So it is very important for us; in our prayers, and in our homes, and in our church life; to be very careful about the words we say.

Many of us have heard about children who were
consistently told by their parents that they were a
disappointment; that they would not amount to much.
Many of us were not surprised when those children lived into their parents expectations.

Some of us have been a part of church communities that consistently talk about how great they used to be; and about all of the things that are keeping them from what they want to be; but they do not have a plan about how they are going to get to be what they want to be!! Their constant theme is how difficult it is for a church to survive. Those churches are living into the prophecy that they have declared upon themselves.
The authority of their own words has cursed them.

The expectation of Jesus is that God's people should be free from any obstacle that would block from a real relationship with God. In our Gospel today Jesus discovers an obstacle to that worship. And Jesus takes action to remove that obstacle.

As we read our Gospel text, we notice that Jesus was completing his teaching in the synagogue when a man with an unclean spirit began to disrupt the worship lesson. An interesting point here is that the community was unaware of the demon in their midst. The man was a part of their community. He probably looked like most of the other people in their community. He was in church, the Holy place of God, but he was not holy. He was not free from sin and oppression just because he was in church. In fact, he was in church because he needed a blessing.

A lesson for us today from this example is that we do not always know what is happening in the lives of those we meet in church every week. Longtime members of our church as well as visitors may be here because they have a need. They desire a change in their lives, or they need to be released from bondage.
They need to hear the word of God spoken with
authority.

When Jesus spoke to the man with the spirits, Jesus spoke with authority. In fact, Jesus spoke with so much authority that he made the demons uncomfortable. The demons recognized Jesus. "We know who you are" they said.
In James chapter 2:19 we are reminded that:
"Even the demons believe in Jesus: and they
tremble!!"
They know that they do not have any power over the Word of God.
Jesus commanded the evil spirits to "Shut up and get out of here!" "Without complaint, and without
hesitation." (That's a Paraphrase.) And at the word of God, they had to leave.
The unclean, evil spirits were replaced by the Holy
Spirit.

The people there were amazed by the action of Jesus. By the power of His words, Jesus banished the demons. And the Good News is that we have that same power to declare the Word of God in our own lives and in our own congregations!!

Notice here that the text refers to unclean spirits
that afflict an individual; it does not condemn the
individual himself. If our Gospel today teaches us anything, it is that we are not to kick someone out the back door just because the may have a little bit of the devil in them. We are to speak the truth in love, and cure them of their illness. When the Holy Spirit replaces the unholy spirits, the individual is fine.
At every place in the Gospels that Jesus casts out an evil spirit, the person involved is restored to
wholeness, and is restored to their rightful place in
the community.
They are never banned.

Through the events in Capernaum, Jesus did give us a new teaching. The new teaching is that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we now have the authority over the ungodly things that try to infect our lives. We have authority over the ungodly things that try to sneak into our church.
And that is why the words of our mouth are so
important.

We speak life or death through the power of our
tongue.
In our lives, and our church, our words are a mirror of our attitude. And our attitude determines our altitude.
If our lives are full of criticism, then we will be a
critical church.
If our lives are full of skepticism, then we will be a
skeptical church.
If our lives are filled with timidity, then we will be
a timid church.
If our lives are filled with complaining about what we do not have and what we can not do, then out of our own mouths we have declared exactly what we expect to achieve.
With the words of our mouth, we reap what we sow.
Anyone that has ever had a garden knows that we can
not plant onions, and expect to harvest a crop of
roses.

So today is a good day to declare the Word of the Lord in our lives in a positive way. The Psalmist today declares God in a way that I can affirm. Read the Psalm to discover what a positive acting church sounds like:
If our lives would fill up with delight for the great
deeds of the Lord; then we would have a happy and delightful church.
If our lives would honor God for His majesty and
splendor;
then we would have a splendid, majestic, attitude in our church.
If our lives would remember the marvelous works of the Lord;
then our church will be a church of grace and
compassion.
If we speak good things into the life of our church;
then the blessings of God will bring abundant life
into our congregation.

We are entering into a time of change and challenge over the next year. New ministries are starting, existing ministries are being renewed, and our building will be rehabilitated.
Keep in mind the fact that our words have power.
Speak life, through the Word of Jesus Christ, into
your personal activities, and in your church. Think of what this church would be if we all spoke
nothing but life into our community for the next year.
St. Hilary's church, and our surrounding community
would thrive.

Amen