“Opportunity knocks: do you hear it?”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Sunday, May 29, 2022
Acts 16:16-34 (Forward, p. 31) CEV p. 1155
Here gospel writer and physician Luke continues with his narration of Paul’s adventurous missionary journeys, and, initially, at least, today’s traumas sound anything ‘but’ the kind of thing that anyone would desire. And yet, even in these dismal and nasty circumstances, God was at work. There were opportunities here, if only someone would recognize them and take advantage of them:
a) Firstly, we come across a demon-possessed slave girl who had made her owners a great deal of money by telling fortunes. The girl’s knowledge, and her messages, however, are not limited to just this. She is also given insight as to who Paul and Silas are and what their mission is, and for some reason, she won’t shut-up. She insists on repeating this day by day, and coming from such an unlikely and less than reputable source, it is quite embarrassing for the apostles. Finally, upset with it all, Paul addresses the demon and commands it to leave the girl alone. One might think that this is good, and it is, at least for her. However, for her owners it is an unmitigated disaster for they have now lost their chance to make money out of her ability. They immediately go to the authorities, claiming that Paul and Silas are counselling people to carry out unlawful activities (such as not making a profit?). The end result is that Paul and Silas are dragged into the courtroom, beaten badly and thrown into prison. One might well wonder what good could come out of that!
b) However, worse is still to come. Badly beaten and bloody, they are taken to the innermost part of the jail, a dank, dismal nasty place, and shackled to heavy blocks of wood. Then, seemingly, to make matters worse, around midnight the jail is wracked by a severe earthquake that shock the building, releasing all the doors and chains. The jailer, sure that his prisoners had all escaped, was about to take his own life—rather than to have to face the authorities and a probable death at their hands—when Paul intervened. As a result, the jailer and his entire family came to faith in Jesus Christ.
Publicly ‘making waves’, a falling out with the authorities and the important people, an arrest and brutality at the hands of the police, suffering and imprisonment—and then, an earthquake to boot: none of this sounds like much fun. And yet, here were some incredible opportunities, which Paul and Silas were quite happy to make use of.
This, then, sets before us a challenge about our world today, and about its issues and problems. Let me set before you just a few of the ones that I see:
a) The continuing, lingering effects of the pandemic, and not just medically but socially as well: the inadequacy of our medical response and the difficulties in messaging, the distrust of media, government and the medical profession, the fear and suspicion engendered all over the place, the imagined loss of control, autonomy and freedom, and massive rifts and polarization within society itself.
b) The continuing and cumulative impact of climate change—whether we want to call it that or not—in terms of increased flooding, drought, wildfires, slides, storms, sea rise, etc. Here there is a double-sided question that I think that few of our elected representatives have fully tackled. On the one hand, there is the devastation: how do we prevent or alleviate it beforehand, and how do we deal it after the fact? And on the other hand, how do we make wise and common- sense choices that will guarantee the continued livelihood of those people and communities effected by any measures put into place?
c) An increasing trend toward violence and dysfunctional behaviour among individuals and groups, and a seeming inability in handling and stemming it. Are mental health measures enough; are they the be all and end all to stemming this? Is there an underlying problem when we no longer call anything ‘sin’ or label it as ‘evil’?
d) A continuing, and growing, trend, worldwide as well as nationally, towards governments and leaders that promise strong and decisive action, no matter what the cost to individual freedoms or overall society. And with this, an increasing appeal to nationalism and to a sense of national pride and identity. Sadly, there seems to be an increase in the number of Putin’s in our world.
e) An increasingly distrust of institutions in general, be that the media, government, the military, the police and judiciary, institutions, and, of course, the church. And, with this, comes an erosion of authority and compliance, a questioning of ‘truth’, and even a question as to whether truth actually exists. With this comes an even deeper malaise, namely an uprooting or questioning of standards and values once held to be sacred and immovable and held in common by most of society.
f) And, finally, a continued trend toward individual, personal religion--however that be defined—that has little place for the institution or the community of faith, and that can be practiced, how, when or as much or little as the individual decides. In some ways, our live-streaming and Zoom services have merely facilitated this and sped it up.
Compared with all this what Paul and Silas went through can seem pretty minor, but even so. They were faced with some pretty difficult situations. But they saw them as opportunities and made the best of them. So, I would say to us today, “Opportunity is indeed knocking: will we hear it, and respond, and make the best of it.” I pray that, together with the Lord’s help and direction, we will do just that. Amen.
Forward notes: “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’” (verse 17).
“Our relationship with Christ is complex and mysterious, but it is certainly not one of slave and master. On the cross, Jesus paid the price of our transgressions, but it was not a purchase. Paul often uses the words redeem or ransom to describe Christ’s sacrifice because it restored our valued relationship. However, Jesus’s death made salvation possible for all people; we need only choose to accept this gift. Every relationship is a two-way street. We must each embrace it in our own time and way.
“We are near the end of calving season, and the calves have been marked as property of our ranch. But all they know is the comfort and nurture of their mom’s milk and the joy of running and bucking in the sun.
“At baptism, we are marked as Christ’s own forever, not as a mark of ownership but of fellowship and kinship.”
Moving Forward: “Consider and pray about your relationship with Christ.”