Where are the demons?

The Psalmist notes how water is needed to combat the drought of summer, but then how it not only waters but also is poised to destroy: If the flood-waters overflow, it shall not come near him.

The opportunity and danger of water is shown in the icon of Jesus' baptism, where Jesus models the blessed use of water in baptism while standing in the blackness of the River Jordan, where the demons of chaos are ready to take advantage of any weakness or slip-up.

It brings to mind the dark waters of chaos that are restrained by God and space made for created life, and then again life which is renewed in the Noah story.

Safe passage through the water is the saving action of the Lord in the Exodus; the same water that then prevents the enemies from following.

This image of water as both blessing and danger would have a regular life reference in the annual rains of fall and winter in Israel.

They bring the needed moisture, but that moisture can turn into destructive floods.

As one who grew up on a farm, in November a few years ago I witnessed with dismay the aftermath of rains that had stripped the bare fields near Beth Shan of untold tons of topsoil and clogged the roads with mud and debris.

These days because so much water is withdrawn for use throughout the country of Israel, the Jordan River is little more than a small creek, but apparently in ancient times, it could become a raging, impassable torrent, ready to destroy the unwary.

The move in recent decades to be more generous in the use of water in Holy Baptism is in part a recognition of the power of this sign, the blessing it carries, as well as the demonic danger of drowning.

Prayer may seem to be thoughtlessly easy when things are going well.

But then when the difficult time comes, the demons of doubt, anger, or despair are ready to whisper in our ears; those demons are ready for action at any moment.

The 20^th century's well-known Christian apologist, C.S Lewis, wrote perceptively of the seductive dangers in Screwtape Letters.

In Letter 7 he warns that the demons may try to conceal themselves, so that we do not think that evil is active around us.

“Devils” are primarily comic figures in modern thought and literature, he observed, and what harm could there be in a figure in red tights and a silly smirk.

We have so many different ways of speaking of the problem.

Satan, the accuser, demons, chaos, sin, ….all of them are aspects of the situation of our broken relationship with God and of our separation from one another.

Oh, it is a fearful thing, this situation, by whatever name or aspect one experiences.

Satan, demons, chaos, sin....they shall not have the last word.

Jesus has faced them all, has bested them all, has restrained them all, so that can live now in the confidence of that final victory.

Isn't that what the Psalmist anticipates when he sings ...you surround me with shouts of deliverance.?

Mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord, he continues.

Do we need to hear that ...when the demon whispers doubt and anger in one ear as the doctor gives the diagnosis “cancer” in the other ear.!

Do we need to hear that ...when someone in our parish becomes an antagonist and our energy is sapped by dealing with the pain and brokenness of that antagonism!

Do we need to hear that ...to counteract Satan's derision as we live in the situation of brokenness in the Lutheran branch of the body of Christ from 5 years ago, from 150 years ago, from 500 years and 1,000 years ago!

You surround me with shouts of deliverance.

Mercy embraces those who trust in the Lord.

Oh, what precious words these are!

Somehow, they will be true words, often in ways that we cannot fathom, since we are caught up in the particular problems of the moment.

So what shall we do when they seem to be far away?

Here is a place to start.

In the book Wind, Sand, and Stars by Antoine Saint-Exupery, the author describes his encounter with a man who had been torn from his family and enslaved somewhere in north Africa.

Every shred of dignity had been taken from him, even his name, so that he was known to his captors as “Bark.”

The author observed how Bark dealt with this miserable situation.

Bark arose early in the morning and walked out into the desert.

There he laid out his anguish fully in length and detail in prayer

Then, satisfied that he had done all that he could possibly do to change the situation of his slavery, he returned to the camp and busied himself with the day's required duties, almost cheerfully.

His life was being guided by the future, not the past or present travail.

Perhaps he has caught the sense of the Psalm's final verse.

There we hear not a suggestion, but an imperative: rejoice in the Lord...all who are true of heart.

Satan, demons, chaos, sin....they shall not have the last word.

Happy are they whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sin is put away.

You surround me with shouts of deliverance. Amen.

Please note: The preceding sermon is provided as a resource for the thought, prayer, and meditation of the members and friends of St. Mark's. It is the residue of a verbal event, and thus it does not have academic footnotes and other details that would be expected in a written document. The writer gladly acknowledges the prior thought and work of many Christians before him.