Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the Seventh Sunday of Easter. Our Church Services this morning are at the usual times of 9.15 at St Agnes' and 11.00 at St Thomas'.
If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home.
Our first hymn this morning is "To God, be the Glory"
Today's Bible Reading
Acts 16:16-34 Paul and Silas Imprisoned
With Paul and Silas, we came to Philippi in Macedonia, a Roman colony, and, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, "These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, "I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her." And it came out that very hour.
But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, "These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe." The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here." The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" They answered, "Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.
Reflection
Last week we left Paul and Silas in the house of Lydia and he will soon return there after the amazing events that happen in this week’s reading from the book of Acts.
Uncharacteristically the first thing we read is that Paul lost his temper. We haven’t seen Paul behave in this way since before his conversion when he was persecuting the Christians. We’re not quite sure why he got angry and cast the demon out of the slave girl – after all she was effectively providing free publicity for his cause. Maybe he was frightened that she would get them into trouble or maybe he didn’t like being called a slave, or maybe as the text might suggest, he was just plain fed up of her interrupting what they were trying to do.
Either way he could not foresee the consequences of Paul’s action which ultimately ended up with them being beaten, stripped and flung into gaol.
There was such a groundswell of hate and hostility against them, not from the slave girl’s owner (who might have believed he had a right to be aggrieved), but also the onlookers in the market place. Whilst it doesn’t seem right or reasonable, we should maybe look at our own so-called enlightened society and how some people treat those who are perceived to be different – be that refugees, transgender, ‘gay’ people or some other difference.
Having been incarcerated, they surely did not know what would happen next. It was obvious that the locals and the magistrates did not like them as they had been summarily imprisoned without a proper trial. As far as they knew they could be locked up for a very long time or even stoned to death, as happened quite often in those times.
If it was me, I think in those circumstances I would have been very concerned indeed, as I sat half naked and bruised in a cold, dark, windowless cell.
Yet such was the strength of their faith, instead they started to sing hymns and pray to God. Picture yourself as one of the other prisoners as this was happening – can you begin to imagine what they must have thought about Paul and Silas? Maybe you would think that they had been hit so hard on the head that they had ‘lost their marbles’! Remember - Paul and Silas had now ventured into southern Europe and the stories of Jesus and the miracles that had been performed by the apostles were not well known in Philippi.
Then the earthquake happens – and every single prisoner is released and the gates opened. But this a story where God has another surprise in store – because it is a story about an escape without an escape. Not a single one of them runs away, that includes those who were nothing to do with Paul and Silus. Had they been influenced by the worship they had experienced in the cells or were they just dumbfounded? We don’t know.
From Paul’s perspective, this is not an opportunity to run away in shame and fear – he is on a mission - he sees an opportunity to be the voice and the hands of Christ there. So just as Paul and Silas shared the gospel in song with their fellow prisoners, now they save their jailer from the suicide that Roman honour expected with a failure of duty. Moreover they saved the jailer and his whole family from a life without faith in Christ.
At the ending of this text we see a familiar scene; the words of Jesus are spoken and the jailer and his family may be saved by belief in the Lord. Then we see the scene of healing, and hospitality with the sharing of a meal. This is the model that Jesus shows us many times where we can all live in peace and harmony together, no matter how different we may be. Paul
Our Prayers
Almighty and loving Father
We thank you for the example of faith shown by Paul and Silas.
We pray that we too may have the confidence
to proclaim your word even at difficult times.
That we may include people of all kinds and persuasions,
in the hope that they will turn to you and share your salvation.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "My Jesus, My Saviour"
Notices
Next week is Pentecost (Whit Sunday), so our services will be rather different to usual. Below is a poster with all of the details.
