Usually
when I think about this passage I think about Paul and Silas in prison, their
freedom and the conversion of the jailer and his family. But what I noticed
this time, was the incident which put Paul and Silas in prison.
They were
not in prison for preaching, they are in prison for taking away the income of
the people who made a living out of a woman.
The woman,
unnamed, is used by others to make money out of her affliction. When Paul calls
forth the evil spirit, is there cheering? Rejoicing because she is no longer
afflicted? No! there is anger!
When the
Gospel is lived, some will be angry.
When the
poor are raised up, some will be resentful.
When the
oppressed are free, some will not celebrate.
The
outworking of the gospel challenged the established pattern of life in
Philippi; and the gospel also challenges the established patterns of life here
in Australia, and around the world.
song: We Who believe in freedom - beginning only
What does
it mean to live in freedom?
What does
it mean for all lives to be equal?
Reflecting
on this reading from Acts, I am reminded of the building collapse in Bangladesh
recently. Notice it is only a week or so ago, and already it is out of the
headlines, replaced by football and horse racing.
Looking at news reports, this isn’t
the first time there has been a disaster in Bangladesh factories. : “It’s not
the first time a Bangladesh factory “accident” has killed huge numbers of
workers. 110 people died in a fire in Dhaka in November 2012, after three
managers told panicking workers that it was just a routine fire drill and
refused to let them leave the building, which
manufactured clothing for brands including Walmart and European chain C&A.”
[2 pictures
of collapsed building] would you want to work here?
Would you
want your daughter to work here?
Where is
freedom for those who live and work in places like this building?
Paul freed
the woman from the evil Spirit, but it is the ‘system’ that keeps so many
enslaved. The evil Spirits in our world today are poverty, oppression, and
greed.
solo:
We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it
comes
The Gospel
reading from John is part of the long farewell prayer of Jesus for his
disciples. Note that this section begins: “I ask not only on behalf of these,
but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word.” That
means us; Jesus is praying for us, shortly before his death. This is the end of
chapter 17, and chapter 18 is begins with the betrayal in the garden.
One of the
last things Jesus did, was pray for his disciples and pray for us, each one of
us. Now, I find John’s style of writing to be quite dense, but if we take a
little time to read this section, the prayer is for unity in Christ, not for
its own sake, but “so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” , that occurs twice
in this section.
Jesus has
made God known, and we are to make God known.
How do we
speak the gospel message, how do our lives witness to God’s love and grace
shown to us in Jesus?
We need to
remember what happened to Jesus, and Paul and Silas. The message of grace, of
new life, of transformation and liberation is not a popular message for those
with much to lose.
Look at
what happens when the Government wants implement changes in taxation and social
welfare payments. This Tuesday evening the Budget will be announced, and the
response will be???
At this
time of year, the usual responses we hear are from special interest groups
about how much they will gain or lose – various media will bring out a
‘typical’ family, a pensioner and a self-funded retiree, and ask what
difference it will make to their lives – and my guess is there will be complaints about how hard it is to make ends
meet with private school fees and the cost of electricity and petrol. When
interest rates go down for those with a mortgage, we hear how difficult it
makes life for those living of investments. Usually no-one is happy with the budget,
because they get too little.
How about
instead of thinking about our bottom line, we think about what the budget means
for those on the lowest incomes, what the budget means for all of God’s
creation.
Oh, but
that isn’t popular.
When did
being a follower of Jesus, a disciple, an apprentice, become about popularity.
Jesus
didn’t pray for the disciples because it was going to be easy, Jesus prayed
that we would keep our nerve, that our lives would witness to God’s presence.
Which
brings us back to Paul and Silas, in witnessing to God’s presence, they healed
a woman, which led to beatings and imprisonment. While in prison they sang
songs of praise and when they could have walked out of prison, they did not.
This is a gospel that turns lives upside down, this is a gospel that changes
the very foundations of the earth and society. This is a gospel that values all
people and all creation.
Solo:
We who believe in freedom cannot rest
We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it
comes
Hi, I love the way you interspersed the song with your sermon, and I am thinking about trying something similar. Did you do anything/what did you do to get permission to use the song?
ReplyDeleteI did sing the two lines of the chorus, unaccompanied, and encouraged the congregation to join in for the second time through. I am not a good singer so we showed a version from YouTube, which the tech people look after. In the sermon, just the chorus, first verse and chorus, then at the end of worship the whole thing. If you can sing well, you may pick it up enough just from listening to it on the web.
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