Freelton Strabane United Church
To live our discipleship with integrity and grace.
Horseshoe Falls Regional Council
Epiphany 4
January 28 2024
Minister: Rev. Will Wheeler, B.A. M. Div. 905-659-3380 E-mail: wwwheeler@sympatico.ca
Music Director Joan Simpson
Announcements
Gathering
(21 more voices)
Open our Hearts, open our minds
Open our lives to you O loving God
Open our Hearts, open our minds
Open our lives to you O loving God
Open our hearts
Call To worship
One: Join the company of saints in praise and thanksgiving to God.
All: With our whole hearts we come, marveling at the powerful works of our Creator.
One: God call us to a prophetic witness and judges the truth of our words and deeds.
All: We for renewal and clearer vision we are here to remember and learn.
Opening Prayer
Amidst all the competing authorities of our lives, O God, we turn to you for guidance, direction, and the hope that sustains us. We thank you for your promise that there is absolutely nothing in life or in death that can separate us from you and from your love for us. We thank you that you are God, and that you have the power not only to still the wind and the waves but to still our souls to reflect on your direction. May we in this time of gathering experience once more the joy of your salvation and freedom to live life in hope. We we entrust all these things to you in the name of Jesus who calls us to go forth.
One: Hear the word of God
All our ears are open
One: A reading from
One This is the word of the Lord
All Thanks be to God 1 Corinthians 8:1-13
One: Hear the word of God
Gospel Mark 1:21-28
One: This is the Gospel of our Lord
All Thanks be to God
Prayer
Lord as we ponder your words open our hearts that we may understand and know you. Amen
Sermon
Here the Gospel the lesson is taken from Mark 1:21-28
They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He[a] commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 28 At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee.
Now consider this a take on Acts 2:38
A woman had just returned to her home from an evening of church services, when she was startled by an intruder. She caught the man in the act of robbing her home of its valuables and yelled: 'Stop! Acts 2:38.
(Repent and be Baptized, in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins may be forgiven.)
The burglar stopped in his tracks. The woman calmly called the police and explained what she had done.
As the officer cuffed the man to take him in, he asked the burglar: 'Why did you just stand there? All the old lady did was yell a scripture to you.'
'Scripture?' replied the burglar. 'She said she had an Ax and Two 38s!' Now what are you going to remember this afternoon. The joke or what the gospel lesson was about.
If your memory is like mine more than likely you won’t remember either.
What is amazing about hearing this Gospel story is that we likely are not overly excited about this and will not likely rush home to pick up the phone and call and friend and say “wow I just heard this amazing story” you will likely say the minister told this funny story but I can’t remember it.
Some times we here the Gospel and don’t bat an eye. We know the story.
Once upon a time there was a man named Jesus. He cast out lots of demons. And we all nod our heads. Yes, we've heard about this before. Once upon a time and far, far away Jesus did this, but it doesn't have much to do with us, now does it?
Sometimes you will her people say oh that person has a lot of demons. Oh that person has a lot of demons to wrestle. For the most part they are not refereeing to a strong need to call the priest. They mean the person has a lot of struggles or problems. Unless you are talking to a parent with teenagers who could argue that their child is possessed.
Here in Mark he really does mean some kind of evil spirit or at least that was the understanding. One has to wonder if it was some real corporal possession.
That stereotypical historical few of mental illness as being demonic possession the idea of frothing at the mouth, running around naked. The great mental illness stigma some how conjures up some sort of demonic possession and society still struggles to understand the complex working of the human mind. The idea of mental illness being a demonic possession and that sort of thing is best left in the past . However, The New Revised Standard 2024 listing of demons are much more subtle, sophisticated and devious than the historical counterpart They go by names such as “popularity,” “acceptance,” “low self-esteem,” “ambition,” and many more.
And for such demons their exorcism demands a gospel of radical inclusion – unqualified love humour and grace. Here the gospel imperative is loud and clear and what makes this gospel relevant
The Gospel wisdom comes in the form of a question “What are the demons that you may fight with? I’m not even comfortable in calling them demons but they those things that tear at our souls. What is it that has kept you from being whole within yourself?
The demons are those things which are part of our lives that we struggle with those things that separate us from God and pull apart our spirit and keeps a safe distance between each other. Those aspects of our lives where at times we feel we have lost control.
They can be:
Wanting to speak up about how we feel or and about an injustice but being to afraid because we don’t want to be seen as a trouble maker.
Putting our soul into something and never feeling like we are making progress.
Striving to improve your physical self but always succumbing to old destructive ways.
Looking for direction but not being able to see the way ahead and so we just sit down on a rock and feel defeated.
Dreams and longing for something more but never being able to name it.
Fears of dependency, of failure.
And yes at times our own human frailty, our ego, self esteem our own need to feel important our ambitions
In my office as it is well known, I have a respectable rock collection. On good days I am able to name them by sight however I confess that I am getting older and I do have to turn them over to see how they are labeled. Naming something is important. In old traditions if you named something you had power over it. We see that when Jacob bests the Angel and Jacob says you must give me your name. We see it in the old fairy tale Rumpelstiltskin and we see it in the Gospel.
The demon says “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” But the Spirits power is so great that even though the demon try’s to get the upper hand Jeus silences it and commands it.
In all that we may struggle with in our lives even when those demons try to name us we are surrounded by the love of God and have the ability to silence them and cast them out. I know that this sound much easier than it really is. Truly I understand what it is to wrestle with things in ones live. Yet through the love of God found in prayers through God’s embracing arms we can name that which burdens us and take power over it. We find that strength here in a community of faith that wants and strives to be supportive and loving creating a safe space to know healing and God’s love.
Even as a community of Faith we struggle with our demon. That “this is the way it is” or this is the way we have always done it” We fail to see that these kind of statements might actually be like shackles, holding us where we are. However, the Spirit of God calls us to dream. Name that which holds us back and take power over it and move boldly forward with God as our guide
As it is written in Proverb 17:22 "A merry heart doeth good, like a medicine, but a broken spirit drieth the bones." (Proverbs 17:22 KJV)
In this season of enlightenment of understanding, it is a time to train our eyes and our hearts to be open to the revelations of God. It is a time that reminds us that even in the most familiar aspects of the faith there is still wonder, strength, healing and inspiration to be found. That we are to keep on the lookout for the ways that Jesus is revealed. Among us in our homes, here and in the communities. There is nothing wrong with heaving prayers against the door of heaven. When Jesus needed strength he went off to pray. We should do no less.
For God hears our prayers and moves with us on this journey towards wholeness. And will give us the strength we need to name and take control over our demons.
Through striving to be a loving caring community, by the presence of God’s grace by the inspiration of Jesus and by the lively action of the spirit our hearts can be merry for God has and will strengthen our souls.
May you find Jesus this week in your world. May you find strength in your own journey towards wholeness and may you be graced with the opportunity to walk with someone else on their journey. Here is where today’s lesson spans time and space. Here we find the value in today’s lesson which makes it memorable for it reminds us that God is with us and will help us name that which holds us back and empower us to move forward no alone but with God for in God we are not alone Thanks be to God Amen.
Prayers of the people
Slow me Down Slow me Down
Still my restless mind Still my restless mind
Quell my fears Quell my Fears
Quench my Thirsty soul Quench my thirsty Soul
Fill me with your love Fill me with your love
God of Truth God of Truth
God of love God of love
We own blessed God that there are days, moments in our lives when the burdens, the struggles that we carry, the “demons” we hold inside cripple us in our living. In our prayers we find your love empowering us to name all that which would hold us stagnant. By your Spirit we can be freed. In that freedom we are able to know the wonder of your creation.
We can only imagine your pain as you watch your creation suffer. We can only imagine your frustration as you watch your people demonstrate such a lack of compassion for each other and lack of care. We pray for our world for all those that know the continued terror of war, the agony of hunger, the deep grief of loss.
We pray your Spirit might move those that are able to change and see the world through eyes of compassion and love.
As you embrace us in our journey towards wholeness may we be so empowered by your love to embrace those that we know who need to know that they do not travel alone. We name these people before you.
Send your spirit to give courage to give comfort and most of all Hope. For hope sustains all things.
We give you thanks for our community of Faith. We are grateful for support that we know, for the joy and laughter we experience here in this place. But most of all we are grateful for the love through you that we find here. We offer our own prayers to you spoken in the silence of our hearts knowing that in your time and way they shall be answered. We offer you the great prayer that binds us as one Saying our father….
Offering
We give thee but thy own. The work of the Church continues and there are three ways you can continue to support that work. Consider using PAR, use the donate button on our Web Site or drop your gift at the Manse. Let us make our offering and give thanks.
Giving God for the Abundance and wealth you have given us we give you thanks. Accept what we offer here as a response to your generosity. Use these gifts as you see fit to continue your work in this world.. Amen
Commissioning and Blessing
One Go forth into the world to speak and live al God has commanded.
All With our whole hearts we venture forth marveling at our Creator’s majesty and power.
One: God goes with you, in love and support enabling you to make faithful witness.
Yesterdaywe honour our heritage.
Todaywe know that we are not alone,that we live in God's world.
Tomorrowwith God,we will discoverthe undiscovered country.
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