"Identity Crisis" - Sermon from June 23, 2013

Listen to "Identity Crisis," the sermon from June 23, 2013, by Rev. Rebekah Falk-Jones.There are two characters in today’s scripture readings that couldn’t seem more opposite: Elijah, the powerful prophet of God, and the Gerasene demoniac, an unclean Gentile.  The differences between these two characters far out way what they have in common; but, they do hold something in common: an identity crisis.Let’s start with the prophet. Elijah has just come from defeating the prophets of Baal with a spectacular showdown of fire from heaven, proving whose God is more powerful.  We find him in this passage holed up in a cave, asking God to let him die.  What the heck happened?  How could he go from feeling so sure of his role as a prophet and being utilized by the power of God to feeling like he wants to give up and die?  It sounds like he is having a major identity crisis.Meanwhile, our demoniac situation is much clearer.  The poor soul doesn’t even have a name to give to Jesus when asked who he is.  He simply replies, Legion, which means multitude.  This poor nameless man doesn’t even have an identity anymore.  It has been robbed by a multitude of warring demons within this man’s soul.  He has been robbed of his identity and has been in this crisis for quite some time.These two stories have something to teach us, each in a unique way, about how to respond to the uncertainty and chaos of our lives and how God intervenes and guides us in those most difficult of spaces.Throughout the story of Elijah running to the wilderness, there are nuggets of wisdom from which to choose for what the story can teach us.  First of all, we know that he has just experienced a real high with God, showing the people of Israel and the prophets of Baal that Yahweh is the Almighty God.  Unafraid then, Elijah even taunted the prophets, teasing that their god must have been asleep when they called on Baal.  With utter confidence, Elijah called upon Yahweh to rain down fire on the alter that had been dowsed with water, and God showed up!  Even though Elijah says at that event that he is a lone prophet, he does not seemed dismayed; however, when he learns that Jezebel desires to have him killed after what happened with the prophets of Baal, Elijah runs for his life.  What is so ironic about this is that he runs for his life only to tell the Lord that he wants to die, feeling like a failure.  As he compares himself to his ancestors, he begins to feel sorry for himself and reevaluates his identity as a prophet, feeling defeated.  The Israelites aren’t listening, he believes he is left alone to guide the people of God, and his rival is out for his life.  Elijah’s sense of self is all of the sudden turned upside down, and he‘d rather have God end his life than let Jezebel get the satisfaction of ending it for him.But what does God do?  One might expect and desire for Yahweh to show up again in some extraordinary way like raining fire from heaven to give assurance that God will change a situation with might.  That seems as though it would be nice.  However, when God tells Elijah to go see how God will pass by, the extraordinary events that pass by, the fire, earthquake, and great wind, are not how Elijah experiences God.  God comes in a still small voice, and asks Elijah again what he is doing hiding in a cave.  Instead of giving him a big ego boost about his identity as a prophet, God encourages Elijah to go back to work.  If we read further than verse 15, we learn that God’s grace to Elijah is assuring him that he is not alone, as he has believed.  Elijah got wrapped up in his identity as a prophet so much that he began to take himself too seriously, as if God couldn’t manage without him.  God tells Elijah that not only is there another prophet who will be anointed, but also there are 7000 who have not followed the way of Baal.  Elijah’s calling is to be faithful and to persevere in the work that God has given him, trusting that he is not alone and that his identity is not dependent upon his success as a prophet but upon God who is at work beyond what Elijah even knows.Now let’s look at the Gerasene demoniac.  He lives among the dead and roams naked when he isn’t chained by shackles.  His existence can hardly be recognized as life.  No telling how long he has been without an identity, but Jesus can see through the myriad of demons to the core of this man and desires to release him from all that shackles his being.  The demons have wreaked havoc on this poor, tattered soul for far too long, and Jesus intends on bringing this man to wholeness.  As the demons enter the pigs, thinking they could escape the great abyss they so fear, Jesus gets the last word by driving the pigs right into the water the demons desire to avoid.  The man is released from all the evil that held him captive for so long, and his demeanor is now calm as he sits at the feet of Jesus clothed and in his right mind.  The people are both amazed and appalled and they want Jesus to leave.  Instead of rejoicing with this man who is now restored to life among them, they are afraid.  Maybe they fear that his new identity will require them to engage him and be in relationship to him.  It was safer for them when he was a crazed demoniac.  They had reason to keep their distance.  Even with a fresh and healed identity, this man does not have a place to exist.  He begs Jesus to let him follow him to be a disciple, but what does Jesus do?  He tells the man to go home and live among the people, the same people who aren’t so sure they want to accept this man’s restored identity.  Jesus knows that his testimony will make it impossible for the people of Gerasene to forget about him and to forget what Jesus did for him.  Restoration here is not just for the man who is healed but also for the community who has been comfortable to keep their distance from one of their own.  His calling is to be present where he is and live among his people, allowing God to do the rest.  The hope is that the community will allow this man’s renewed identity to show them the evidence of God’s goodness at work.I wonder if you find yourself in either of these stories.  Maybe you feel like Elijah, as though you have lost your sense of purpose or you have a feeling of defeat in some area.  You’ve given your all but feel like a failure.  Or maybe you can relate to the chaos of the demoniac, feeling like you’ve been consumed with defeating behaviors, your life spinning out of control, and you desire a change but aren’t sure where to start.  We might want something spectacular to pass by and rescue us or we might want to escape our current situation.  The good news that we hear in both stories is that God does not leave us alone and that God desires to restore us to life where we are.  Our part is to recognize the power of God and allow God to claim us as God’s own without grandiose notions of ourselves, trusting that God is continually at work in us and for our overall well-being despite our situations.You might not identify with either of these stories as an individual, but see some parallels as a congregation seeking to understand what our collective identity is.  Do we find ourselves feeling unsure about whom we are as a congregation?  Is our purpose clear to us about what God is calling us to do?  Do we want God to show up and save us in some spectacular way or are we content to hear God in the simple and mundane, being present to what is?  Maybe we are less like the demoniac and more like the people of Gerasene who don’t know what to do with a person or a people that make us uncomfortable.  Instead of hoping for some different kind of people, maybe our calling is to engage the people who dwell among us and be present to their calling within our community to restore us to wholeness.Knowing who we are in Christ must be our first priority.  Striving for an identity that has more to do with self preservation than with the mission and activity of God will lead us to a place of depletion.  Running away from what God has placed before us, seeking after something we think is bigger and better will only make our identity weaker.  We must attend to what God has given us, be present to what is, and persevere with our calling as the people of God in this place.