ASCENSION OF OUR LORD – Thursday, May 9, 2013

(May also be celebrated on Sunday, May 12, 2013)

Previous posts: May 20, 2012, May 16, 2010

Acts 1:1-11 – As they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up towards heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up towards heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.’
Psalm 47 – The Lord has gone up with a shout, with the sound of the trumpet!
OR Psalm 93 – The Lord is king, robed in majesty, whose throne is of old.

Ephesians 1:15-23– God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
Luke 24:44-53 – While he was blessing them [at Bethany], he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy; and they were continually in the temple blessing God.

Easter 7C – May 12, 2013

(Or Ascension. This is also Mother’s Day in 2013.)

Acts 16:16-34 – Paul’s exorcism of the slave girl at Philippi. His subsequent imprisonment. The earthquake. Then his staying in prison to convert and baptize the jail-keeper and his household.
Psalm 97 – The Lord is king. Let the earth rejoice. The mountains melt like wax before him.
Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 – I am the Alpha and the Omega. The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come!" Let anyone who is thirsty, come. I am the bright and morning star. Surely I am coming soon. Maranatha.
John 17:20-26 – Jesus prays that his followers will be one, as he and the Father are one.

This Sunday we celebrate either Easter 7C or the Ascension of our Lord, which is actually Thursday, May 9, but sometimes is celebrated on the following Sunday, the Sunday before Pentecost. For those of us here in the Gulf Coast Synod, our assembly begins the following Thursday, May 16 and runs through the Vigil of Pentecost, May 18. We will use the texts for the Vigil of Pentecost for our closing worship Saturday.

Today, I am going to address the Acts 16 text for Easter 7C, since I have considered the Ascension texts in previous years: May 20, 2012, May 16, 2010.

Paul and company are still in Philippi, where they landed after Paul had the dream in which a man from Macedonia asked them to come over.

When they arrive in Philippi, they go down to the river to pray. We believe there was no significant Jewish community in Philippi. Archeologists have uncovered no Jewish Synagogue there.

Prior to today’s text, earlier in chapter 16, last week’s text they bump into Lydiafrom Thyatira. Since women are not affected by the circumcision question, it is not surprising to find more female than male Jewish converts. She is the head of her household, probably a widow. She is apparently a woman of means, and her house is big enough that she invites Paul and his friends to come and live with her. Her house becomes a church, the first house-church mentioned in the book of Acts. Women in the Roman Empire could not serve in the army, vote, or appear as witnesses in a court of law. A woman remained under the control of her father even after marriage. There was no real adulthood for women in antiquity. There is no rite of passage for a woman to adopt the toga, or bar mitzvah. Insomuch as Lydia is in control of her own destiny, she is a unique person, in a unique situation.

In today’s text, Luke, the author of Acts says, "One day, as we were going down to the river to pray, we met a slave girl…" This text makes a few things clear. First, it seems they went to this place to pray frequently, since there was no synagogue. Second, by his use of the first person plural "we", the author makes it clear he was with them. This is a first-hand account.

The slave girl has a "spirit of divination." She is making a lot of money for her masters by telling fortunes. She followed Paul, Luke, Timothy and Silas around yelling, "These men are slaves of the most high God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." It’s interesting that it says "a" way of salvation instead of "the" way, but I wouldn’t read too much into this.

It’s unclear if she is mocking them or genuinely impressed by them, but after a while Paul has had quite enough of this. As Jesus did in his ministry, Paul orders the spirit out of her, and she is better within the hour. You can do a lot of things without getting people upset, but when you start messing with their wallets, the wheels come off the bus. The owners, who have been making their livelihood off of this slave, are not pleased. They go to the Roman authorities and attack them, not on the basis of liberating their slave, but rather on a religious basis: "These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews 21and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe."

As an aside, slavery always benefits the slave master financially. It is often the economics that drives the trade and makes it so hard to stop. The Civil War was fought over such plantation economics. Today, there are more slaves than ever in the history of the world. Human trafficking is at an epidemic level. Atlanta is a center, as is Houston. I-10 is a major corridor. Those who try to dismantle this system are going to run up against some pretty angry and violent folks who have millions of dollars at stake.

Paul believes himself to have been shamefully treated at Philippi. (I Thess. 2:2) I should say so. They are dragged before the magistrates. Divination and fortune-telling were an obsession with the Romans and a key part of that State religion, according to A. N. Wilson, Paul: The Mind of the Apostle, p. 146. They are dragged into the marketplace, stripped publicly and beaten with rods. The crowd attacked them. Then they were flogged and thrown in jail. Yes, they were shamefully treated.

Our text finds them in an innermost cell, their feet in stocks. A jailer is assigned to them and ordered to keep them secure on pain of his own death. My favorite part of the text: They are singing hymns (and praying). The other prisoners are listening in.

I am reminded that every movement is fed by its songs. The Freedom Songs from South Africa during apartheid solidified the movement and sent clear spiritual messages to both the proponents and the opponents. They were sung in prison and in protest. "Love is stronger than hate." "His body is abused, but his mind is still free." "Thuma mina: Send me Jesus." "Freedom is coming." "This land is mine." These songs contained so much power they were banned by the government.

I am reminded of Dietrich Bonhoeffer in prison, who built tremendous rapport with his jailers. When your jailers speak highly of you and treat you with utmost respect and deference, something is going on. They observed his faith and kindness, astounding in the face of adversity. One cannot help but be moved by the pure faith of an innocent falsely accused. An objective jailer cannot help but sense the contrast between evil out there and the love in here. This changes a person. This is the way of the cross. The Innocent One suffers on the cross, and hearts are changed. One author I read conjectured the possibility that Paul actually saw the crucifixion of Jesus. Although this is unlikely (Paul surely would have mentioned this), he might have heard about it, since he was probably already part of the Temple guard at the time of the crucifixion.

In any case, seeing the innocent suffer changes a person. The Civil Rights movement in the US was won, when people watched on national television as angry white police beat with batons non-violent black protesters who were clearly not resisting nor fighting back. America had seen enough. It was now clear who was in the wrong. This is at the heart and soul of non-violent protest. The harder you fight back, the muddier things become. Others cannot discern who is right and who is wrong. But when you speak boldly, firmly and gently, not raising your hand, suddenly the world sees. When you suffer evil falsely "on my account," a tipping point occurs. This is the essence of the great Sermon on the Mount. Turn the other cheek. Walk the extra mile. Paul’s praxis in Romans 12 is quite in line with this:

"Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." (Romans 12: 17-21)

This is the gospel. These events in Acts, in Philippi, take place long before Paul penned the words above from his letter to the church in Rome; nevertheless, he is living by them in every missionary journey. Humility. Compassion. "Longsuffering," is a word the old King James version used to use. Being willing to take a few blows for what is right without striking back. It takes much more maturity and courage than lashing out. Paul never strikes back. On this all accounts agree. He never assembles an army. He carries no weapon. His weapons are prayer and song.

Then, in the narrative, there is an earthquake so violent the prisoners are able to escape. The jailer is in trouble. If his prisoners escape, he will be held responsible, tortured and killed. He draws his sword to take his own life, but Paul stops him. "We are all here."

And as a result he and his family convert. He takes Paul and Silas to his house, washes and bandages their wounds. The jailer sets out food for them to eat, in his own home. Paul baptizes the family, together. (Have you ever baptized a family? It’s a powerfully moving experience.) An enemy became a friend.

The text says the whole family rejoiced that the jailer had become a believer. Everyone benefited.

The text continues beyond our pericope. Paul and Silas are released, but Paul chooses instead to protest this great injustice. He fights – with words. Read Acts 16:37. "You’ve beaten us, Roman citizens, with no trial, no due process, no Miranda rights, no writ of habeas corpus, no legal representation, and now you want to just forget it, to sweep it under the rug? I think not." (My paraphrase…) They elicit an apology, then head back to Lydia’s house. The chapter ends, and then the delegation heads off to Thessalonica.

If you are preaching this text I would ponder some questions in order to bring the sermon home. What injustices are taking place in our town? How are we speaking to them? How do we respond when injustices are committed against us? Do we respond with verbal or physical violence? When we are imprisoned, are we able to sing and pray? Where is the closest prison to us? How are we responding to Jesus’ call to visit him in prison? How might we practice overcoming evil not with evil, but with good?

Yours in Christ,

Michael Rinehart, Bishop