Today we’re going to talk about casting out demons or, as Mark calls them in today’s lesson, impure spirits. It’s not a subject that we talk about very much in church anymore, even though it figures prominently in the New Testament. Maybe at the end of today’s service I will perform an exorcism and cast out a demon . . . or not. Perhaps you have someone in mind that you think could profit from such an exorcism. But enough about members of Congress . . .

Some of you will remember a movie that caused quite a stir back in the 1970s called “The Exorcist.” The movie was set at Georgetown University. “The Exorcist” was written by a Georgetown alumnus, William Peter Blatty, and it was based on events that were reportedly true, the story of a child brought to Georgetown because of its reputation …