The Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Proper 12, Year C

God’s Restorative Justice

Readings: 1 Kings 19:9-14; Psalm 42; Galatians 3:23-29; Luke 8:26-39

Through all of life's hurts and sorrows God is there to restore us. God restores us when we are hurt by others. God restores us when we hurt ourselves. God restores us even when we hurt for no reason. That is the theme that flows through the readings this week. It is a theme that resonates for me and hopefully for all of you on a deeply personal level.

God restored Elijah. He is on the run. In true ‘Rambo’ style, the prophet had stood up against the ungodly forces of Ahab and Jezebel and had revealed the far greater forces of God over the followers of Baal. But the outcome, predictable as it may have appeared to everyone else, was not what he expected. The powers that be had not turned to God, and now the infamous Queen Jezebel was out to get him. He feels alone in his struggle, totally alone. He cannot put aside what has happened. In his mind, he is alone, and he alone is the one able to set things right in Israel. He suddenly loses courage and flees for his life.

It is a familiar story if you really think about it. It is easy when we meet opposition to run as fast and far as we can. We feel defeated and despondent. The whole world is against us. We can become soured or angry by what has happened. We can become fearful.

That was how Elijah was feeling. He had reached the point of hopelessness. He sat down under a tree, ready to die. And there in the wilderness God restored him. God took care of him, supplying him with food and drink.

Still Elijah kept running. He hid out in a cave. It was there that God met Elijah. Not as he might have expected, with a great show of power, but in the stillness and quiet, God spoke to him.

“What are you doing here, Elijah?” God asked him. He poured out his complaints. “The whole world is against me. I alone have remained faithful to you. They are out to kill me.” God put things into perspective. ‘You are not alone. You do not have to do it all yourself.’ He needs however, to trust God and let go of the past. Our loving God restores us even when we hurt ourselves.

God restores us when we hurt for no reason. What an amazing story of restoration we have in today's Gospel. In the person and work of Jesus God confronts and defeats evil so that a human life is restored, is set free to live the life God intends him to experience. We may not have the same understanding of evil or of demon possession as is present in this story of the deliverance of the man from Gerasene. However, we can see Jesus present in the life of the demoniac, in the lives of the townspeople, and present in our own lives, restoring us to faith, removing our burdens, setting us free. We can certainly see the need for such restoration in the lives of the mentally ill and those victimized through discrimination.

Some people become legitimately burdened by the cares of life. Life is not always easy. Being a Christian does not guarantee that we will not suffer. Sickness, the death of a loved one, unemployment, marital discord, all the troubles of life that people face, can make them feel alone. Is there a God? If so, is God listening to me? Does God care what is happening to me? Why do I feel so alone in all of this? Hopefully it is evident even in our modern day world that God relieves distress, expels demons, cures illnesses and restores lives.

The man whom Jesus healed was so grateful for his restoration to life that he wanted to accompany Jesus and the disciples on their mission. But Jesus pointed out to him that he had a mission of his own. “Return to your home,” Jesus told him, “and declare how much God has done for you.”

The message from God to Elijah was similar. “What are you doing here?” He left the warmth, the silence, the peace of the cave and went out into the community, no longer feeling as if he was on his own, but knowing that God was present with him and would help him to be the leader he was meant to be.

Who are the forgotten in our society? Who are the ones who need God’s loving restoration?

Friday was National Aboriginal Day. There is a prime example of people who need restoration. Our First Nations people need redress from the past. They are the forgotten of society. Our government made treaties with them as nation to nation. We have not lived up to the intent of those treaties. Instead we removed them from their ancestral lands. In an attempt to assimilate them into 'white' society, we shipped their children off to Residential schools, many run by the Anglican Church, destroying family ties and uprooting generations of people. Many of the schools were places of abuse. Even the good schools were places that deprived the children of their relationship to their family and tribe, to their language and cultural heritage.

Stereotypes abound about our First Nations peoples. For the most part we are able to ignore their plight saying that their situation is the same or better than that of other Canadians. This is despite findings by the Auditor General of Canada which highlighted the critical shortage of adequate housing on reserves and findings released by Statistics Canada that point to concerns about health, education, housing and water safety for off-reserve Aboriginals. In fact statistics show that the majority of Canadians blame their poverty on lack of effort rather than circumstances, many citing substance abuse as the greatest factor.

The Anglican Church has done much over the past few years and continues its efforts in an attempt to redress the wrongs of the past. There has been a formal apology. There have been Truth and Reconciliation hearings listening to the stories of those who have been abused. There has been compensation to many for their suffering. Yet it will take generations for real healing to take effect.

In the Pikangikum Water Project we have an opportunity to partner with PWRDF to assist one community in a small way that could have a lasting impact on their lives. It is a community in Northern Ontario where housing and water are huge issues. If you wish to find out more about it, there is a short PowerPoint presentation set up in the hall for viewing. There is a PWRDF donation box at the back of the church for donations. The Youth at St. Saviour’s have to date raised $500.00 towards the effort. The newly founded Faith, Study and Action Group at St. George’s has plans to raise funds as well.

God has done great things for us in our lives. We need to declare how much God has done for us. We need to share the experience of how God is at work in our lives. Especially we need to be aware of the ministries to which God is calling us. God calls us to be advocates to the poor and those in need, to speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, to be Christ in our community. Thanks be to God.