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?

New ife, Last words

In the reading from Acts we meet Lydia.
Lydia is a business woman,
the head of a household,
someone who has moved to Philippi,
and she is a worshipper of God.
We know only a little about Lydia.
Lydia was from Thyatira, in the Asian province of Lydia. Is Lydia her name? Or a reference to where she comes from? We don’t know for sure.
We do know that she sells purple cloth. Purple is an important colour, only the wealthy and nobles could wear purple. This means Lydia would know some of the important people in the area.

Lydia was God worshipper, and with other people who worshipped the God of the Jews, she met by the river, outside the city gates, to worship, which is where Paul finds her along with others. She hears the story of Jesus, and she responds.
Lydia is baptised, offers accommodation to Paul and Silas. This isn't the end of Lydia’s story, we hear of her offering hospitality to the Paul and Silas again later in chapter 16.

Lydia is thought to be the first European convert. An unlikely choice, she is not of Jewish heritage, she is female and there is no mention of a husband.

Where do seekers gather today?
Where do we go to tell the stories of our faith?
Outside the boundaries of polite society?
There is a Baptist church in Woolloomooloo who offers assistance to marginalised women including street prostitutes. They are “about creating a safe space where women who are experiencing marginalisation or are in vulnerable situations, can access support and care.” [http://hopestreet.org.au/Women%27s+Services/p/3/]. Our own Uniting Church operates a harm minimisation program: the Medically Supervised Injecting Centre.
Both of these services are outside the mainstream of society, but offer grace and hope to people who are often in despair.

The passage we heard from John’s gospel this morning, is part of a long section of Jesus teaching and praying for his disciples. It comes after the foot washing at the last supper and before the betrayal in the garden. Chapters 14 to 17 cover many topics. Last week we heard the end of chapter 13, where Jesus tells the disciples he is going to be glorified, and that the disciples cannot go where he is going, so love one another.
In the next few chapters we hear:

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me.” [14:1]
 “I am the way and the truth and the life.” [14:6]
“Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” [14:9]
“If you love me you will keep my commandments” [14:15]
“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate, to be with you forever” [14: 16]
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.” [14:27]
“Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” [14: 27]
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine-grower. [15:1]
Abide in me as I abide in you. [15:4]
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples. [15: 8]
This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [15:12]
It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. [16:7]

Jesus is preparing the disciples, as best he can, for his death. And that preparation includes how to keep on living the Jesus life, when Jesus isn't walking beside them.

Don’t be afraid.
Love one another.
Don’t be afraid.
Abide in me.
Love one another.
I am sending the spirit, the advocate, the helper.

If you have ever sat with someone who knows they are dying, last words can be important. Sometimes people will write a letter to a loved one, sometimes it is ‘I'm sorry’ or ‘I love you’.

Listen to some of the last words of Jesus again:

"I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid.” [14: 25-27]

These themes are repeated in these 4 chapters.

Don’t be afraid.
Love one another.
Don’t be afraid.
Abide in me.
Love one another.
I am sending the spirit, the advocate, the helper.
Peace I give to you.

Did the disciples understand? It seems not, but that isn’t unusual in the gospels. “First Peter (John 13:36), then Thomas (14:5), then Phillip (14:8), and then Judas (not Iscariot) (14:22) ask for clarification about what Jesus is telling them.” [Elizabeth Johnson working preacher]

Do we understand?

We aren’t sitting with freshly washed feet, listening to Jesus ramble on about loving each other, trusting in him, and the Holy Spirit that is to come – wondering what on earth he is talking about.
We are sitting here over 2000 years later, hearing a passage that will be familiar to many of us. And ye know that Jesus dies, and that Jesus was buried, and that three days later the tomb was empty.

We also know that the disciples didn’t know what to do, then there were sightings of Jesus, and the disciples putting the pieces together, and the growth of the early church, and questions about Jewishness and Christianity.   You know the story.

And among the first words of Jesus to the disciples after the resurrection: “Peace be with you.”  Three times in eight verses. Peace be with you. [John 20: 19, 21, 26]
Peace, Jesus’ peace, “is more than the absence of conflict. The peace that Jesus offers us is a profound and holistic sense of well-being.” [Elizabeth Johnson working preacher]


A quote I came across this week from St. John Paul II – “Do not abandon yourselves to despair. We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song.”

We are Easter people and hallelujah is our song.
The spirit flows in our life,
Don’t be afraid.
Love one another.
Peace I give to you.

I wonder what that looks like for us.

I wonder how the peace that we are offered by Jesus; is evident in our lives?

Freedom from what?

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.”

http://www.thevine.com.au/fashion/news/owners-arrested-after-bangladesh-clothing-factory-collapse/

[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