Publications 
Memorial United Methodist Church
White Plains, New York 10605
Power to Heal
A Sermon by Joe Agne, Pastor
Based on Mark 1:21-28
February 1, 2009 (Not edited or proofread)
Welcoming or rejecting Jehovah
I went to a new church in Illinois in 1981. On my first Sunday, there was some commotion as I was getting up to preach. I noticed a homeless person, or what we would have called at the time, a “street person,” walking up and down the four aisles of the Akron-style sanctuary. He was mostly quiet as he walked. Occasionally he said, “I am Jehovah.” The cause of the commotion was the meeting of the ushers deciding what they were going to do. I was getting ready to preach my first sermon. There was an unkempt man walking up and down the aisles claiming his identity as Jehovah. The ushers were holding a hardly-quiet-nor-discreet meeting planning their strategy. They decided they would usher the man out of the church. He left saying to all, “I am Jehovah.” On my first Sunday Jehovah was removed from the church.
Welcoming or rejecting a man with an unclean spirit
In one of the earliest events of his ministry, Jesus headed to a religious center of Galilean life. On the Sabbath, a holy day in Capernaum, he entered the synagogue and started teaching. The people were astounded with his authority. The religious leaders were not impressed. “Just then,” as the New Revised Standard Version of the Gospel of Mark says, a man “with an unclean spirit” spoke up. He cried out:
What do you have to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to
destroy us? I know who you are. You are the Holy One of God.
Jesus then called the evil spirit out of the man. The evil spirit convulsed and came out of the man. Everyone was amazed. Jesus’ fame spread.
There was no exorcist in the church where I was the new preacher in 1981. Instead the man was ushered out of community. In Capernaum the man was loved and included in community. We don’t know for sure what the man in Capernaum was experiencing. Some of the language we might use would be: bi-polar, schizophrenic, borderline personality, autistic or some other category we use to describe persons assumed to have mental illness.
Welcoming or rejecting persons with mental illness
Here is the question for us. Are we likely to include a person with mental illness, even if they are disruptive? Are we likely to usher such persons out or keep them out in the first place? Or – can we find ways to include all the members of all of our families?
On one All Saints Sunday we were ringing a bell as we read the names of each person who had died in the last year. There is a lot of silence. It is a very holy moment in our congregation every year. I noticed that there was a commotion as each name was read. Here is what was going on. One of our regular visitors was hearing a telephone ring as each name was read and Carlton played a chime. He would say out loud, “Hello.” So here is the sequence: the reading of a name, Carlton ringing a chime and a man saying, “Hello.” This happened over 20 times. Then someone from the congregation went over and asked the man to be quiet. He didn’t. Many felt interrupted. I wonder. As a congregation, we were saying “presente” after each name. He was saying, “Hello.” Both seem like appropriate responses. Yet, one response bothered a lot of us.
We are not sure how to respond to people who respond in “out-of-the-ordinary” ways. It is similar to discomfort when a baby cries or a child talks out loud in worship. Some feel there are norms for worship behavior and some of us think all worshippers need to follow the accepted ways. In 26 CE in Capernaum the one who disruptively first recognized Jesus” true identity was welcomed. In 1981 CE in Illinois Jehovah was ushered out. In 2006 CE in White Plains some tried to silence a person speaking the truth by saying “Hello” to a loved one who had died, yet was still present with us.
I want to be candid. About 8 years ago, we had a worshipper who was causing discomfort for many in our congregation, especially some of our children. He had a severe mental illness that needed medication. I consulted with his family and some people of our congregations who were professional psychotherapist. We developed a strategy. I would ask the person to take his medicine and then he could stay in the community. If he chose not to take his medicine he would not be able to worship with us. He told me he did not need to take medicine. He hasn’t worshipped with us since. I have been having breakfast with him regularly since – less now that he has moved to another community. There are persons who cannot manage life in community. We need to respond accordingly, trying everything we can to include and not exclude.
Choosing to welcome all persons
Recently I met with our greeters and ushers. We discussed this very matter. We decided to include as much as we can and keep our commitment to safe sanctuaries. If I or others notice someone acting in a way that is difficult for many, the ushers and I will respond. I will consult with the knowledgeable ones in our congregation. They will observe behavior and relationships. We will accompany discreetly a person so he or she is not alone with children or youth. I will meet with the person and talk about boundaries. In short we will do everything we can to inclusive. This is good for the person others might exclude. It is also good for us as we are blessed to be the kind of inclusive community we are called to be.
Jesus exorcised the man in Capernaum. He healed him with power and love. He welcomed the man into community. In ways beyond our comprehension, we have received this same power – to welcome people, all people, with love. This is a power to heal a person and heal a congregation. This is a power we need to claim.
Memorial UMC is not a congregation that would usher Jehovah out of our worship service. There are risks in living this way. They are risks worth taking.
