I’ve heard the term ‘The Total Depravity of Man’ much of my life, especially when I have studied books and classes on theology. It sort of rolls off my tongue these days and makes us feel so theologically intelligent. I know that most of you have heard me use that term a great deal in my preaching over the years. Last year this was a major theme when I taught through the book of Romans. The term “Depravity” sounds so devastating… so final… so disastrous… so destructive. Well… it sounds that way because it really is.
On March 22, 2014 in the small mountain town of Oso next to the Cascades of our state, and absolute disaster took place. We call it the “Oso landslide” that just suddenly happened with no warning at all. At 10:37am on that morning the whole side of a mountain just came sliding off and buried homes and people. Again… with no warning whatsoever, one square mile of land was buried under what was just seconds before the top of a mountain. Many of you should be able to recall that disaster. Some from our church went up to help that community. 43 people were killed and 49 homes were buried. On that highway – the Arlington-Darrington Hwy 530 just outside Sedro Woolley Washington there is now a memorial and a walk that helps tell the story and remember the lives lost and describes well the disaster of a landslide. It is totally worth a visit sometime.
This Sunday morning I am teaching from the story of the complete healing of a demon possessed man that we find in Mark 5:1-20. It is a story that somehow we just don’t seem to grasp with our modern analogies. How can a person’s mind and life be so destroyed and devastated? How can a life be so terribly depraved? How does this landslide of devastation fall on someone? This story certainly is one of the great healing stories of Jesus. And then to top it all off, how can someone so deeply buried in depravity be so totally restored? It’s like the devastation of a landslide that was completely cleaned up.
As you come this Sunday morning take a good look at this story in Mark 5:1-20. It can be found also in Matthew 8:28-34 and Luke 8:26-39. We are on this journey of studying the stories of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark and we call this story… “Who do you say that I am?” I will see you Sunday as we study God’s Word together.
