Out Our Way: Goliath's Gospel: 'I'm carrying!'

Mark 6: 7-13

Out our way, we sometimes discover that many folks west of the divide consider the Hi-Line to be a little odd. We are still laughing here at old First Presbyterian church from the time a woman at a Presbytery - regional church meeting of pastors and elders - meeting in Whitlash who was positive I was going to draw a gun in the meeting and start shooting people. She wanted to call 911 just in case but found she had no cell reception, and apparently was nearly having a panic attack - after all, I do tend to wear my cowboy hat, a work shirt, jeans and boots.   

Brother John - the new Kid Curry of the 21st century!

Of course things are a bit different here in Havre from Missoula or Kalispell. We still have open range up in Beaver Creek after Labor Day, and on Sunday we had two deer trot by the Church building on 4th Avenue and 7th Street just before services. But the most unusual - and frightening - experience was that time when I was saddling up Goliath on the edge of town and spotted a mountain lion watching us about 200 yards away. Fortunately, he must have decided Goliath was too big for his taste as he turned around and trotted off a few seconds later.

After that I began carrying my .45 when I went riding at a friend's family homestead out in a remoter part of the Bear Paws where cats had been spotted rather frequently. By the way, I never wear my pistol except in the backcountry and certainly not in church, but perhaps there was something in my style or attitude that made that lady think I was "carrying." For as I think about it, in a sense I was.

As I have written before, Goliath picks up on my moods and attitides. After that run in with the cat, I found myself just a tad nervous about riding in the field where the cat had been - and even more so at my friend's place where you sometimes could hear the cougar screech at night. Goliath picked up on my nervousness and got nervous as well, but once I started carrying that old hogleg on my hip in that area, I tended to settle down and so did he. When I was carrying, he could sense my confidence and feel the power. Perhaps this woman from the other side of the mountains sensed something like that as well, for although I had left my .45 at home, I was "carrying" in a different sense. For I later learned that she began to be frightened while I was addressing the Presbytery, because I spoke with both confidence and power. It wasn't the .45 locked up in my home some 75 miles away that gave me that sense of boldness but the sense that someone had to speak to the subject and I was the one God chose to do so. I had no gun, but I was not "unarmed" for the "sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God" (Ephesians 6:17) is a formidable weapon.

In Mark's account of the Gospel, he writes of how Jesus gave His followers that same boldness and power as He sent them out two by two to speak up for God and challenge the darkness. Mark writes that Jesus gave them "authority over the unclean spirits" and wherever they went, they went with confidence. Where people welcomed them, they were to remain with those folks. Where they were not welcomed, they were to "shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them."

And so these 12 disciples went out two by two in the name and the power of God - and were unafraid. It was the unclean spirits who fled in terror - and the diseases with which atan had inflicted the human race that were cast out.

I recall in the movie "The Amityville Horror" the scene in which the priest enters the house which suddenly is filled with flies - the door slams. Then the terrified priest hears a deep voice saying "Get out!" and runs in sheer terror. Cute. As you may know, one of the names of Satan is Baalzebub, which literally means "Lord of the Flies" - referring to how the death and decay of rotting flesh attracts flies. But compare that Hollywood version of such an encounter with the description of such things in the Scripture. Note it is the demonic forces of darkness that are terrified and are ordered to "get out."

In fact, a number of years later, it was found that the case on which "The Amityville Horror" story was based was real - except there was no manifestation of flies, and there was no struggle. The man of God spoke in authority of Christ and commanded the forces of darkness to depart, and they did so immediately. Just as we see in the testimony of Mark and the others who recorded the events of the Bible.

I am grateful when I ride in the remoter parts of the Bear Paws that I have not run into any more lions. They scare me and Goliath - and I sure want to avoid them. But if I can't, I am glad I am carrying.  And while it is true I have never had to face a demon possessed house or person as did the priests in "The Exorcist" or "The Amityville Horror," I still have to face the forces of darkness that are all around in far more subtle ways. But either way, I am also glad that I am "carrying."

(John Bruington is pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Havre, Montana. Articles, cartoons, children messages and sermons can be found at http://www.havrepres.org.)