Things I Didn't Learn in Seminary

Last week a woman came into the church looking for help and she asked to see the pastor. At first I thought she might need money or a referral to a service agency. That's why most people come in off Georgia Avenue, and that's fine, because that's something we do pretty well around here--make referrals, talk, pray, occasionally give out a little money for food or transportation. That's something I know how to do. But this woman needed a different kind of help. She asked me if I could perform an exorcism. She told me that she was possessed by a demon, and, as if on command her body quivered, she twiched and seemed to involuntarily spit out the name "Jesus."

Now exorcisms are not something I learned to do in seminary. And I do not disbelieve in demons, but they are not a part of my daily spiritual reality (I guess I should be thankful about that). I asked her if she had been to a doctor, but she insisted that it was not a physical problem--it was a spiritual problem. So I told her that I had never performed an exorcism before, but that I would certainly be willing to pray with her. We went into the chapel and knelt before the altar; I put my arm around her and I prayed fervantly. As I prayed, this woman convulsed and shook and cried.

When I finished praying we talked for a bit. She told me about all the things in her life that she thought might have caused her demon possession. She spoke about reconciling with her mother, and getting rid of furniture that she had bought with money given to her by a friend who had been dealing drugs, about learning to read the Bible again and spending time in prayer. And while I may not have a strong belief in demons, but I do have very strong faith in repentence, in the power of prayer and forgiveness, and in the goodness of God to overcome evil. I encouraged her to keep doing that spiritual work and to try and have faith that she would be healed.

As I watched her leave, I wondered if my prayer had helped her at all. Then I went back to my office to work on my sermon (something I actually did learn to do in seminary). I sat down and read the the Gospel lesson for the week, which was from Mark 9:38-50. It begins this way: "Teacher," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us." "Do not stop him," Jesus said. "No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us."

Pretty strange coincidence, huh? I guess I still have a lot to learn...