This morning (it's the 1st June as I write), I've been putting together a sermon for Evensong at $t Hilda's. I don't usually leave my preparation this late (honestly!), but we've had a few days away and only returned last night.
At Bradley, Dave has chosen to speak on the gospel reading. Quite rightly so, as this year we're going through the whole of Luke's Gospel. But for this evening, I quickly wrote a sermon on the events described in Acts 16.16-34, today's second reading. Because I've also got the newsletter to write this morning, I've decided to summarise that sermon here!!
Many of you will know this story well. Paul, Silas, Luke, and their friends are in Philippi. Each day, they are seen by a girl who is "possessed by a spirit’ and who is being used by her masters to earn them money through fortune-telling. Day after day she calls out: “These men are servants of the Most-High God.”
Paul gets fed up with this, in the name of Jesus, he drives out the Spirit from the girl, which infuriates her profiteering masters and starts a riot. He and Silas are arrested, beaten, and imprisoned. In their cell they pray and sing hymns through the night. A super-natural earthquake occurs which opens every cell door and breaks every prisoner's chain but seems to leave the prison completely in-tact. Rather than escape, Paul, Silas, and all the other inmates remain where they are, presumably still praying, praising God, and discussing the Good News.
When the prison guard is woken and notices every cell door open, he's about to take his own life, but Paul calls out for him to stop from within his cell. After they are released - the jailor invites Paul and Silas to stay at his house; there, on hearing the Gospel, he believes and is baptised, along with the rest of his household.
What might we learn from this wonderful passage? Firstly, that the devil has power and remains active in the world.
The servant girl was only able to tell people's future because of the unclean spirit within her, That same spirit could identify Paul and his friends as followers of Jesus. It could literally smell them! (2 Cor. 2.16).
How do we know the spirit was evil - after all doesn’t it declare God as “the Most-High" in a pagan city? Well, all the demons that Jesus encountered identified him too. The first person to declare that Jesus was the Son of God was a demon-possessed man. We know this spirit was evil because the “gift” was being used to make money and to draw people further away from faith in God, and also because it irritated Paul!
The Bible repeatedly tells us to have nothing to do with fortune-tellers, horoscopes. mediums, or any other occult practise. Sometimes truth may be found there - the devil has some power - but he uses these things to pull us away from THE TRUTH, Jesus Christ. God often gives people special insight via prophetic gifts, but it will always be for the good of us and His Church. The truths sometimes spoken by clairvoyants will only harm us.
Secondly, we might wonder why the crowds started a riot. it's clear why the servant girl's masters were upset- they'd lost their crooked source of income. The crowds joined in for two reasons, I think. Firstly, because Jesus said that the world would hate his followers, just as it hated him first. Secondly, because Paul and his friends were foreigners with different beliefs and customs. Ring any bells? Some politicians and influencers are growing in popularity through attacking and scapegoating immigrants and asylum seekers. I know we can't have an open-door policy on immigration, but never be part of the crowd that blames the outsider or votes for those who do.
And finally, see in this story the wonderful providence of God. Countless people come to faith because of the example of Paul and Silas. They free an exploited girl, endure suffering for God's sake, sing His praises in the prison cell, captivate their fellow inmates, refuse to escape after the earthquake, and the save the jailor and his family in more ways than one.
Who is the God for whom they do all this gladly? It's the same God who grants us the power to driver out spirits. The God who calls us to love and protect the foreigner and the outsider. The God who gives us the endurance to suffer persecution. The God who gives us a joy that we can’t but praise him, even when in pain or in prison. The God who can shake the earth and cause chains to break and bolted doors to open. The God whose irresistible message brings new and unexpected believers to faith in Him on a daily basis. What a mighty God he is. What a mighty God we have!
Ian