Celtic Odyssey

Mark 5:1-20 (CEB): Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the lake, to the region of the Gerasenes. As soon as Jesus got out of the boat, a man possessed by an evil spirit came out of the tombs.This man lived among the tombs, and no one was ever strong enough to restrain him, even with a chain. He had been secured many times with leg irons and chains, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons. No one was tough enough to control him. Night and day in the tombs and the hills, he would howl and cut himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from far away, he ran and knelt before him, shouting, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? Swear to God that you won’t torture me!” He said this because Jesus had already commanded him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!” Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He responded, “Legion is my name, because we are many.” They pleaded with Jesus not to send them out of that region. A large herd of p...

Mark 4:35-41 (CEB): Later that day, when evening came, Jesus said to them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.” They left the crowd and took him in the boat just as he was. Other boats followed along. Gale-force winds arose, and waves crashed against the boat so that the boat was swamped. But Jesus was in the rear of the boat, sleeping on a pillow. They woke him up and said, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re drowning?” He got up and gave orders to the wind, and he said to the lake, “Silence! Be still!” The wind settled down and there was a great calm. Jesus asked them, “Why are you frightened? Don’t you have faith yet?” Overcome with awe, they said to each other, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!” You know, I’ve used to see this passage differently. Maybe a lot of you have, too. What’s brought out is the fact that elements are subject to Jesus’ commands. And rightly so. That’s an amazing story and another glimpse into the mystery that is...

As we saw , the Hebrews, Sarah’s and Abraham’s extended family, were enslaved in Egypt. The creator G-d, the G-d of the Hebrews, chose Moses to lead them out of bondage. But there was one small problem... Pharaoh -- the king of Egypt. From the beginning, G-d told Moses that Pharaoh would be trouble; that he wouldn’t let the people of G-d just walk away. He would be stubborn and there would be a confrontation. But, in the end, G-d would rescue the Hebrews through Moses. Again, G-d’s primary interaction with creation is through people. As we saw from the promise to Abraham and Sarah, G-d would work through humanity to restore creation. And that is just what happened. Moses confronts Pharaoh and requests that his people be released so they can go on a three days journey to worship their G-d. Pharoah’s like, “No stinkin’ way! I don't know this G-d of yours and I’m not letting all of the slaves go!” And just to prove that he’s not messing around, Pharaoh make the Hebrew...