From Friday March 12...
Mark 5:16-17 "Those who had seen what happened to the man and to the pigs told everyone about it, and the crowd began pleading with Jesus to go away and leave them alone."
A man possessed by a demon, many demons in fact (hence the name Legion) encounters Jesus and has a huge ripple moment with him. Jesus casts the demons out and sends them into a herd of pigs which then do their best cannonball in the lake and plunge to their deaths. The townspeople nearby seem to care less about the healing of this man and more about their pigs and their livelihood. They demand that Jesus leave them at once.
Sometimes the ripple threatens people. Sometimes the good news of Jesus doesn't appear to be good news to some. On Wednesday in Pakistan, five World Vision workers were killed in a terrorist attack. These relief workers were attempting to make ripples in Pakistan and serve the marginalized and forgotten-people like our friend "Legion." Making ripples and changing the world cost something. Maybe it's a herd of pigs, but maybe it's something more? As we begin to make ripples in our homes, our neighborhoods, our schools, our workplaces, and our community we must be prepared for the costs. We must wrestle with this and choose what we are willing to give up and sacrifice for the sake of God's kingdom and his ripples.
Dear Jesus, help me care less about the costs and more about the ripples. Amen.
