Readings
for Epiphany 4B:
Mark 1:29-39
January 29, 2006
The Rev. Karen Siegfriedt
St. Jude the Apostle Episcopal Church, Cupertino,
CA
And Jesus said to the unclean spirit: “Be quiet and come out of him.” [Mk. 1] What I would like to talk about today is our vocation as Christians. That vocation is to carry on the ministry of Jesus into the 21st century by speaking his truth with authority and by offering healing to others through acts of grace. I will use the gospel story as my text.
In today’s reading from the gospel of Mark, Jesus enters the synagogue at Capernaum, a city located on the NW shore of the Sea of Galilee. Capernaum is one of the most important cities in the gospels, especially in Jesus’ Galilean ministry. It is not explained why Jesus, early in his ministry, left his native town of Nazareth for the much larger city, “Capernaum by the Sea” but it is the only place in the gospels of which it is said that Jesus was “at home.” In the synagogue, Jesus astonishes the crowd with the authority of his teaching and his power to heal. On this particular day, there is a man with an unclean spirit who cries out. We are not told the exact nature of this demon but we do know that Jesus is able to identify it, call it out, and restore the man to right relationship with God and to the community. This is both an act of grace and truth.
In religious terms, we call this process of healing an exorcism. This process of healing and restoration happens all of the time but not in the manner of a Hollywood drama. God has the power to heal, transform, and sanctify us from that which is destructive. It is as simple as that. Some of us allow God to use us as agents of healing and grace.
If we want to make sense out of this story, we must first understand exactly what an unclean spirit or demon is. Unfortunately, artists and storytellers have portrayed demons as imaginary evil creatures, with physical bodies, that inhabit and take over a person’s personality. While this makes for interesting art and hair-raising tales, this caricature discredits their actual activity in our lives and in our institutions.
Each one of us, has at our center, a spirituality. This spirituality is made up of many spirits, some of which are fallen and which control our decision making process. We call these fallen or corrupt spirits, demons. They include but are not limited to the spirit of jealousy, cruelty, greed, lust, anger, violence, self-indulgent appetites, pride, dishonesty, uncharitable thoughts, injustice, and a blindness to human need and suffering.
There is a spirituality at the center of every institution. This spirituality is made up of many spirits, some of which are fallen. They determine how the institution conducts itself. We call these fallen or corrupt spirits, demons. They include but are not limited to the spirit of racism, sexism, domination, political oppression, ecological degradation, militarism, patriarchy, economic greed, and the disregard for human life. Because we interact with these institutions (whether it is the government, schools, police force, media, the church, construction companies, or commercial institutions) their “spirituality” influences our spirituality and vice-a-versa. It is into this world of “fallen spirits” that we receive the good news in Christ: God transforms us through truth and grace.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh and lived among us, full of grace and truth…And from his fullness, we have received grace upon grace.” [John 1] Grace and truth make up the spiritual DNA of Christianity, the building blocks of Christ centered living. These complementary strands create a spiritual balance. Without both strands, we cannot function properly. Jesus was both grace and truth.
Jesus spoke the truth 100% by exposing the domination system of his day. He identified the demons that had corrupted people’s hearts and institutions. He called for repentance and preached the great commandment: Love God with all your heart, mind, and soul, and your neighbor as yourself. He laid out a different vision of reality called the Kingdom of God. In this vision, violence, domination, and injustice are replaced with forgiveness, inclusivity, and justice. In this vision, those at the bottom of the heap are given a voice and access to a dignified life. In this vision, distorted thinking is replaced by God’s wisdom and compassion replaces greed as the operating principle.
But in addition to speaking the truth, Jesus was 100% grace. He healed the sick, blessed the poor, fed the hungry, protected the powerless, comforted the mournful, visited the wayward, and encouraged those of low esteem. He embraced children, women, those with illnesses, the foreigner, and those on the margins. It is this ministry of grace and truth that we, the Body of Christ, are called to carry on today. It is a ministry of balance and humility.
“ Truth without grace breeds a self-righteous legalism that poisons the church and pushes the world away from Christ. Grace without truth breeds moral indifference and keeps people from seeing their need for Christ. It is not enough to offer grace or truth. We must offer both. Truth oriented Christians love studying Scripture and theology. But sometimes they are quick to judge and slow to forgive. Grace oriented Christians love forgiveness and freedom. But sometimes they neglect the wisdom of the Bible and see moral standards as legalism. Truth without grace crushes people and ceases to be truth. Grace without truth deceives people and degenerates into deceitful tolerance. Truth is good advice but grace is good news.”*
One of the reasons I love the Episcopal Church is because I think it has been a beacon of light when it comes to both grace and truth. Our Church has frequently exposed the lies of domination and injustice, even at a cost to its own membership. The Church is committed to acts of grace and often errs on the side of mercy and inclusivity. After WWII, Bishop Block looked out over the diocese of California and noticed the migration of people into the suburbs. Believing in the gospel of grace and truth and desiring that others be invited to follow this path, he took a gamble. He put the diocese into debt by buying up pieces of land so that one day, Episcopal Churches could be established all over the diocese in order to spread the good news in Christ.
We at St. Jude’s in Cupertino are the recipients of his gift. The original piece of land in Cupertino, bought by the diocese, was traded for six acres of land on the corner of McClellan and Stelling. Three acres were sold to the Nazarene Church next door in order to build the church and Sunday School buildings. In the early days of the 1960’s, people from St. Marks, St. Andrews, and the surrounding areas, joined together to build this community of faith. Some of those founders are still part of this congregation. These early founders had a thirst for justice and a compassion for the needy. Grace and truth were in their bones and they have passed this legacy onto us.
As the community of faith of St. Jude the Apostle, we continue with this ministry of grace and truth. The fruits of this ministry are summed up in the Annual Report. They are abundant and for you and your ministry, I give thanks. At times however, we do have difficulty in balancing and maintaining our mission of grace and truth. Sometimes we fudge on the truth, afraid to look at our own fallen spirits or hesitant to recommend the faith to others. Sometimes we fudge on grace, afraid to embrace those who are different from us or too busy to stop and care for those in need.
I know that in my own ministry, there have been times when I have failed to speak the truth, either out of fear of conflict or discomfort to myself. There have been times when I have failed to offer grace, either because of expediency or emotional fatigue. For these transgressions, I ask for your forgiveness and for your prayers and encouragement. As your rector, I will continue to pray and encourage you in truth and grace. I will try my best to proclaim by word and deed, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and to nourish you from the riches of his grace and strengthen you to glorify God in all that you do. May God who has begun a good work in us cleanse us from our demons and empower us for service in his kingdom.
* The Grace and Truth Paradox by Randy Alcorn, Multnomah Publishers, 2003
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