Covenant Presbyterian Church – Charlotte NC

A Time to Decide: Face the Demons

·22 min·2 clips

A naked man living in tombs confronts Jesus, shouting 'What have you to do with me, Son of God?'

The episode opens with a scripture reading from Luke 8:26-39, detailing Jesus' encounter with a demon-possessed man in the region of the Gerasenes. The man, who lived naked among tombs, is healed when Jesus commands the demons (named Legion) to enter a herd of swine, which then drowns. The restored man, now clothed and sane, sits at Jesus' feet, but the frightened community asks Jesus to leave. Jesus instead sends the man home to declare what God has done. The speaker then shares a personal story about naming her daughters Zoe and Eve, linking names to identity and belonging. This contrasts with the demon-possessed man, whose name and dignity were stripped away, as noted by writer Debbie Thomas. The sermon references a recent talk by Father Greg Boyle, who envisioned a world where we stand with the 'demonized' and 'disposable' to stop throwing people away. It questions what beliefs and fears allow communities to exclude individuals, analyzing fear as a form of storytelling per Karen Thompson Walker's TED Talk. The 'cocktail recipe' for disposal includes dismissing value, self-protection, and fear. The message highlights Jesus' refusal to see the man as an object, asking 'What is your name?' to restore relationship. An anecdote from Liz Clayson-Kelly of Roof Above describes a homeless man whose middle name was 'Perfect,' illustrating how naming reflects God's view of humanity. The sermon notes the community's fear-driven rejection of Jesus despite the healing, paralleling modern fears. It closes with a personal story of comforting a fearful child, emphasizing God's assurance 'I am with you' from scripture, and shares a blessing from John Carmody's book on finding consolation in God's care during trouble.

As heard by us

A Luke 8 sermon asks how fear can turn communal discomfort into a reason to cast someone aside.

Luke 8's Gerasene man, unclothed, living among the tombs, and driven into the wilds, gives this sermon its focus: the fears that can push a person out of community life.

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Why you'd press play

You want Luke's demons to lead somewhere uncomfortable: toward the fear a community learns to obey.

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