Legion

  

Then they 
arrived at 
the country of
the Gerasenes,
which is opposite
 Galilee. As he 
stepped out
on land, a man
 of the city who 
had demons 

met him. For a
 long time he
 had worn no

 clothes, and
he did not live
in a house but in the tombs. 

When he saw Jesus, he fell down before him and shouted at

 the top of his voice, ‘What have you to do with me, Jesus,

 Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me’

— for Jesus had commanded the unclean spirit to come out

 of the man. (For many times it had seized him; he was kept

 under guard and bound with chains and shackles, but he 

would break the bonds and be driven by the demon into the 

wilds.) Jesus then asked him, ‘What is your name?’ He said,

 ‘Legion’; for many demons had entered him. They begged

 him not to order them to go back into the abyss.

 Now there on the hillside a large herd of swine was feeding;

 and the demons begged Jesus to let them enter these. So

 he gave them permission. Then the demons came out of the 

man and entered the swine, and the herd rushed down the 

steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

 When the swineherds saw what had happened, they ran off

 and told it in the city and in the country. Then people came

 out to see what had happened, and when they came to Jesus,

 they found the man from whom the demons had gone sitting

 at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they

 were afraid. Those who had seen it told them how the one

 who had been possessed by demons had been healed. Then

 all the people of the surrounding country of the Gerasenes

 asked Jesus to leave them; for they were seized with great

 fear. So he got into the boat and returned. The man from

 whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with

 him; but Jesus sent him away, saying, ‘Return to your home,

 and declare how much God has done for you.’ So he went 

away, proclaiming throughout the city how much Jesus had

 done for him.  Luke 8:26-39

Legion

So many are possessed by demons

the familiar ones of mental illness

alcohol and opioid addictions

and lesser known demonic greed 

their name is legion in our time.

They tell our children to overrun

to tear down and bully others

they wear the best clothes

shame the poor and the challenged

take pride in the ill gotten gain.

Oh Legion begone from us

our people see the demons as heroes

they come out in droves to worship

humility and honor is all lost

pride and arrogance swell so.

Come and set us free today

from those who would win

and destroy the children's future

who would destroy mother earth

so that they can pile up more gold.

Send them to their own swine

let them dive to their destruction

release and heal this earth and sky

give our people hope again

and set us free to sing out loud again.