Yesterday, there was a great mystery here. I received a call from someone on the altar guild, saying that the doors to this building were locked, and the altar guild was unable to get in.

So I came over to investigate, and not only were the doors locked; it appeared that they were locked from the inside.

My imagination took over at that point, as all the mysteries I had read came to mind. Doors locked from the inside…what would Poirot, or Lord Peter Wimsey, or Nero Wolfe have to say about that? What would we find inside when the doors were opened?

It turns out that the mystery was simply that an overzealous caretaker had made sure that the building was secure. And when the door was finally opened, we found the gentle and peaceful spirit that resides at St. James, the beauty of the building, and all that we love safe and sound.

But like yesterday's events, today's story is full of drama. Look at the elements: a disturbed, naked man screaming on the beach, a herd of pigs that suddenly run over a cliff, and a commanding center figure, the hero Jesus.

In this story we see the power of God at work in a restorative miracle. But it is not the power that gripped me as I read this account: it was Jesus' compassion for his fellow human beings, and his love for God his Father, manifested in his desire for the healed man to give glory only to God.

In this Jesus was a living example of the great commandment - to love God with all your heart, all your mind, all your soul and all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. Here, Jesus' neighbor was not a Pharisee, or a disciple, but a gentile man in great distress.

Our story today begins, as the lectionary often does, in the middle of a longer scene. So let me recap: After Jesus forgave the sinful woman, which we heard about last week, he taught the crowds about being receptive to the word of God, by teaching them the parable of the sower.

Right before today's story Jesus crossed the Sea of Galilee with his disciples, and fell asleep in the boat, only to be awakened by fearful cries as a storm threatened to capsize the vessel. "Where is your trust in God?" Jesus asked, and he calmly rebuked the wind and waves, and went back to sleep.

After this, the disciples were amazed that Jesus has such power. Little do they know that they are about to see yet a greater demonstration.

Morning has come, and the other side of the lake beckons, but as they step ashore, Jesus and his disciples are confronted with an alarming sight. It is not a storm of wind and wave that threatens them this time, but the storms of the human mind - a stark naked man greets them, and he is screaming at Jesus. Jesus rebukes the demons in the man, setting the man free in a powerful scene. The pace of the story is so fast that we don't hear what the disciples' reaction is. A tormented man, a herd of pigs and a crowd of people follow in quick succession.

Any of us who have had a family member who suffers from mental illness or addiction understand what phenomenon greeted Jesus on the beach that day.

The torture that someone in that state goes through is acutely agonizing. The perceptions of the mind cannot be trusted, and the sufferer is completely irrational. But even as the tortured individual suffers, so do his caregivers and family members. To watch someone endure this is incredibly heartbreaking and fills us with a sense of powerlessness.

Here, in the land of the Gerasenes, it is Jesus' compassion for the state of this man that causes him to confront the demons that torture him, and in the twinkling of an eye, the man is healed more completely than he would have been from years of treatment.

By the time the townspeople get to the beach, this naked broken man is clothed, in his right mind, and sitting at the feet of Jesus.

In Jesus' day all mental illness was thought to be caused by demons, the foot-soldiers of the devil. And indeed, demon possession is still recognized as possible by the church. It is the purview of bishops to perform exorcisms in the Episcopal church. But demons come in all forms - some are supernatural, but some are better known to us: addiction, depression, anxiety, fear, phobia and a myriad others.

For the man with the legion of demons, it really didn't matter what caused his madness. What mattered was that the day he met Jesus was the day that his life changed forever.

Indeed when the other Gerasenes showed up, they were astonished to see this young man in his right mind sitting at Jesus' feet. You would think that they'd be so amazed at this miracle that they'd want to hear what Jesus had to say.

But that's not what happened. Instead, the Gerasenes were afraid.

In fact, they exhibited the same fear of Jesus' actions that the pigs did. But instead of running away like the pigs, they asked Jesus to leave.

And so Jesus went back to his own people, cast off by the gentiles across the lake just as he would be discarded by his own people, and as he has been rejected over the centuries.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if today we could remove the evil from our lives as simply as Jesus did? If we had the power to set free those we love who suffer such pain?

Many of the miracles Jesus did during this time were a teaching tool for his disciples. He wanted them to understand that the working of miracles, and the healing of broken lives is possible.

Today, WE are his disciples. Surely Christ's power has not gone away. For it is part and parcel of the compassion he continues to hold for all of God's children. His desire is still to heal, to encourage, and to set free.

Each Wednesday morning at 8:30, we gather in the Meditation Chapel for Eucharist and the sacrament of healing. Ask anyone who comes regularly, and they will tell you what we experience there.

Here in this season after Pentecost, we have the opportunity once more to invite the Spirit of God to do the extraordinary in our lives, and re-imagine what is possible by faith. It is a very long season, and we have plenty of time to learn to hold fast to the compassion of Christ.

Last but not least: Today is Father's Day, and like so many holidays, it is a wonderful occasion for some, and a painful one for others. For those of you who are looking forward to a great day with your family, may you enjoy it thoroughly, and give thanks to God for the blessings that make this day possible. For those for whom this day holds sorrow, may the compassion of Christ meet you in the midst of your memories and fill you with peace.