Luke 8:40–42

Luke 8:40-42

English Standard Version 

  So many of us have been there.  When life gets desperate, nothing else matters.  Here is a synagogue ruler, and we don't know what debates or discussions he's had about Jesus.  Maybe he's convinced that Jesus is who he says he is... maybe he's uncertain... we don't know, but it doesn't matter.  The man is desperate, and in those moments, we realize that all the trappings and comforts of achievements do not matter.  His daughter was dying, and so he throws it all aside and clings to Jesus.

  May we have the wisdom and humility to do the same.  May the Spirit help us see when we are not desperate that our achievements do not matter in the grand scheme -- may we run to Jesus each day, clinging to him as though he is the thing that matters most.  

Luke 8:37–39

Luke 8:37-39

English Standard Version 

  I can't help but read this passage and feel great sorrow for the people of the Gerasenes.  Jesus was in their midst, and they sent him away because they were filled with fear.  What a missed opportunity -- they could have been transformed the same way this man was.  

  He wanted to go with Jesus, but Jesus had a mission for him -- he was sent to go and share the story of what God has done.  It's hard to hear rejection -- he may have been certain as to what he thought God wanted for him.  But just because God said no to this request, that doesn't mean that God didn't have a plan for his life.  There was a story to be told, and think about how many people might have heard the good news because Jesus sent him to tell the story.  

  How can we tell the story?  How are we sent to say what Jesus has done for us?

Luke 8:34–36

Luke 8:34-36 

English Standard Version 

  People should rejoice at this transformation -- the man had previously lived naked and out of his mind amidst the tombs.  Jesus has liberated him from the forces that held him captive, and gives him the opportunity to rejoin the community.  

  The community sees him sitting with Jesus and they are afraid.  

  People fear what they don't understand, and so perhaps we close our minds to what God might be doing in our midst.  We question what it means to be powerful, what it means to be community, what it means to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  How will we respond when God calls us?  What does it mean for the community to change?

  The more time we intentionally set aside to hear from God, the more likely we are to respond with openness when God is on the move.  

Sermon on Ephesians 2:11-22 (2-8-2026)