Epiphany
Celebration of God
Manifested in the World
February 7, 2015
Scripture Reading: Mark 1:29-39
That evening, at sunset, they brought to him all who were sick or possessed with demons. And the whole city was gathered around the door. And he cured many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and he would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew him. — 1:23-34
Being demon possessed means one has come under the control of a fallen angel.* When one is demon possessed he or she is settling for something less than God. I fear we are all guilty of fooling ourselves at times by worshiping something less than God. Making such a choice fractures our relationship with God. Like Fred Sandford who oft said, “The Devil made me do it”, we don’t take responsibility for our own choices of following the easy, perhaps more mesmerizing, path instead of the road less travelled that provides far greater substance and sustenance for our souls.
In our times of digital communications when we can say instantly what we feel and think, we sometimes do not consider how our comments might be received. I do not know how many times I have written something that truly reflected what I was feeling at that moment. On rereading it, I noticed how petty it sounded. My tiredness, my frustration with my computer or whatever else is distracting me, or perhaps with the issue shines through with all its lack of glory. I have communicated the demon within me rather than the message God wishes my correspondent(s) to receive. I now try to proofread everything with this in mind. In my busyness, however, I sometimes miss something. I have found the process to be rather cathartic. It is my way of inviting God to cleanse me of the demons I am allowing into my everyday life. My hope is that someday I will be freed from those demons so I will not have to do so much rewriting being God focused will just come naturally to me.
Prayer: Lord, cleanse our hearts and our minds of the demons that rob us of energy that could be used more productively in your service. Amen.
*http://biblehub.com/greek/1139.htm
**See Robert Frost poem, The Road Not Taken at http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html
All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.