Louis Armstrong famously sang that “it’s a wonderful world.” While that is true it can, at times, feel like an ugly world when we observe how people treat others. The prophet Jeremiah laments: This is the nation that does not listen to the voice of the LORD, its God, or take correction. This reality is captured in the mission of Jesus to drive out demons. There are forces at work which are damaging the “wonderful world” that God created. We see these demons in our own time: war, poverty, racism, crime, greed, hatred. As followers of Jesus we too must work to drive the demons away. We can’t stand idly by and watch the ungodly forces move to the ascendant. “Whoever is not with me is against me.” The form of our resistance of evil forces will be personal, dependent on our state of life, family responsibilites, and time available. But every follower of Jesus must do their little bit to drive back the forces of darkness and encourage the light of truth, justice and love.
