Getting To Know You

Acts 16:25-40

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). These words remind me of so many occasions when I’ve needed courage or hope. At times such as these I find it helpful to turn to familiar words: from scripture, from hymns, from faithful believers. Reflecting on such words allows me to use the hope expressed in them, to claim the faith to which they attest, to focus my needs on the presence of God. I’m sure many of you understand this and often do the same thing.

As a minister, however, I am aware of the fact that many Christians simply do not know the Bible or the hymns well enough to draw on them in times of need. To my mind this is a bit like having a life raft but not knowing how to inflate it. The folks who truly inspire me are the ones who know where to turn in times of crisis. It’s not that they can cite chapter and verse, it’s that they know and are comfortable with what God has to say through the written word or what the church has found meaningful in song.

There is another aspect to the account in Acts that deserves our attention. As Paul and Silas prayed and sang “the prisoners were listening to them.” The hope and confidence that Paul and Silas were able to draw from their tradition became a form of witness to those around them. Here is my challenge to all of you: if you can not recall a verse from scripture by heart, learn one––just one. It could be as simple as “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Then, once you are comfortable with that expression of faith, pick another to learn and to appreciate. As you begin to accumulate verses you will be filling a toolbox of faith that can be used in times of need. The same works with hymns, or with quotes from religious figures that help to put the faith into focus. If what we believe is really important to us we should learn to express it and to spend our days with it in a variety of ways. Paul and Silas did. Now it’s our turn.

Prayer: Lord, help us to grasp the meaning of your word and to carry it with us as we live so that we are never far from the guidance you offer. Amen.

All In An Uproar

Esther 1:1-4, 10-19
Acts 17:1-15
John 12: 36b-43
Our three passages today offer stories of conflict or disagreement. A queen refuses a request from her king and is about to be removed. The earliest Christians can’t proclaim the gospel without severe opposition forming, no matter where they go. And even Jesus is met with tepid response or outright unbelief which, according to John, is to fulfill the words of Isaiah. So what’s going on and why the uproar? Isn’t the Bible supposed to be good news?

The Bible is good news. But the world isn’t always a settled, peaceful place. In fact, there always seems to be some source of turmoil somewhere. Illness, wars, disputes, broken homes, crime, economic woes, and worse are constants in our lives and it’s been that way throughout human history. So part of the relevance of scripture is that it, too, contains upheaval and unrest. The Bible isn’t just about still waters and places of rest. It is also about human frailties, about the effects of sin, about the horrors of war, about these and so many other problems that confront us. And while it may not seem so at first, if we pay attention we will see that God’s word is just as meaningful (and maybe more so) in the face of opposition and unrest as it is during times of calm. When I find myself facing turmoil in my life or in the lives of those I love, I can turn to scripture and be reminded that God never gets lost in the shuffle, that grace remains potent and that there is no shortage of love on God’s part.

So, if God is so powerful and grace-filled why is there unrest in the first place, why wars and death, why disagreement and divorce? That all comes from the human side of the equation, from our freewill and our poor choices. There are consequences to what we do or don’t do. And yet, through it all, God refuses to give up on us. A new queen, Esther, will rise to protect her people. Paul and Silas and Timothy move on to new cities and find people who are receptive to their message. Jesus is faithfully obedient, even unto death, that we might be saved from sins. No, God is powerful and grace-filled. So while life presents us with plenty of reasons to be angry, God remains even more steadfast in offering us hope.

Prayer: Lord, help us to see the goodness that comes from knowing you and to trust you during times of unrest in our world and in our homes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.