expectations and freedom

Paul gets into trouble with the authorities in many places. This time Silas and Paul are put in prison for ‘disturbing the city’, that is for not acting like a Roman, even though Paul is a citizen of Rome.

Even though they are shackled and locked up, Paul and Silas are singing hymns and praying. I wonder what hymns you would sing when in prison after being flogged.

After the earthquake, seeing that the chains and doors were unlocked, the jailer ‘was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped’. And Paul says wait!

There is a lot going on in this passage.

Even though the reason given for Paul being in prison was because he was disturbing the city, the people who complained about Silas and Paul, were concerned because the slave girl was worth more with a spirit in her, and Paul had cast out the spirit.

Her ‘owners’ were concerned about the loss of trade, not the welfare of the girl and not the peace of the city.

We might think slavery is a thing of the past, but there are many people bought and sold in the world today. There are people who harvest chocolate and tea, people who make clothes, people trafficked for the sex trade. Some are kidnapped, but many are lured by false promises of good jobs, and parents often send a child with a kindly ‘uncle’ from their village, who has promised funds and a good education or a job for the child.

Exploitation, oppression and slavery still exist. If you want to know more about this look at a website of an organisation called STOP THE TRAFFIK. It suggests ways of reducing your involvement by looking at what you wear and what you drink. For example look for Fair Trade, Rainforest Alliance or UTZ certified products.

The theme that has kept coming to me this week is that of expectations and burdens.

• The owners of the slave girl expected her to make money for them.
• The people expected Paul and Silas to act in certain ways
• The jailer is so concerned that he will be in trouble that he sets out to kill himself.

And I wondered what expectations people in our community feel burdened by.

• Dressing a certain way
• Owning a house
• Getting married
• Having children
• How our children will behave
• Having a car
• A certain level of education
• Not failing
• I am sure you can think of many other things

Here are a few examples from my life:

A few years out of school, and some people queried me when I started to study engineering – was I becoming a male?

At times I was asked when Ian and I were planning on having children, and I usually managed to deflect the conversation. I wasn’t sure how to say ‘we are doing our best!’ 

When we were leaving Dubbo to move to Sydney so I could start training to be a Minister, some people who were not associated with a church, questioned how I could be training for ministry, as women can’t be ministers.  

There is still an expectation on young people to get married and have children; and on a day like Mother’s Day, the expectation of family to do ‘something special’.

People have a mental image of what a woman is, or a man is, or what constitutes a family, or a successful life.

And for people who are outside that expectation, life can be very difficult. I can still remember comments about what some of the immigrant children had on their lunch; or comments about men who did hairdressing or ballet or infants teaching.

And unfortunately for some people the burden of being different, of living into the expectation of others leads to health problems, and at times suicide.

Fear,
the fear of failure,
the fear of losing face,
the fear of ridicule,
the fear of exclusion.
The fear of the jailer almost led to death. All too often these fears do lead to death. Physical death, or emotional or spiritual death. In 2009 2,132 deaths by suicide were recorded in Australia, at the same time there were 1417deaths from road accidents.  [http://www.livingisforeveryone.com.au/uploads/docs/LIFE-Fact%20sheet%203.pdf]

The fears, the burden of expectations can weigh heavily on us, and we hide our true selves in the hope of not being found out.

Where is the good news in all this?

The jailer asks: "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."

Last week we heard about Lydia, a woman who heard about Jesus, invited Paul and Silas into her home, and her whole household was saved. Today we hear about another household. Again the household was baptised. Again the response is hospitality, welcoming Paul and Silas into the family home, feeding and washing their wounds.

How are we saved from the burdens people place on us?

What burdens do we place on other people?

This isn’t just a story from the early church, it is a story about today. We are in the long line of women and men who have heard the good news, and responded. Responded to God’s love and mercy with hospitality and generosity. And we are also people who tell of the good news. We are in the long line of witnesses to saving grace of Jesus Christ.

While expectations, burdens and fears can hold us back from being who God calls us to be; the freedom we have in Jesus Christ enables us to live in freedom.

What burdens or fears have you been freed from?

How have you responded to God’s grace?