are always at some crossroads in our lives. We are always left with questions. 

Why did my loved one have to die? How do I keep on without him or her? 

Why did that car accident have to happen? How do I replace my car? 

Why did that tornado or flood or fire destroy everything? How do we rebuild?

These are the questions we live with day in and day out. Big questions and small ones. The answers are not always clear. But Corrie offers another piece of wisdom:

“When a train goes through a tunnel and it gets dark, you don’t throw away the ticket and jump off. You sit still and trust the engineer.”

God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us trust the engineer to get us through that dark tunnel. 

In the letter to the Romans Paul offers us words of encouragement for those dark times. Let me read this to you from Peterson’s The Message. This sums it up perfectly.

“There’s more to come: We continue to shout our praise even when we’re hemmed in with troubles, because we know how troubles can develop passionate patience in us, and how that patience in turn forges the tempered steel of virtue, keeping us alert for whatever God will do next. In alert expectancy such as this, we’re never left feeling shortchanged. Quite the contrary—we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!”

Passionate patience, tempered steel of virtue, and expectation that God will reveal himself to us when we most need it!  Just as Corrie eventually learns in the Ravensbruck Concentration Camp.

The Holy Spirit was with God in the beginning.  Genesis 1

"The earth was complete chaos, and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God (or the Spirit of God) swept over the face of the waters.”

The wind, the Spirit, just as in Pentecost is in you. All of God’s wisdom is available to you. And that wisdom is there for each of us. It is found deep in the pool of God’s love that has been poured into our hearts.

Living with the questions is not easy. It is in fact rather scary at times. But God calls on us to persevere with patience. To trust the engineer in the dark tunnels. To believe that when the time comes, we will be given the answers, the power, the gifts that we need to face whatever life brings.

At the beginning of my ministry I faced the challenges with the same fears many new parents have. I thought that I should be able to provide the answers. God has long since shown me that my call is to walk with others in the questions. And when we walk together, the Spirit moves. 

Just as The Spirit came on the day of Pentecost when they were all of one accord. They were all together with the mind of Christ. May we follow their lead. May we listen and obey when the answers, the wisdom is revealed.

"or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return. ” Pentecost 2025

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues[a] as the Spirit enabled them.

5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. 6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. 7 Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? 9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,[b] 10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome 11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!” 12 Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?” 13 Some, however, made fun of them and said, “They have had too much wine.”

14 Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice and addressed the crowd: “Fellow Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, let me explain this to you; listen carefully to what I say. 15 These people are not drunk, as you suppose. It’s only nine in the morning! 16 No, this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel:

17 “‘In the last days, God says,  I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.18 Even on my servants, both men and women,  I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy 19 I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. 20 The sun will be turned to darkness  and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord.21 And everyone who calls  on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ Acts 2

“On the whole, I do not find Christians, outside of the catacombs, sufficiently sensible of conditions. Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return. ”― Annie Dillard

This is one of my favorite quotes. Do we have any concept of the power of the God we call upon each Sunday morning?

Actually, as I thought about this quote coupled with the Pentecost reading I began wondering if perhaps we do in fact have a sense of the power of this God. And perhaps that is why so many Lutherans, and others of course, sit in the back of the church.  Thinking it safer in case God might show up. Which of course would be in the front by the altar. I wouldn’t be so sure of that.

Think about that scene on the day of Pentecost, the day God changed the lives of everyone there. The day we label the birthday of the church! It was pure chaos. It was confusing. It was mayhem. 

Fire and wind and loud noises and languages of all kinds. Holy Cow! If that happened here, who would hang around to see how it ended? We would probably all be out of here! Including me.

The church was not initiated into this world for boring, repetitive prayers. It was brought in with the energy of the Big Bang itself. Being ordained as a new beginning. A new creation. A new way of meeting and worshipping God.

And we may in fact be correct to say that it is safer in the back of the church, nearest the door. Perhaps back there our lives won’t be touched by the power of God. Perhaps back there we won’t need to change.

And yet, this is the church that God set into motion on Pentecost morning. One of power. One of communication. One of inclusion. 

The love of God would be proclaimed and offered to all people. No matter their color, their race, their language, their culture, their gender, their social status. All sinners offered that love, that opportunity to receive it.

In this single moment God reverses the communication barriers of the Tower of Babel. Not by making everyone speak the same language but by empowering the messengers to speak the language of the other. Empowering them to step into the proverbial shoes of the other.

Today’s technology allows us many ways to get around the language barriers.  But that is merely the mechanics of what God set into motion.

The prophet Joel made a point of saying that we would all be of one Spirit. We would be, as Jesus said, “One, as the Father and I are one.” That sounds so lovely. But think how that plays out.

We hurt when injustice hurts another. We weep with the mothers of the children killed and starved in the midst of war. We cry out for peace and equality for all people, because they and we are one.

Imagine the power that would be found in that unity. The power of God. The power of love.

And ultimately, that is the breaking of the language barrier God would put into place. That is the transformation that God’s Big Bang on Pentecost morning ignited. The language of love. Loving one another no matter what. And even as I preach this, I feel conviction. For we are called to even love the one that drives the nails into our hands. 

That is hard! And that is why we need the craziness of the Holy Spirit to take over our church services, our lives. Because without the Holy Spirit, sent in power, we can’t do it. 

On Pentecost morning God birthed the church. Not so that we could be the same way we have always been, but so that we could burst forth in power to love the world. 

What does that look like? Well, we must come together in one accord to listen.

I love looking up some of the words in the original Greek to find deeper meaning. Luke writes they were together with one mind, with one accord, with one passion. Strong’s dictionary says that phrase comes from

A unique Greek word, that helps us understand the uniqueness of the Christian community. Homothumadon is a compound of two words meaning to "rush along" and "in unison". The image is almost musical; a number of notes are sounded which, while different, harmonize in pitch and tone. As the instruments of a great concert under the direction of a concert master, so the Holy Spirit blends together the lives of members of Christ's church.

Folks, we must huddle together, not remain dispersed in our comfortable places, to become the power filled church of Pentecost. We must be of one passion, one mind. The mind of Christ, not the mind of the world.

Happy Birthday dear Church. May we be all we can be to the glory of God!