Released from the Shackles
Click here to listen to this sermon. The text for today is our Gospel, Luke 8:26-39, which has already been read. Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. "My Name Is Legion" by James I. Tissot For most people today, demon possession brings up memories of The Exorcist or pictures of mental illness or hallucinogenic drug use. But for the people of Jesus’ time—indeed, for Jesus Himself—demon possession was a present reality. A fellow pastor once remarked that in lands where the devil is taken seriously, he shows himself even more seriously. Take Haiti as an example. There are all kinds of weird stories told by our missionaries in this country where voodoo is alive and well. In places where the devil isn’t taken very seriously, he shows himself even less serious. The Halloween kind of devil. Horns, tail, red suit. Funny. Comical. But either way, the devil and his demons are seri...