Monday, June 24, 2019

“Breaking Hodophobia” (Luke 8:26-39)


Last Sunday I was at my “other” job at the university welcoming 36 teacher/scholars from all over the country to Montana to attend a National Endowment of the Humanities workshop we were hosting on the Battle of the Little Bighorn.  One day we visited the vision site of Sitting Bull and the Rosebud battlefield.  On the return trip to the university we stopped to get gas and take a potty break in Lame Deer.  As you may be aware, Lame Deer is the tribal headquarters for the Northern Cheyenne tribe.

The only gas station in Lame Deer was hopping.  For many of the people at the workshop, this was their first time on a reservation . . . and, their first encounter with Native Americans.  In one of the cars, the people refused to get out.  They were scared.  One of the presenters who was driving, finally told them they had to get out . . . told them that they weren’t in danger . . . that the locals were going to bite them.  It took a little convincing, but they did eventually exit the car and experience the people of the Northern Cheyenne tribe.

It turned out to be one of the best experiences of the whole week for those people.  Yet, until they were “forced” out, they were scared.  Scared of the unknown . . . unknown culture, unknown people.

We all have our “fears” . . . things that we fear.  In our reading this morning we hear about one of the miracles of Jesus.  Jesus and the disciples sail across the sea from Galilee to Gerasenes.  Upon their arrival they encounter a man whom the locals feared . . . a man that was possessed.  Jesus throws the demons possessing the man into a herd of pigs that end up running into the sea and drowning.  The man returned to normal.  It was a miracle . . . the divine was exposed.

The herders of the pigs witnessed it all.  Having witnessed a miracle they ran off to the town and reported what they had seen.  Of course, such news is bound to get a reaction.  Thus, it was that all the townspeople went out to see what had happened.  Upon their arrival they saw the man at the feet of Jesus . . . dressed and in his right mind.   “Then all the people of the region of Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear.”  They banished Jesus.

It was a dramatic scene . . . a possessed man . . . demons possessing a herd of pigs . . . and, then the pigs running into the sea drowning.  It is not something that one would see daily.  Because of this people were more than a little scared.  It is no wonder then that they wanted Jesus to move on down the road even though the man was returned to his normal state.  He was able to return to his community.  The people wanted nothing to do with anyone who had the power to do such acts.  They were scared.

Fear has a way of grounding us to a halt . . . especially when it comes to experiencing new things.  One would think that witnessing such a powerful miracle that the people would want to learn and see more from the one who performed it.  That they might want to hop on the “Jesus train”.  Clearly, we see that this was not the case in this story.  Nope, they wanted Jesus to keep on moving on down the road.

Instead of joining in the adventure . . . instead of claiming their place in the parade and making the journey with Jesus . . . they tell Jesus to “hit the road!”  Jesus always issues the invitation to join him in the journey . . . always leaves the door open for people to come and join in.  He invites us all to make the journey.  It seems that the flashier the invitation, the more who join in . . . except in this case.  Jesus scared the bejeepers out of these folks.  They wanted nothing to do with him.  They were not going to make the trip with Jesus.  They had the fear of hodophobia.

Hodophobia is the fear of travel . . . the fear of making the journey.  These people were not going to follow Jesus.

I guess we can give them people credit for having a good excuse . . . witnessing what took place would be a little on the scary side . . . possessed man, possessed pigs.  Sounds like some sort of cheap horror flick.  But the fact is that Jesus always invites all to join him in the journey.  Invites all to join in the journey towards the Kingdom of God.  Invites all to move towards deeper relationships with God and one another.  Invites all to be a part of seeking God’s will in the world in which they live.  Invites all to travel down that spiritual road.  It is the journey that Jesus took.  He tells us to come and follow him . . . come and make the trip.

I imagine all of us gathered here this morning know all about the “trip” Jesus calls us to take as individuals and as a body of believers—as a church and congregation.  And, I imagine that most of us can admit that there have been moments in that journey in which we froze in our tracks, shaking with fear, and wished we had never agreed to make the trip.  Why?  Because the trip is not all peaches and cream.  Nope, the journey is a constant challenge. 

Jesus asks us to . . . feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the lonely, welcome the stranger, minister to those less fortunate than ourselves.  Jesus asks us to go to place where we are outside of our comfort zone.  Jesus while on the journey asks us to step into that which we fear.

Now, I do not know about the rest of you, but I like to know where I am going when I go on a journey.  I like to have some idea of what lies before me when I travel . . . and, what I will find once I reach my destination.  When I don’t know where I am going or what I will encounter, I am more apt to stay right where I am and not make the journey.  It is too scary.  And, I think all of you know what I am talking about.  In these moments we all experience a little hodophobia.

We are scared to make the journey.

I think that it is only natural.  I know that I am a leery of the unknown.  I also know that I have let my fear of the unknown keep me from experiencing some wonderful things in my life.  As my partner at the workshop told me about those people in his car that were fearful of getting out of the car to take a bathroom break, I thought that they must have had some of the best bladders in the world!  I don’t know about you, but when Mother Nature calls . . . I have always answered that call.

Yet, when they finally took that step out of the car and into the whirl of activity happening around them there in Lame Deer . . . they were surprised.  They were surprised that these people . . . these Native Americans . . . were not much different than they were.  There were those who needed gas for their cars . . . those who were thirsty or hungry and wanted a snack . . . those who needed to use the restroom.  They witnessed kidding around and laughter.  People having good days and bad days.  They discovered that they were not much different than the people that they had feared.  It is amazing how a tiny bladder level the playing field.  They discovered that, and they discovered blessing.

In their experience, they grew.  They grew in their understanding of those who are different.  They grew in who their neighbor was.  They grew in acceptance.  It was a life-changing experience.

Jesus wants those who follow him to step beyond their hodophobia and to make the journey with him.  He wants us to step out of our comfort zone and enter the lives of others no matter how different they might be from us.  Jesus wants to make the journey toward intimacy with God and others.  Yet, at the same time, Jesus understands the fearfulness that there might be in following him in the spiritual journey.

Consider this . . . in the story of the healing of the demon-possessed man . . . the man, upon being healed, begs Jesus to allow him to go with him.  Jesus refuses.  Instead, Jesus tells the man: “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.”

It has been said that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”.  The journey begins where we are.  Thus, it is that Jesus tells the man that he must begin where he is.  He is to return home and tell of his experience with the Holy.  For this man the journey begins right where he is at.

Begin where you are at.  To overcome the fear of travel . . . hodophobia . . . one begins wherever he or she might be.  That is the first step in the spiritual journey . . . to share one’s experience of the Holy with other right where he or she might be.  To tell the story.  The Spirit will lead from there.  That is where we begin . . . where we begin to break the hold of hodophobia in our spiritual journeys.  We begin where we are.

The journey begins with a single step . . . let us take the step.  Amen.

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