Thursday, September 18, 2014     

Acts 16: 25 - 40

Another great escape!!  But this one differs from that of Peter, where he is spirited out of the jail (Acts 12, 1 - 19; September 2 Renew-All Blog)

This time

•   Paul and Silas do not leave when they could

•   it is a court that has imprisoned them, not Herod

•   the release is spectacular not silent - an earthquake, everyone awake

•   in the morning, Paul and Silas were to be released, acquitted, not publicly murdered

•   the guards are not killed

Similarities

•   Peter, Paul and Silas seem not to have been terrified: Peter sleeping, Paul and Silas singing

•   tables are turned: abuse of power has a comeuppance

What truly stands out for me though is the response of the guard.  At first, he was going to commit suicide knowing that guards who lose their prisoners are not forgiven. (Herod killed those who were guarding Peter, almost because he needed for someone, anyone, to die!)  Paul and Silas rescue him!  Amazingly, it seems that other prisoners, presumably also freed, had stayed in place too - why???  Did Paul and Silas tell the others to stay put? Why would other prisoners follow Paul and Silas’s lead?

Sirs, what do I have to do to be saved, to really live? (30 The Message) asks the guard.  He has seen something that throws all he previously believed out the window!!  What is it that makes these men care more about him, their jailer, their enemy, than themselves?  What gives them the power to sing, having been swarmed by a mob, beaten black and blue, and thrown in jail in leg irons? Where does their leadership and influence (charisma) over the other prisoners come from?  They are obviously more alive than he is.

Paul and Silas’s answer speaks to this awareness: Put your entire trust in the Master Jesus. Then you’ll live as you were meant to live - and everyone in your house included!” (31)

The invitation to full life, the life God intends for us all, is quickly accepted and the night spent in celebration - it was a night none of them would ever forget. I wonder what happened to that family in the years to come.  I imagine it was a story told many times over.  I wonder how many other invitations were offered, how many other lives were changed.

I may not be in quite as spectacular a position as Paul and Silas, but I have experienced being beaten up by life, left shackled and imprisoned, facing a grim future. (Haven’t we all!)  That is an opportunity for me to sing.  If I take that opportunity, what chains will be broken, who else will be freed?  Hmmmm.

Blessings

Ann Kelland

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

John 12: 20-28

In this passage of the Gospel of John Jesus has reached a turning point in his ministry. When Jesus is informed that some Greeks wanted to see him he announces that “the hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” which for him means he expects to die soon. However, with his death all was not to be lost. In fact, he compares himself to a grain of wheat which after it falls to the earth will die yet provide much fruit. 

How might we understand this idea? Perhaps we could recall persons in our own lives whom we regret having lost to death and would dearly love to still have them with us to enjoy their companionship or friendship to help us through good times and bad. Somehow, despite the fact that they are not able to be physically present their memory, insight, or even their spirit seems to be to provide an abiding influence on how we view some of our daily challenges in life. Sometimes the memory of a person can offer an individual or people or even a community inspiration on how their lives might be led or what kind of actions should be pursued in order to have a more fulfilling and meaningful life.

Certainly the Gospel of John seems to be highlighting that Jesus did not want to die, but rather appreciated that it was only through the willingness to contemplate and face death that his more enduring influence could be more fully realized. Later in the Gospel of John Jesus is said to have promised his followers that he would not “orphan” them but rather the spirit or advocate would remain with his true followers after his death. Perhaps this might help us realize that despite Jesus’ physical death, his presence continues to linger and remain with us.

- Terry Rothwell