Hello and welcome to Tuesday. My name is Alan and I will be sharing a thought with you to take you into the day.

REFLECTION:

Today’s reading is from Mark, chapter 5, verses 1-20. But here is my focus for the day from the end of the passage:

As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Here is a man who hid among the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. No-one could help him; no-one could subdue him; he wouldn’t let anyone close. People were afraid and with good reason, so he hid. He fought; he was by all accounts, a monster.

I wonder who would be the modern day equivalent?

In Natter (our drop in café for those aged 60 or better!) we have been watching the whole Alpha film series. There are 15 films in total. We are taking our time, watching one film each month, but what has impacted me the most are the stories of people who were once violent, broken, vicious and nasty people who prayed simple prayers and were transformed overnight. People who were full of hate and self loathing who are now totally transformed, leading churches or working in prisons and seeing others radically changed.

When I read this story in the Bible about Jesus meeting a man terrifying and violent, uncontrollable, unreachable, I often picture the ex-prisoners in the Alpha film series videos. I am not suggesting that these men were demon possessed or that demon possession can be explained away in simple or psychological ways – I don’t think it is that straightforward – but I see men who underwent a dramatic and total transformations… from deep darkness to beautiful all encompassing faith. And I believe that God can transform the most lost, the most broken, the most violent, the most abusive people. Those who have done the worst crimes that you can possibly imagine, released, freed, redeemed, restored… Isn’t God amazing?!!?

There are two things that I want to draw out from this passage:

Firstly, I don’t know what skeletons you have in your closet, I don’t know what guilt you carry, what feelings of shame weigh you down – but God does! He knows you inside out, he knows your past and your future, your struggles and your triumphs… your guilt and your shame… and as we are summoned to stand before him, staring at our feet, too ashamed to lift our eyes and look him in the face… he places an arm around our shoulders, gently lifts our chin, so that our eyes meet his… We don’t see anger, we don’t see pity… we see love, we see the fathers heart of longing for his dear child.

He takes us from among the tombs, angry and aggressive, cutting ourselves and rejecting others and restores us to our right minds, he brings peace to the chaos that rumbles deep inside us and welcome us – welcomes us into his family…

He doesn’t want to punish, he wants to restore… sure, that might be hard, we may own up, apologise, to make amends, to make peace with those we’ve hurt… but he will help us through every step… and it is so worth it…

Secondly I want to draw our attention to what Jesus does next. The man wants to come with Jesus. He wants to become his disciple.

Jesus turns him away, tells him to go home…

Now this can seem a bit of a contradiction… Jesus has done so much for him and now he rejects his wish to follow him…

Or this is actually the first step for the man on his discipleship walk!

You want to follow me… Yes, absolutely! Follow me by going back home and telling everyone you know, everyone you have hurt, everyone who thought they knew you, who had written you off as a lost cause… Go tell them how much the Lord has done for you,