"Declare How Much God has Done for You

Sermon 06.20.10

“Declare How Much God Has Done for You”

Complaining about our lives is surely something of a national pastime because we spend, on the average, about 45 minutes each day in this activity. We are a nation of whiners, given to sulking and pouting whenever we do not receive what we want. We are people who like to moan about every little event and become irritable and crabby when something doesn’t occur to complete our happiness. We get bad tempered and difficult to deal with if life hand us lemons. Our teens tell us, Life sucks.

And yet the biblical direction from today’s passage has everything but that message. Jesus is dealing with a truly pathetic situation. There is a naked possessed man, who life was overrun by so many demons that he had to be shackled and bound in chains and kept under guard lest a demon mutiny take place. Even the man himself is so tormented from Jesus trying to exorcise the demons that he begs Jesus to be left along. Jesus, however, in his pity and compassion, compels the spirits into swine. They too are then possessed and rush into a lake and are drowned. The swineherders are upset and annoyed, and notify the officials. When they return to the scene of the crime, the crowd sees the demon-possessed man clothed and in his right mind, according to verse 35 of the passage. The townfolks are seized with great fear and send Jesus packing. His newly changed companion wants to travel with him. But Jesus says, “Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you.”

“Declare how much God has done for you.” It is unusual for Jesus to say this, for in many of the miracle stories he instructs the crowd or the person to not say anything. Here, he not only authorizes a testimony, but encourages it.

Testimonies used to be fairly common in church services, and are still very much part of the worship experiences in those churches of the African American heritage. Followers will stand up and take about the way Jesus is working in their lives, be it a healing of a sick grandchild, to the provision of getting enough money to pay for the rent, to the joy of a neice’s birthday.

How has God blessed your life today? It’s a question that I try to ask when we share our joys and concerns each week. In what way, I want to know, how have you seen and witnessed the goodness of the Lord within the past 7 days? Most of the time, there are few responses – a birthday, a graduation, perhaps a wedding anniversary. But evidently, God is only working on special occasions, or so it would seem that we think this way.

Testimony and proclamation are one of the best self- advertisements for our churches. When was the last time you told someone about what God had done for you? I think that we all believe it and yet when it comes to actually witnessing to others, let’s just say that we totally miss the mark.

Hear Jesus’s words again: Return to your home and declare how much God has done for you. So he went away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had done for him.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a tad reluctant to ride through the streets of Baltimore city or county with a bullhorn mounted on my vehicle proclaiming how much Jesus has done for me. And I’m a pastor. Why are we so uncomfortable about declaring that we have received the grace of God so freely given through his gift to us in Christ Jesus?

Personal testimony, as in the case of the demon-possessed man, is a powerful force. No doubt his story made the rounds in several cities and perhaps others sought out Jesus for healing and wholeness in their lives. We may not achieve immediate results (translated into more people in the pews), but making a witness to God’s enduring mark on our lives is just what defines us as Christians. Otherwise, we might as well be members of the Rotary Club. And even they have publicity. In fact, as you enter many towns there are plaques attesting to the presence of the Rotary, the Lions club, and the Masons. But very little advertising is done in the way of churches. If you don’t believe me, try going to the neighborhood chamber of commerce. Chances are good that they will have information on senior centers, running clubs and folks who like to gather for pinochle nights. But there will be little, if any, flyers or brochures about where you can go to be with others who are passionate about the God that they serve. I confess that I do not know much about the Mormons or the 7th Day Adventists. But I can say that they put their mouth where their faith is. Everytime that I throw out a copy of the Watchtower, I feel a twinge of embarrassment because I wish my faith was that pronounced and important that I would want to spread it to others.

That is precisely why you and I have to speak up, to declare what God has done in our lives. We need to take the message to the streets that God is still speaking and we as a church are still listening. We need to declare that God is a force in our lives, a mighty power who prevails over our demons. We need to heed the words of the passage that was read today and spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

But we are not ready to yet do this. First, we need to be comfortable with sharing with one another what God has done in our lives. Each week, try to think of something to share, and remember that God is working even though you may not be able to see it.

In the next few minutes, after the sermon, as we are singing “Spirit of the Living God”, try to recall an incident from this week that displayed God’s love and care to you. Try to find in your heart as way to recognize these moments and to share them with others in the church. If we can’t talk about God’s power, majesty and power in the church, there’s little hope for getting it past the back pew and out the front door.

As a way of testifying to God’s good and perfect plan for us, let me end by quoting one of the black preachers, who declares like the demon-free man in the gospel story:

Grace woke you up this morning, grace started you on your way, and grace enabled you to survive until this very moment. (Bishop Charles E. Bake, Sr. of the West Angeles Church of God in Christ)

This morning, in our prayer time, I invite you to not just share your concerns, but to declare how much the love of God has done for you. May it be so. Amen.