Beyond Demons Healing in Community A reflection on Luke 9:37:44 on the Daily Bible refresh with Dr.

Brad Miller hello my good friends, Dr.

Brad Miller here with Daily Bible Refresh Daily visit We have together to read from the New Testament of the Bible.

We make this reading understandable because we use the message version relatable.

We give you some points to ponder and applicable just because we give you an action step to take.

We have a prayer.

We do all of it in under 10 minutes or so.

It's all brought to you because we take the selected verse of Scripture from the Revised Common Lectionary for this very day and we read it.

It's where you see the Pentecost season.

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Here's our reading for the day.

Here's Luke 9:37:44 reading from the message when they came down off the mountain the next day, a big crowd was there to meet them.

A man called after the crowd, please, please teacher, take a look at my son.

He's my only child.

Often a spirit seizes him and suddenly he's screaming, thrown into convulsions, his his mouth foaming and then it beats him black and blue before he leaves.

I asked your disciples to deliver him, but they couldn't.

Jesus said, what a generation.

No sense of God, no focus to your lives.

How many times do I have to go over these things?

How much longer do I have to put up with this?

Bring your son here.

While he was coming, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into convulsions.

And Jesus stepped in and ordered the foul spirit to gone, healed the boy, handed him back to his father, and they all shook their heads in wonder and astonished at God's greatness, God's majestic greatness.

Your business is life.

While they continue to stand around exclaiming over all these things he was doing, Jesus said to his disciples, treasure and ponder each of these next words.

The Son of Man is about to be betrayed and into human hands.

Wow, what an incredible story in this passage today about healing and community and responsibility and a transformative presence.

Let's get into our points to ponder.

The first is about understanding our modern demons.

In progressive theology, we might view this story through the lens of systematic suffering and collective trauma.

The demon afflicting this child could represent the many forces of that harm our youth and really all people today.

Poverty, violence, inadequate health care, systematic racism.

There's so many.

And Jesus frustration isn't with the child but with a society that allows such suffering to persist.

The second point is about community responsibility and healing.

The disciples inability to help reflects how our institutions often fail those most in need.

And Jesus's response is what a generation.

No sense of God.

You can just hear the frustration in his voice almost.

This suggests that failure isn't just a individual situation, but a collective problem.

True healing requires both personal transformation and systematic change.

A third point is of going beyond wonder to amazement.

The crowds of amazement at the healing isn't enough.

Jesus immediately points to his coming betrayal.

This justice position suggests that witnessing transformation isn't sufficient.

We must engage with the costly work of justice and change even when it leads to resistance and rejection.

Here's your action step.

Identify one systematic issue that is affecting young people in your community.

It could be mental health access, food insecurity, an education system that's not serving them well.

Inequality.

Rather than just expressing concern, thoughts and prayers, take one concrete action toward addressing the issue, whether through advocacy, direct support or challenging institutional barriers.

We're going to come back and have a prayer in just a moment.

Just want you to know that we have a resource for you that I really want you to pick up.

Head over to our website voiceofgoddaily.com and you're going to find a link there to get our at home Bible study resource called the ABC 1, 2, 3 Bible Study Method.

It will help you with your at home Bible study which you use in complement to what we do here on the Daily Bible Refresh.

Let's pray.

God of healing and justice when we see suffering around us, move us beyond amazement to action, beyond sympathy, to solidarity.

Help us recognize the demons of our time systems that harm institutions that exclude, policies that oppress.

Give us courage to face our collective failures, our institutional inadequacies, our societal blind spots.

Transform us from spectators into participants in healing, from observers of miracles into agents of change.

May we become people who don't just marvel at transformation but but commit to the costly work of creating a more just world.

Amen.

So wonderful to be with you here on Daily Bible Refresh.

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We'll see you tomorrow.

Until then, remember, my name is Dr.

Bradmiller.

And encouraging you that God's loyal love doesn't run out, his merciful love hasn't dried up, it's created new every morning.

Sam.