In Luke 8:26–39, Jesus crosses into Gentile territory—unclean, scary, “off-limits” land for a good Jewish person—and meets a man possessed by demons, living among tombs and pigs, cut off from everything. To the disciples, it was like stepping straight into a nightmare—but Jesus went right to the heart of the fear and brought peace. Just like He calmed the storm, He calmed this man’s chaos, showing that He is greater than anything that scares us. And while the man begged to follow Jesus, Jesus told him to stay and tell his story at home—a reminder that sometimes our calling is to be faithful right where we are. Whatever your “boogeyman” is today, remember: God is bigger.

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Good morning, friends. Happy Friday to you! I hope this week has been a good one and that you’re looking forward to the weekend. I said earlier there wasn’t much on the schedule—but I wasn’t being honest. Tomorrow we’ll gather for our Rise Against Hunger event, where we’ll pack thousands of meals for people in need all across the world. Then on Sunday, we’ll celebrate another baptism here at St. Matthew’s. God continues to pour out blessings on our church, and we are so grateful for His goodness. If you’re looking for a place to worship this weekend, we’d love to welcome you here and invite you to be part of what God is doing.

Today’s passage is one of my favorite stories in the Bible. We’re reading from Luke 8:26–39, the account of Jesus healing the man possessed by demons in the country of the Gerasenes. This man lived among the tombs, tormented and cut off from his community, until Jesus brought healing and peace.

This story has always fascinated me. I’ve even visited the traditional site near the Sea of Galilee where this took place. The shoreline has shifted since then, but you can still see the cliff where the pigs rushed into the water. Nearby stands the ruins of an ancient church built to remember this miracle—a reminder of how powerful this moment was to early Christians.

To understand just how shocking this story would have been to Jesus’ disciples, think about it this way: growing up in the South, many of us heard tales of the “boogeyman” or monsters in the woods. I remember hearing about everything from panthers crying like babies to strange creatures living in the forests around my hometown. Every community seems to have its own scary stories.

In Jesus’ day, Jewish parents had their own warnings: “Don’t cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.” Why? Because that was Gentile territory—unclean in every way. That’s why there were pigs there (animals forbidden in Jewish law), a cemetery right in the middle of town (also unclean), and even a man living unclothed (a further sign of shame and impurity). In one place, all the fears of a good Jewish child’s upbringing came together: Gentiles, pigs, tombs, nakedness, and demons.

And where does Jesus go? Right into the middle of it all. He meets a man who embodied every fear and every kind of brokenness—and Jesus calmed him, just as He had calmed the storm earlier in this same chapter. The message is clear: Jesus is greater than our fears.

Friends, the disciples encountered what seemed like the boogeyman of their day, and Jesus showed His power over it. He’s greater than the things that frighten us, greater than our doubts, our worries, and our struggles. As VeggieTales puts it so simply: “God is bigger than the boogeyman.”

And notice what happens at the end of the story: the man Jesus healed begged to go with Him, but Jesus told him to stay. “Go home and declare how much God has done for you.” Sometimes the hardest calling isn’t to go somewhere new—it’s to stay right where we are and share the good news with our family, friends, and community.

So today, remember this: whatever your fear, whatever burden feels too heavy, God is bigger. He is with us, He will not leave us, and He is greater than anything we face.

Have a wonderful weekend, friends. I’ll see you Monday as we continue our journey through Luke’s Gospel.