RoboPreacher

transform my malady The holy Gospel according to St. Mark Ch. 5, v. 1-20)! Faith is a counter -intuitive thing. And nowhere is this more obvious than today’s scripture; the Gerasenes’ Demoniac.   A frightening little episode. Beginning with this specter of a man running up to Jesus and shouting at him! Begging Jesus not to torment him. Jesus isn’t much for negotiating, though, he just asks the man his name.   But, instead of saying his given name, the demon speaks for the man.   Standing up straight, the demon boasts , “My name is Legion ,” for we are many . …Which brings us to this habit Mark has, of equating people with their ailment .   For instance, this man isn’t a person who’s possessed. He is his possession. So overcome is this man, that his entire identity is subsumed by his malady.   He isn’t a person who’s possessed, he is a demoniac… And one look at him could tell you that. …Apparently this man was running ar

not enough child's play The holy gospel according to St. Mark the 2nd Chapter ! What a scene! Word gets out that Jesus is back and in short order a crowd forms. The press of bodies is so intense it makes a barrier , keeping out anyone who would want to try and make their way to Jesus.   And, as it turns out, there are four people who want to make their way to Jesus. The ones carrying their paralytic companion on his mat.   They try pushing through the crowd this way and that, but make no progress . So, after a failed attempt or two, they try something else … The go around to the back of the house, and find a way to climb up to the roof!   With some effort they even manage to hoist their paralytic friend up!   Then , they start tearing off shingles and pulling up boards. Digging through plaster until they make a hole big enough to lower their friend through! …For as wild as all that was, though, what happens next is even more