Daily Scripture: Mark 5:14-15 Those tending the pigs, scared to death, bolted and told their story in town and country. Everyone wanted to see what had happened. They came up to Jesus and saw the madman sitting there wearing decent clothes and making sense, no longer a walking madhouse of a man.
16-17 Those who had seen it told the others what had happened to the demon-possessed man and the pigs. At first they were in awe—and then they were upset, upset over the drowned pigs. They demanded that Jesus leave and not come back.
Reflection Questions:Those who had tended the pigs ran into town to tell the wild tale. Curious, many people came out to the area of the tombs. There they saw the man who had been such an outcast source of fear and disorder now “fully dressed and completely sane.” You’d think the response would have been, “Wonderful! How did this happen?” Instead, sadly, when they heard about the lost herd of pigs, they begged Jesus to leave their region. Apparently for them the value of some ham or bacon outweighed seeing a man restored to life and health.
- William Barclay noted that, whether there is a herd of pigs involved or not, “A frequent battle-cry of the human mind is, ‘Please don’t disturb me.’” We have an inner tendency, he observed, to dislike anything that disturbs our comfort, our possessions or our settled religious patterns and beliefs.1 When have you sensed God’s claims touching a part of life that you’d rather not have disturbed? How did you respond?
- Psychologists have observed that even positive change can make us nervous, or even depressed. So it makes a sad kind of sense that the townspeople were bothered seeing the man dressed and calm—it was not what they had grown accustomed to. What positive change would you like to see in your life? What fears are making it hard for you to actually move toward changing?
Jesus, if I’m comfortable when I shouldn’t be, please disturb my life. And give me the courage to work with you to make the positive changes I long to see happen. Amen.
1 William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Mark, (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, pp. 122-123.
Janelle Gregory serves on the Resurrection staff as a Human Resources Specialist.
Do you ever feel like you’re trying to fit Jesus in around everything else in your life? You might be able to fit him in for an hour on Sunday, or perhaps for a brief moment before a meal. You will look for him to be there when life gets too hard, but other than that, it’s pretty much on your terms. We don’t want Jesus getting in the way of our plans, our schedule, our life.
Do you ever feel like you’re trying to fit Jesus in around everything else in your life? You might be able to fit him in for an hour on Sunday, or perhaps for a brief moment before a meal. You will look for him to be there when life gets too hard, but other than that, it’s pretty much on your terms. We don’t want Jesus getting in the way of our plans, our schedule, our life.
But being a Christian means that Jesus gets to penetrate into every aspect of your life. Will he mess up your plans? Most likely. But he messes up your plans so that you can be a part of his plans – plans for goodness, wholeness, and joy. The journey may be wild, scary, and sometimes dangerous. It often comes at a cost.
But hang in there. A wild, unpredictable journey with Jesus is better than your ordinary life.
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The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 22 April 2016 - “Tell them what the Lord has done for you”
Daily Scripture: Mark 5:18-20 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the demon-delivered man begged to go along, but he wouldn’t let him. Jesus said, “Go home to your own people. Tell them your story—what the Master did, how he had mercy on you.” The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.
Reflection Questions:
It made sense that the man wanted to stay with Jesus, who had healed and restored him. But a profound sense of mission had sent Jesus across the lake, and into Gentile territory, to heal a desperate man who lived among the tombs. Jesus shared that mission with the restored man, sending him back to his village to “tell them what the Lord has done for you.” Before the apostle Paul coined the phrase (cf. Galatians 2:8), the man was an apostle to the Gentiles.
Lord Jesus, you haven’t redeemed me just so I can hoard your grace and love for myself. Guide me and empower me for God’s mission in the world, which you’ve called me to join in. Amen.
But hang in there. A wild, unpredictable journey with Jesus is better than your ordinary life.
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The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection of Leawood, Kansas, United States for Friday, 22 April 2016 - “Tell them what the Lord has done for you”
Daily Scripture: Mark 5:18-20 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the demon-delivered man begged to go along, but he wouldn’t let him. Jesus said, “Go home to your own people. Tell them your story—what the Master did, how he had mercy on you.” The man went back and began to preach in the Ten Towns area about what Jesus had done for him. He was the talk of the town.
Reflection Questions:
It made sense that the man wanted to stay with Jesus, who had healed and restored him. But a profound sense of mission had sent Jesus across the lake, and into Gentile territory, to heal a desperate man who lived among the tombs. Jesus shared that mission with the restored man, sending him back to his village to “tell them what the Lord has done for you.” Before the apostle Paul coined the phrase (cf. Galatians 2:8), the man was an apostle to the Gentiles.
- One spiritual truth that sometimes hurts is that any kind of healing God gives us is never just for our own sake. Of course God wants to see us physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy—but God also wants us to become his hands and voice to restore others to health. Who worked with God to bring healing into your life? How can you extend that healing to others?
- The healed man, like Jesus' apostles on the night before his crucifixion (cf. John 14-16), thought he needed to be in Jesus' physical presence in order to experience his power. But, although God did some amazing things at the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was not non-existent until then. Do you believe Jesus' power stayed with the man as he “began to proclaim in the Ten Cities”? Are you confident that Jesus' power is with you today?
Lord Jesus, you haven’t redeemed me just so I can hoard your grace and love for myself. Guide me and empower me for God’s mission in the world, which you’ve called me to join in. Amen.
Insights from Darren Lippe
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Darren Lippe helps facilitate Journey 101 “Loving God” classes, guides a 7th-grade Sunday school class, is a member of a small group & a men’s group, and serves on the Curriculum team.
While considering today’s passage, I ran across a director’s “column” in an Oklahoma church choir newsletter (“The OK Chorale”) that might help us better understand today’s scene.
“The Director’s Stand” – G. Sharpe
Director’s Note: Remember to practice our secular musical selections for our Concert on the Lawn this coming Memorial Day weekend to kick-off our summer sermon series on “Who’s Who in the Bible.” Links are in the midst of this week’s newsletter.
This Sunday we’ll be performing that classic African-American Spiritual, “Who’ll be a Witness for my Lord?”
Noah – “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head”
Some spirituals offered heartfelt prayers, some were pleas for God’s deliverance from slavery, while others were coded messages for escaping slaves: “Steal Away Jesus” was sung when the coast was clear, “Wade in the Water” provided instructions to travel via streams & rivers to avoid detection, & “Follow the Drinking Gourd” was a figurative map referencing the Big Dipper constellation which pointed to the North Star & freedom.
Daniel – “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”
Today’s spiritual, though, is of a different genre. It cites a series of Biblical witnesses from Methuselah to Samson to Daniel testifying to the story of God. It then asks the haunting question for followers then & now, “Who’ll be a witness?”
Methuselah – “Stayin’ Alive”
The idea of being a witness can be very intimidating. Perhaps we are making it too hard. What if we try to think of witnessing just as ordinary people chatting about God & faith in the midst of their everyday lives? Like the story of the demon-healed man in Mark 5:18-20, we are called to use our personal salvation story to spread the news of God’s deliverance for all His children. This man, whose name is known only to God, becomes one of the first evangelists to the Gentile world & each one of us 2,000 years later benefits from his willingness to share his story of healing & hope.
Adam & Eve – Strangers in Paradise
As theologian W. Derek Suderman writes, “Christian scripture can exist without us, but it cannotfunction as scripture without a people attentive to its witness & seeking to embody its call.” May each of us feel such call by the concluding stanza & realize that “My soul will be a witness for my Lord.” Sopranos are on for the treats. See you on Sunday!
Shadrach Meshach Abednego – “Great Balls of Fire”
Closing Note: Some in our congregation have inquired about the story behind my name. My father, also a church choir director, named me Geoff Sharpe to commemorate my birth story. Mom & Dad were rushing to the hospital when the station wagon had a flat tire. Paramedics were quickly on the scene to safely deliver me on the tailgate. So Dad always called me G. Sharpe to remember that we had A Flat. (Of course, you music aficionados already realize they are the same note.)
While considering today’s passage, I ran across a director’s “column” in an Oklahoma church choir newsletter (“The OK Chorale”) that might help us better understand today’s scene.
“The Director’s Stand” – G. Sharpe
Director’s Note: Remember to practice our secular musical selections for our Concert on the Lawn this coming Memorial Day weekend to kick-off our summer sermon series on “Who’s Who in the Bible.” Links are in the midst of this week’s newsletter.
This Sunday we’ll be performing that classic African-American Spiritual, “Who’ll be a Witness for my Lord?”
Noah – “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ on my Head”
Some spirituals offered heartfelt prayers, some were pleas for God’s deliverance from slavery, while others were coded messages for escaping slaves: “Steal Away Jesus” was sung when the coast was clear, “Wade in the Water” provided instructions to travel via streams & rivers to avoid detection, & “Follow the Drinking Gourd” was a figurative map referencing the Big Dipper constellation which pointed to the North Star & freedom.
Daniel – “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”
Today’s spiritual, though, is of a different genre. It cites a series of Biblical witnesses from Methuselah to Samson to Daniel testifying to the story of God. It then asks the haunting question for followers then & now, “Who’ll be a witness?”
Methuselah – “Stayin’ Alive”
The idea of being a witness can be very intimidating. Perhaps we are making it too hard. What if we try to think of witnessing just as ordinary people chatting about God & faith in the midst of their everyday lives? Like the story of the demon-healed man in Mark 5:18-20, we are called to use our personal salvation story to spread the news of God’s deliverance for all His children. This man, whose name is known only to God, becomes one of the first evangelists to the Gentile world & each one of us 2,000 years later benefits from his willingness to share his story of healing & hope.
Adam & Eve – Strangers in Paradise
As theologian W. Derek Suderman writes, “Christian scripture can exist without us, but it cannotfunction as scripture without a people attentive to its witness & seeking to embody its call.” May each of us feel such call by the concluding stanza & realize that “My soul will be a witness for my Lord.” Sopranos are on for the treats. See you on Sunday!
Shadrach Meshach Abednego – “Great Balls of Fire”
Closing Note: Some in our congregation have inquired about the story behind my name. My father, also a church choir director, named me Geoff Sharpe to commemorate my birth story. Mom & Dad were rushing to the hospital when the station wagon had a flat tire. Paramedics were quickly on the scene to safely deliver me on the tailgate. So Dad always called me G. Sharpe to remember that we had A Flat. (Of course, you music aficionados already realize they are the same note.)
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The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection
13720 Roe Avenue
Leawood, Kansas 66224, United States
913.897.0120
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