Exercise our authority to expel evil

I wonder if, like in this morning’s Gospel reading (Mark 1:21-28), someone in here in our house of worship possess of an unclean spirit.  Look around you.  Might that person in the pew over there be consumed or obsessed by something contrary to the holy and sacred?  I wonder if anyone here this morning is in need of exorcism?  I won’t ask for a show of hands.

How about this… by show of hands, how many of you have observed unclean spirits outside the walls of this church – anti-human things contrary to the holy and sacred - that are in need of exorcizing?

Who in here believes they have been given the authority to cleanse and redeem through participation with power of the Holy Spirit?

On one hand, the idea of exorcism conjures up sometimes easy-to-dismiss-as-silly Hollywood images of special effects (spinning heads, etc.).  On the other hand, we have significant biblical references to the practice, the contemporary reality that people still seek them, and explicit instructions “Concerning Exorcism” in our Book of Occasional Services that say, “The practice of expelling evil spirits by means of prayer and set formulas derives its authority from the Lord himself who identified this acts as signs of his messiahship…. In accordance with…established tradition, those who find themselves in need of such a ministry should make the fact known to the bishop, through their parish priest, in order that the bishop may determine whether exorcism is needed, who is to perform the rite, and what prayers or other formularies are to be used.”

Further, some of the liturgical formulas for consecrating holy water incorporate words of exorcism and some forms of house blessings include essentially exorcism rites. 

The concept of our expelling corrupting and evil forces is part of the Good News we inherit as Christians.

Part of what the Spirit is calling us to consider this morning is the authority and power to liberate God’s creation from the bondage of sin and evil.

This liturgical year (Year B), we’re hearing primarily from the Gospel of Mark.  Although we’re still early in the liturgical year and therefore still in the first chapters of Mark, we’re told later in this Gospel that a sign of those who believe will be that they cast out demons in Jesus’s name (Mark 16:17).  In fact, all the Gospels (E.g.,  Matthew 10:7-8; Mark 13:34; Luke 10:17-20; and John 14:12) and some subsequent stories (E.g., Acts16:18)  are clear that faithful followers of Christ have been given authority to continue in Christ’s ministry, including casting out of demons.  And, there is even one story in the Gospels (E.g., Luke 9:49-50 and Mark 9:38-39) in which Christ’s students are concerned because they’ve seen someone, not a known follower, casting out demons in Jesus’s name – Jesus reassures them that is not only o.k., but a good thing.

In our Holy Baptism we say that we will “persevere in resisting evil” and “renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God” before we are lead through the water “from bondage to sin into everlasting life” and filled with and sealed by the Holy Spirit and “marked as Christ’s own forever.”  The Gospel of John (John 7:38-39) reminds us that out of the heart of believers the Spirit will pour rivers of living water.

All of this depends on authority.  Authority first that Christ Jesus manifested for us.  And then the authority passed on to use through the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Can you hear the Spirit this morning calling us to participate in the liberation of things that are inappropriately bound or restricted… to participate in redemption of God’s family in Jesus’s name?

FYI: On this date 151 years ago, Kansas was admitted to the Union as a free state, standing against slavery.  That ideological battle would rage on for many years afterwards.  Ultimately, the spirit of justice and freedom prevail.

(STORY: being asked to exorcise a demon during my CPE experience)

(STORY: serving on healing prayer team at my last two churches – being exposed to the demons that people presented and their requests for healing and cleansing of unholy things that had on their lives)

In the Gospel of Mark, there is a lot of talk about demonic forces being exercised and exorcised by Jesus’s very presence.  After Jesus is baptized, his mettle and spiritual authority is tested by Satan himself and then Jesus spends the rest of his ministry bringing light to dark places and situation, compelling the corruption possessing our bodies and lurking in our institutions to come out, be exposed, and to leave.

With the coming of Christ, evil has been put on alert that the Kingdom of God is now at hand.  No corrupting force can prevail over the love of God for God’s creation – the Jesus’s healing ministry and resurrection of Christ from death itself assures us of that.  Good news, indeed!  And we have been called to join him in this triumphant march of transforming love.

As one commentator put it, “Careful readers of Mark’s Gospel are put on notice from chapter 1 that the boundary-breaking, demon-dashing, law-transcending Son of God has arrived in the person of Jesus, and he expects of his followers far more than ‘amazement’.” (Gary W. Charles of Central Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Gerogia as quoted in Feasting on the Word)

Yes, we heard in today’s Gospel lesson that church-going (those in the synagogue) folk were astounded/amazed by his teachings and actions… because of the authority he demonstrated.  We are called beyond simply being impressed by Jesus.  Having been baptized into Christ’s mystical body, we are heirs to Jesus’s authority through the Holy Spirit and compelled to act on it – teaching, healing, and helping redeem in his name.

If someone has come into this place today possessed by something unholy, we invite you to freedom and liberation in Christ’s name right now.  We invite you to the cleansing waters of baptism, to receive nourishment from Jesus’s meal at this table, and to receive prayers and blessings as often as you need them.  Talk to any of us after the service if you need our help in claiming hope and new life in Christ’s name.

And, as we leave this church today, let us each be alert and aware to how evil might respond to the presence of Holy Spirit within us when we go about daily routines.  Following our Lord’s example, notice those people and situations around us in which darkness seems to linger.  Dare to do something about it!

Do not be afraid.  Go forth in safety and love to proclaim the Good News to those in need.

Although tradition tells us to proceed with caution in the matter of full-blown formal rites of exorcism (that undertaking requires exceptional preparation and prudence by those with more experience), tradition also shows us very clearly that with and through our faith in Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit, we are authorized in Jesus’s name to pray for the expulsion of evil and to work and witness for freedom, liberation, and healing in his name.

Another show of hands, how many of you have observed unclean spirits outside the walls of this church – anti-human things contrary to the holy and sacred – situations and people that need to be liberated from the bondage of evil?

Who in here believes they have been given the authority to cleanse, heal, and redeem through participation with power of the Holy Spirit in Christ’s name?

AMEN.