  |
| 18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.”
Mark 5:18-19 These are a cadre of community walkers in Sacramento California. They walk in (at the time) the most violent area of their city, the Mack Road corridor. Their numbers have increased 12-Fold since they started about 18 months ago, with dozens of churches participating, and they walk 5 nights a week starting at 9pm. The Mack Road area in Sacramento has experienced a 91% decrease in shootings during this time. I asked one walker the last time I was there why she walked. Her response was simple, “because I love being a blessing to someone without expecting anything in return”. It reminded me of our text this morning. Jesus has just healed a man with a legion of demons inside him. He wanted to “give back” to the rabbi by following him, but Jesus encouraged the formerly possessed man to be a blessing to others, and give the glory not to him, but to the LORD. We serve not to expect blessings in return, but to “pay it forward”, with no conditions, and no strings attached. Some people (even preachers) would say that this is not a realistic attitude, that church folk these days commit to serve expecting something in return. That may be true, but its not biblical. The woman I mentioned earlier doesn’t live in, nor has any family in the neighborhood she walks. And she is as anonymous as the hundreds of other laity that has joined this cause. Somehow, her service seems right, don’t you think? How can you serve the Lord today without expecting something back from God? Dear Jesus, thank you for this example of service. I pray that you will help me to see the ways in which I can be a blessing to others, and give all the glory to You, in Your name I pray, AMEN |