{Prayer}
Hymnals or screens. Liturgy out of hymnals or Creative Worship printed out in bulletins. Organ or piano or praise teams. Robes or suits or jeans and a polo or sweater. Children’s message or not. Traditional worship or Contemporary worship. Stage and auditorium or gym or an altar area and sanctuary. These are things which have been at center of the “worship wars” for the last 30 or 40 years. These are just some of the things which people use as reasons or excuses to attend one church over another or to leave a church and go to another. These are some of the things which have caused churches to split. These are things which get debated over at nearly every single church convention. These are things which will cause pastors within the same denomination to not only not talk with each other, but to not attend worship services with each other. It’s sad, actually no, it’s worse than sad, it’s pitiful, it’s gut wrenching.
It’s disturbing because worship wars are fought over things which in the end, are not going to determine one’s salvation. Worship wars are fought over things which are not prescribed by God from within the pages of Scripture. Worship wars are a tool, I believe, Satan uses to try to split the church.
When we come to worship, as we come in here to our sanctuary to worship God, we do so because a sanctuary is a place of refuge, a place of safety. We gather here in this place of refuge and in the time we are here we’re receiving God’s gifts, praising Him, thanking Him … we can for a moment forget about what is happening out there. Out there is chaos, there’s hatred, destruction, and rebellion.
While in Capernaum, Jesus on the Sabbath day goes to the synagogue, he goes to church. He goes to the synagogue and begins to teach. We don’t know what it is that Jesus was teaching about that day, but Mark tells us that people were amazed at his teaching, because he taught them as one who had authority, not as the teachers of the law (1:22). Instead of telling us what amazing teaching Jesus was revealing to them … Mark directs our attention to an encounter Jesus has with an unclean spirit. This encounter makes the familiar worship service very unfamiliar. The Sabbath service which all were familiar with suddenly changes and we begin to see the extent of the power and rule of Jesus.
One of the preaching professors at Concordia Seminary in an article I read this past week pointed out something interesting in this text. So let’s dig into this a little more. Listen again, but this time really listen to the language and the words used by the unclean spirit. The spirit confronts Jesus and cries out, “What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” (1:24). Notice how the spirit speaks in the plural: “Us.” Mark though clearly tells us that the spirit is singular, it’s “an unclean spirit.” Jesus rebukes the spirit and speaks to it with singular imperatives. Yet, the spirit speaks in the plural.
This could be a case where the spirit is one of many, like the situation of the Gerasene demon who said, “My name is Legion, for we are many” (Mark 5:9). Or it could be the spirit is speaking of a realm of uncleanness. Or it could be the spirit is intentionally seeking to deceive Jesus, presenting itself as many when it is really only one.
But could it be that the spirit is making an even bolder claim. Consider this question. Is it possible that the unclean spirit is claiming the people in the synagogue as its own? You see, the unclean spirit has already laid claim to the man he is possessing. The man is described as being possessed by the unclean spirit and later after the spirit is commanded to come out he makes the man go into convulsions. Is it possible that the spirit sees things differently than we do?
We look at this synagogue and see God’s people gathering together in worship. The spirit, however, he sees uncleanness and lays claim to all which is unclean as its own. You have gathered here in worship and even though it doesn’t seem like it … there is a worship war going on. The worship war has two opponents … the Kingdom of Satan and the Kingdom of God. There is no middle ground of neutrality. You are either Satan’s … or you’re God’s.
Now when the spirit first appears in our gospel lesson, Mark makes it sound like there is a middle ground. Mark says, “Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by an unclean spirit cried out.” “Their” synagogue Mark says. The synagogue doesn’t belong to God nor does it belong to Satan. The synagogue belongs to the people of Capernaum. The spirit then makes a claim. Its claim is that all the people who are gathered in worship … they are his. They are the spirits because they are unclean and no one who is unclean can stand or be in the presence of the “Holy One of God” (1:24). What does God have to do with those who are unclean? Nothing. So thus why the spirit cries out and reveals that the people of Capernaum, those gathered in worship, they are under the threat of being claimed by Satan.
But then … then Jesus reveals who He truly is. Jesus is more than just a man from Nazareth. He’s more than just the son of a carpenter. He’s more than just one who teaches with authority. Jesus is the cosmic Christ!
And the synagogue? It’s his synagogue! Those who are worshiping there? They are his people! Jesus’ rule is over all things, visible and invisible. His power, it doesn’t compare to anything this world has ever seen. His power is without equal. Jesus has come into this world not to be a friend, a good ole’ buddy, or a vending machine Savior that you can pick and choose how you want him or when. No, Jesus came into this world to declare war, to fight the worship war, to fight for you, to fight against Satan and to defeat him! Jesus will set free all the people who Satan claims as his own. He will set you free!
But how? How are the unclean, how are you and I made clean? How are the captives set free? It isn’t by anything we have done. It is solely by the gracious work of Jesus. Jesus bearing the curse of our uncleanness upon his beaten, battered, and bloodied body that hung on that cross, died on that cross that He might rise and bring the blessing of God’s holiness to you, to me, to all who believe in him.
For almost a year now … we have been experiencing the disruptive effects of COVID. One of the thing that has happened is it has changed how we view our ability to gather in worship. I pray that we have begun to see why this, why the gathering together to worship our awesome God is truly a gift. I’ve talked about in my newsletter articles the past couple of months.
But you know … Mark’s gospel lesson this morning takes us one step further. He takes us beyond just the gathering together of God’s people here in this place. Mark reveals the divine gift of worship. We are not just the people of Salem Lutheran … we are Christ’s Church. The One who we worship, He’s the One who Job confidently proclaims he will see face to face in his very own flesh for he knows that his redeemer lives, He’s the One who has come to rescue you and me from the power of Satan, He’s the One who will come again and destroy the final enemy of death as death will be put to death. You and I, we live in the midst of a battle, in the midst of a worship war. Satan seeks to lay claim on our lives. But as we sang in “A Mighty Fortress” and sing again, “No strength of ours can match his might. We would be lost, rejected. But now a champion comes to fight, whom God himself elected. You ask who this may be? The Lord of hosts is he, Christ Jesus mighty Lord, God’s only son adored. He holds the field victorious.”
The one who fights for us, it’s the valiant one, its Jesus. The cosmic Christ who has come today claims us as His own. Amen.
The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your heart and your minds in the one who fights for you, your Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
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