Jesus-A Sweet, Sweet River of Honey that Makes Us Say "It is Well With Our Soul"; Mark 1:21-28 sermon

Rev. George Miller
Feb 28, 2018
Mark 1:21-28

There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place.

More than a sentiment, it is a song that we have sung here many times.

“There’s a sweet, sweet spirit in this place, and I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord…”

And more than just a song, this hymn has left a legacy and a mighty mission.

60 years, a young black female minster named Willa Grant Battle established a mission in Boutillier, Haiti while at the same time establishing a church in Minneapolis.

Though her ministry took place in two separate worlds, she loved them both.

The mission in Haiti was located in a poor rural area, but over the decades grew to 50 churches and 10 schools.

These places became spots for health centers, sewing circles, and community farms.

Dr. Battle would bring vegetable and fruit seeds from America, so the citizens were empowered to grow their own food and have their own gardens, even if all they had was a small pot to plant in.

When it comes to independence and ministry, nothing is ever too little.

Back in America, a woman named Doris Akers became the minister of music at the church in Minneapolis.

Doris was a well-known gospel recording artist and composer of many songs, including “There’s a Sweet, Sweet Spirit.”

When Miss Akers died in 1995, she left all the copyright royalties to the mission in Haiti. This allowed them to buy land and build new properties.

The land purchased thanks to the song royalties was hilly and full of rocks, but no problem, because they used the rocks to help build a sturdy high school, and a three-story hospital.

Because of their location, they survived the 2010 earthquake and recent storms.

Because of the vegetable and fruit seed ministry, the people had food to eat even though others were starving.

Now the mission in Haiti has grown to include caring for those left homeless and orphaned after the hurricanes.

All of this is to say that whenever we, or any church sings songs by Doris Akers, such as “Sweet, Sweet Spirit,” things are sweet indeed, because the proceeds from the copyright are going to Haiti where orphaned children are cared for, expectant mothers receive medical attention, teenagers gain wisdom, the sick receive treatment, and the elderly are honored.

This all goes to show that nothing is too small when it is done for the Lord, and even singing a song in an inland city like Sebring can reach out to the rocky mountaintops of a Caribbean island.

Yes- there is a sweet, sweet spirit when people gather to worship and honor the Lord, creator of all that is good, giver of life, and breath, and beauty.

It is a sweetness that is like a river of honey- a river of light and love that flows through the sanctuary, from person to person, aisle to aisle.

A sweet river of honey that creates swirls of peace, fountains of joy, and connects us to the great ocean of life.

A sweet river of honey that becomes like a balm to the wounded and sick, a balm to the discouraged and sin-soaked.

Yes- there is a sweet, sweet spirit in this place…

Unfortunately, places of worship may not always be so sweet. People come from different directions, different experiences, and different expectations.

And sometimes they bring with them a spirit that may not be so sweet, or peaceful, or full of light.

Places of worship can be locations in which a spirit may be destructive, scary, or divisive.

That’s what we encounter in today’s reading.

Right after Jesus invited Simon and Andrew, James and John to follow him, he makes his way to the synagogue in which he teaches.

A man enters with an unclean spirit.

This is not a sweet, sweet spirit, but one of inquisition that immediately interferes, making the man shout out “What have you to do with us?”

A spirit of fear causes the man to ask “Have you come to destroy us?”

But Jesus replies in words of authority- “Be silent, and come out of him.”

In a fit of convulsions and crying, the unclean spirit comes out of the man, amazing all who were there.

What do we make of this story? Is it real? True? How common were such things?

That’s a topic best left for bible study; for today let us focus on one tiny detail about what the spirit was called.

It certainly was not called sweet.

Nor was it called evil, or demonic.

The author calls the spirit “unclean”.

Unclean. What does it mean?

Well, this was a story written about a particular culture during a particular time, and it was a culture of honor and shame, in and out, clean and dirty.

People were judged by if they were seen as clean or unclean.

Who you ate with and where you sat depended on if you were clean or unclean.

Your ability to participate in community events depended on if you were clean or unclean.

Your ability to enter into a house of prayer and participate in worship depended if you were clean or unclean.

In other words- if you were clean, great!

You got to be part of the group, attend potlucks, go to mahjong tournaments, sing in the choir, and get a bulletin.

If you weren’t clean- tough luck.

You were stuck with TV dinners for one, playing solitaire by yourself, singing in the shower, and reading the sermon via the internet.

To be clean meant you were “in” and able to reap the benefits of relationships.

To be unclean meant you were “out” and not allowed to play in any reindeer games.

So what makes one unclean?

There were a multitude of things- eating unlimited crab legs at Red Lobster, wearing a shirt that was a cotton/polyester blend, or having mildew in your home.

To be unclean meant you were separate from, and not a part of the group.

That’s part of what is going on in this story.

This man has a spirit that is unclean, a spirit that separates him from others, preventing him to being part of the community.

Think about how this plays out today.

Think of how we act when we see someone who seems to act a little different, or who we sense is a little off.

You can see the distance that people create with that person. They may back up a bit, or turn their back, or pretend they do not see them.

Someone may clutch their bag a bit tighter, or weaponize their keys, or begin gossipy small talk that makes it feel like 7th grade cafeteria all over again.

But notice what Jesus does in this story. He does not immediately exclude the man. He finds a way to welcome the man, and a way to address the spirit.

When the unclean spirit begins to rage and disrupt the congregation, Jesus deals with it by addressing it head on, addressing the demon through words of peace and action-based authority.

Jesus does not excuse. He does not ignore.

Jesus addresses the issue at the hand, allowing the man a chance to be clean.

But more than that, by becoming clean, the man is now empowered to become an active part of the community again.

Now that the unclean spirit is gone, the man is able to check out Checkers with his friends, he can go on golf outings with the guys, and he is free to come to worship with his family and sit in any pew he may please.

In other words, Jesus doesn’t just give the man a sweet, sweet spirit, but Jesus has gives him a new lease on life and a chance to sit at the table with everyone else and enjoy God’s generous banquet.

Jesus meets a man who is in a whirlpool of torment and ushers him into a river of inclusion.

And Jesus transforms him into someone who is more him than he ever was before.

In conclusion, Jesus comes into our lives and not only has the ability to call us to follow, or place a tingle in our ears,

but Jesus also has the ability to bring about the changes that cast out what separates and sours us from others.

Jesus enters our lives with the authority to empower us, speak words of wellness that bring us further into the fold, and to make us more us than us.

Jesus is like a sweet, sweet river of honey that makes us say it is well with our soul.

For that, we can say amen and amen.