Watertown First Presbyterian Church

Rev. Dr. Jerry Benjamin

July 6, 2008 JESUS VALUES: WELCOMING

Luke 8:26-35

Many years ago, Barbara and I attended the annual meeting of the Emergency Family Assistance Association in Boulder, Colorado. I was an officer of the board then, and thought I knew all about everything in the agency. I expected a dull meeting. I was wrong. Some wise person had invited one of our former clients to speak.

Her name was Gloria. A few years before, she and her infant son found themselves in our wealthy university town, newly abandoned and newly broke. She had given her life to being a good housewife and mother. One day her husband had gone out and not returned. She found the bank accounts were empty, insurance policies cashed out and the house mortgaged and re-mortgaged, with payments overdue. After applying for help that wouldn’t come for a while, she was told to go to ECHO house, our agency’s emergency housing facility. She walked in and met Margie, our social worker, sitting at her desk just inside the door. Margie said, “Welcome”

Gloria reports it as a moment that changed her life. Broken and alone, she had found welcome. She got temporary housing and began to learn how to look for housing. She got surplus food and learned to prepared meals with food she could afford. She learned to fill out an application, how to dress for an interview, and how to look for work. She found work, a home and hope for herself and her son. She later went to school to learn to help others.

Note that no one asked, ‘was it her own fault?’ ‘Why didn’t she do this or that better?’ ‘Who is to blame for this?’ Margie just said ‘welcome.’

Listen to this story about Jesus and his followers.

Then they arrived in the country of the Garasenes, which is opposite Galilee. As he stepped out on land, a man of the city who had demons met him. For a long time he had worn not clothes and he did not live in a house, but among the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the most high God? I beg you, do not torment me.’ -for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man, (for many times it had seized him, and he was kept under guard and in shackles, but he would break the bonds and be driven by the demons into the wild.) Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said ‘Legion,’ for many demons entered him. They begged Jesus not to order then to go back to the depths.

Now there was on the hillside and large herd of pigs, feeding, and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter the pigs, so he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the man and entered the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake, and was drowned.

When the swineherds saw what happened they ran off and told it in the city and the country. Then people came out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons were gone sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

Among the things that Jesus did that frightened people are his welcoming of all sorts of people and his stories of welcome. The characteristics of Jesus and his followers frighten us still as we walk among the mad, the dirty, the dangerous, the ugly, the homeless, the ornery, the contrary family members and the wildly different. But the teaching remains clear. As I said last week, the idea of welcome is central to the work and words of Jesus. He said, “Judge Not,” and “Whoever welcomes the least of these…welcomes me.”

There was a boy, vicious and greedy. He said to his father, ‘I can’t wait for you to die. Give me my inheritance now.’ The boy violated the traditions of his people, insulted his father and –as if to underline the violation-went off to work among foreigners, where he lost everything. He ended up tending pigs and eating pig food, a terrible fate for a Jewish boy. He decided to go home, not repentant or loving: Just hungry.

And to old man ran across the front porch and across the yard and into the street to embrace his lost son. ‘Rejoice,’ he said. ‘My son has returned.”

Welcome.

A crowd listened to the words of Jesus until suppertime. “Send them home,” said the disciples. “No,” Jesus said, “You feed them.” And they did.

Welcome.

And a leper, living disfigured and cast out of his community. And Jesus touched him. And healed him.

Welcome. Welcome to my life and my will and my power to heal. Beloved child of God, welcome back to life.

There was a gathering of the people of God for worship, and you came. Your mind was on the countless details of life. Maybe you have given God a little thought, but only in passing. You were distracted by a family member who annoyed or disappointed you. You thought about work or the lousy drivers or the weather or even the work you do for the church. And Jesus said, “Come to me all you who are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest. Welcome.

The madman sat, healed, at the feet of Jesus. There he still frightened the others. Perhaps he looked the same, talked the same, even acted the same. Sometimes maybe a cuss word escaped from those old days. But his was a life Jesus had touched, and he, along with those he frightened, was welcome in the company of the people of God. Welcome to this stumbling, struggling, imperfect community. Beloved child of God, welcome home. Amen.