A couple weeks ago, Pastor Joel shared some exciting news with us during Pray First. He shared the new vision statement for our church, which he will be revealing on Sunday, centered around three simple, yet profound words: Hope, Belonging, and Purpose. I love it because it's not just a business plan or a five-year goal; it's a divine vision. And vision is so important, Proverbs 29:18 (KJV), says, "Where there is no vision, the people perish." That word for "vision" in the original Hebrew, hazon (pronounced khaw-zone), isn't about a strategic plan. It's about a divine revelation, a message from God. It's a reminder that without God's guidance and a moral compass, we're lost. I'm so grateful that we are led by a pastor with a clear vision, a vision rooted in the Bible, to lead us into this new season. And this new vision statement is a prayer for you and me: "Our prayer is that you are filled with hope, experience belonging and are sent with a purpose."
Today, I want to look at a guy in the Bible who went from having zero hope, zero sense of belonging, and zero purpose to finding all three in a radical encounter with Jesus. In Mark 5:1-20, Jesus encounters a man who was the walking definition of hopelessness. He lived among the tombs, a place for the dead, completely cut off from his family and community. The Bible says in Mark 5:5, "Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones." This was a guy tormented and out of control, he was stripped of his identity. When Jesus asks his name, the demons inside him answer, "My name is Legion, for we are many." He wasn't even himself anymore. His suffering had completely consumed him. You don't have to watch the news very long to see stories of the hopelessness in people today. But then, Jesus shows up. And in an instant, hope arrives.
Jesus casts out the "legion" of demons, and the internal war is over, just like that. The townspeople, who knew this man, find him "sitting there, dressed and in his right mind" (Mark 5:15). Can you imagine? The wild, tormented guy they'd known for so long is now calm and sane. This is the profound hope that Jesus brings!
Then Mark 5:18 says, "As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. Jesus did not let him, but said, "Go home to your own people..." So after years of isolation, Jesus put him in community. Jesus healed him, filled him with hope and gave him a place to belong!
But Jesus doesn't stop there. Continuing in Mark 5:19, Jesus said, "Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you." Jesus put him on mission! Jesus doesn't just restore the man; He sends him back to his friends and family, but this time, with a new role. His greatest shame became the source of his most powerful testimony. Jesus healed him, filled him with hope, gave him a place to belong, and sent him with a purpose!
So, as we head into our individual prayer time, let's remember this man's journey. Maybe you feel like you've been living among the tombs of your past, tormented by something that has stripped you of your identity. Or maybe you've been praying for someone in that exact situation. Let's pray for a fresh wave of God's vision to fill us and our church with hope, to build a community where we can truly belong, and to give us a clear purpose to share the incredible story of what Jesus has done for us.