Chaos and Mercy - Fr. Stephen Freeman - October 20, 2024

This Sunday, guest priest Fr. Stephen Freeman gave a sermon on the topic of chaos and order. He begins by explaining that we as humans do not like chaos, but we like to make sense of things. We have a need to bring order from chaos, just as God did in creation and children do as they grow.This Sunday's Gospel reading is the story of a man who had chaos inside him, being possessed by many demons. They ask Christ to not cast them into the abyss, begging him to instead send them into a herd of pigs nearby. Fr. Stephen points out the seeming strangeness of what happens next: Christ grants their request. He has mercy even on demons.Fr. Stephen points out that mercy is what brings order to the chaos in our lives. Several weeks ago, we read in Luke 6 that God shows kindness to the evil and ungrateful, and we should do the same. By having mercy, being kind, loving our enemies, and forgiving one another, we can wipe away the chaos that we face in our lives.