Readings: Isaiah 40: 21-31; Mark 1: 29-39
In preparation for today I asked Cynthia for some information about what Karen preached about last Sunday – and her quick response was to provide me with a copy of Karen`s sermon. The reason for my request was that I had thought long and hard about what the incident in the synagogue of Capernaum might mean and wanted to share some of my findings about it – also, to be an honest as I can, I preached a sermon on that incident at St Aidan`s last Sunday and being a lazy sort of person now amongst friendly people I felt you wouldn`t mind if I didn`t produce something new and shining. And also, in some ways, the reading from Mark`s gospel for today is a continuation of the preaching and healing ministry of Jesus.

1. Just one small introduction. We were told that Jesus preached “with authority” - I interpret that to mean that he not only knew what he was talking about, but also was able to communicate in a way that engaged and impressed his hearers. Some years ago we went with friends to Church in Inverness – an Anglican church being the nearest to where we were staying. Our two friends who were travelling with us consisted of a Church going wife and a non-church going husband. The theme of the minister`s sermon was “Don`t worry, be happy” – not only did he speak about it but he also sang the line a number of times. I didn`t mind too much but our non-church going friend got pretty angry – not only because he didn`t much like pop tunes but because his prostate cancer gave him plenty to worry about. For him at least the preaching could not be described as being “with authority”- the message was communicated well but didn`t have a lot of depth to it.

2. There was another echo for me when Jesus was interrupted by a mentally disturbed man. He is described as having an evil spirit which made the man feel so terribly frightened that 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”. We are not actually told what happened to the man apart from the statement that at the rebuke of Jesus, the evil spirit departed from him.
The echo from this story came to me out on an incident in a Chapel when a strangely dressed woman interrupted me during my sermon by telling me in a loud voice that I was talking nonsense. The stunned congregation listened while I engaged in a dialogue with her which after a while seemed to appease her. She disappeared very quickly after the service. I was then approached by one of the elders. “That has never happened in this Chapel before – but wasn`t it interesting?” The big difference between what happened there and at the Synagogue at Nazareth was that the people there conferred on Jesus even greater authority “With authority he commands even the evil spirits and they obey him.”

3. Now whatever you think about this incident – and there are some today who believe in exorcism and others who believe that God not only causes some people to be afflicted by disease and injury, but also that he chooses who shall be healed and who shall be ignored. For my part I believe that God not only works through people using all the skills of human resourcefulness and dedication but also that confronted by a person such as Jesus in a pre-scientific age and believing that he was able to heal they did find freedom from whatever ailed or possessed them. The mission of Jesus didn`t focus on miraculous healings but upon the arrival of the Kingdom of God and the possibility of liberation.

4. In fact the main thrust of the preaching and teaching of Jesus could well be on the theme of liberation – not only in the light of that incident in the Synagogue of Capernaum but also in the Synagogue at Nazareth. Luke Chapter 4 – Jesus reads from the book of Isaiah these words “ The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord”. We are then told that he sat down and made a claim which not only created a sensation but also led to attempts on his life - “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your sight”. I think that there was a political element in his concern for liberation – against the tyranny of Roman rule but never to be achieved by violent means. When people wanted to make him their king he refused, and he resisted the temptation to use the ways of the world to achieve his goal.

5. I have no doubt that Jesus wanted people to be set free from what bound them – I have a list and no doubt you could add to it. Certainly freedom from racial and gender prejudice, from being possessed by possessions, driven by greed, engaging in snobbery, setting limits on love, being quick to see the faults of others and slow to see our own, burning with jealousy, seeking revenge, the selfishness that judges everything in terms of how it affects us, and the lack of compassion that leads to self- righteous judgments being made. There is also of course the liberation which Jesus, as one of the most radical persons who has ever lived, directed towards the principalities and powers of this world which keep people enslaved by injustice, inequality, corruption and terror.

6. I feel now that I may be moving from Capernaum to the Synagogue at Nazareth - I don`t think that anyone of us ( and I include myself ) are as free as we might think we are. I`m not suggesting that you may addicted to illegal drugs, alcohol or tobacco – although that is not impossible. But can you honestly say that you are totally free of resentment about real or imagined hurts? that any anger than you might have is rational rather than irrational? that there are never times when your preference is to walk by on the other side of the road rather than getting involved in the injustices and pain of others? that you never experience deep anxiety or fear about becoming ill or dying? Or dwell on the past caught up with the “if only” or “what might have been” syndrome. It may well be that we are not in bondage to any of these things, but unless you are very different to me you are very much the produce of the culture into which you were born – so much so that we often either don`t know why we act or react in the way we do, or we do know but at times find it very difficult to break free. At a very minor level I know why it is that I always feel a bit guilty when I spend money on myself – a Scottish mother who counted every cent and who would never spend anything on herself does leave a pretty deep impression – and even when I escape enough to buy a new car or replace a computer I feel pretty guilty. At a much deeper level other cultures can lead a father to kill his three daughters and his first wife because the daughters were not willing to obey him – a so called honour killing which has destroyed a whole family either by death or by imprisonment.

7. I believe that it is possible for the things that bind us to be broken (or at least loosened) through the grace and presence of Christ in our lives. But only if that is what we want. Sometimes of course the circumstances of life bring freedom in that an unexpected illness or the death of a close friend or member of our family can help us to re-discover what really is important. You may have examples of that out of your life experiences. My example arose last year in Paris when a very clever pickpocket went off with my wallet – money and credit cards. For the remainder of that Sunday afternoon I was very angry but suddenly I had unexpected feeling of being free – at least in the short term I had nothing more anyone could steal. What a relief.

8. I finish this rather rambling sermon with a note of hope – we are all ordinary people who know that the truth of Jesus is meant to set us free but we often fall far short of the mark. It may be a comfort but not an excuse to know that the disciples close to Jesus had the same problem.