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The Gospel of Matthew Bible Studies
The Gospel of Mark Bible Studies
The Book of Acts Bible Studies
January 2010
February 2010
March 2010
April 2010
May 2010
June 2010
July 2010
August 2010
September 2010
October 2010
November 2010
December 2010
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The 7th Sunday of Easter (C) In the Name of Jesus Christ, our risen and ascended Lord. May his grace, mercy, and peace be with you! Amen! As we heard in today’s first reading from Acts: “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.” When we think about it, the situation could hardly have been more ludicrous! Paul and Silas had been stripped, severely flogged, thrown into the innermost cell of the Philippian prison, and their feet were fastened in the stocks so that they could not even move around. They were in pain and they had been publicly humiliated. By all rights, they should have been in total despair. Contrasted to Paul and Silas, the jailer was a man of authority who was well respected within the Philippian community. Outwardly, his life was in good shape. He had a good career and he apparently had a loving family. By all outward appearances, the jailer should have been content and confident because everything seemed to be going right for him. But outward appearances can be deceiving. Paul and Silas were joyful even in the midst of apparent failure. Even after having been stripped and flogged and having been thrown into prison with their feet fastened in the stocks, they were still praying and singing hymns to God. The jailer, on the other hand was filled with worry and fear within. He knew that his present life, as good as it seemed to be, could be destroyed in an instant. It would just take one moment of failure (such as having a prisoner under his charge escape) to ruin everything that he had worked for. Think about it! Paul and Silas – even in the midst of outward failure – were filled with God’s power and love – and they were at peace. The jailer, on the other hand, was filled with worry even in the midst of outward success! He was always afraid of failure and of losing what he had. It all came to a head on that fateful night in the Philippian prison. Paul and Silas, who should have been completely numb with despair, were praying and singing hymns to God – and loudly enough so that the other prisoners could listen to them. The jailer was having a fitful sleep – perhaps disturbed by dreams of guilt and worry – guilt for having to guard prisoners such as Paul and Silas who had not been charged with any crime, and worry about what would happen to him and his family should any of them ever escape. And then suddenly, there was an earthquake – the fulfillment of the jailer’s worst nightmare! Except that this was not a dream! It was all too real! Every door in the prison was opened and every prisoner’s chains were unfastened. And at that moment, the jailer saw much more than just some plaster and rocks come crashing down – he was also seeing the ruin of his LIFE! He knew that his reputation would be completely destroyed once it was found out that the prisoners had escaped. He and his family would be totally disgraced, and he himself would likely be put to a painful death because his superiors did not tolerate failure in any way, shape, or form. That is why the jailer drew his sword and was about to kill himself. Better to end his life quickly than to prolong the pain. It was in that moment of truth that Paul shouted, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” And in that instant, the jailer realized two things. First, he realized that the outward success and reputation of his life was still OK. But secondly (and even more importantly!), he realized that there was something truly special about Paul and Silas in that they were concerned for him even though they had no cause to be anything but hateful toward him. In that instant, the jailer realized the POWER that those two prisoners had in their lives, and he also realized the VOID that was in his own life. And so rushing in, he fell down trembling before them. And he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” In other words, “How can I have that power and love and assurance that you so obviously have?” And they answered, “Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” “Through faith in Jesus, you will receive power and love from God which nothing will ever be able to take away from you or destroy!” As we heard in the rest of the reading, the jailer DID put his faith in Jesus. He was baptized, along with his entire family. And perhaps for the first time in his life, he was TRULY HAPPY! In a way that he had never been before, he now was at peace with himself, with his family, and with God. People, this is certainly a magnificent story. But it is also much more than just a story, because it forces us to ask ourselves where WE are in our own lives. What is our definition of “happiness” and “success”? Is it based upon outward, worldly standards such as a career, or good grades, or sports, or wealth, or what our reputation may be with other people? Do WE really have peace in the depths of our souls? All of the outward things that we do and have may seem to be important. But if they are how we define “success” and “happiness”, sooner or later we will be having a life crisis like the Philippian jailer did. We will be spending more and more time and energy trying to get ahead, and also spend more and more time and energy worrying about LOSING what we already have! And, believe me; sooner or later something surely WILL happen which will destroy those things which we consider to be important in our worldly lives. Sooner or later, we WILL fail! It is not a question of “IF” but “WHEN”!! That is why we need God’s power and love and peace which we receive through having faith in Jesus Christ. We need the assurance that God will love and forgive and restore us even when things fall apart in our lives. We need something that we can always count on no matter what happens or what other people may think. And what we need, God offers to us freely and without cost. As he says at the very end of the Bible from today’s second reading from Revelation: “Let everyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who wishes take the water of life as a gift.” (Rev. 22:17) The Philippian jailer in today’s first reading found and received that gift. And it is still available for us today. When we are ready to understand that true happiness, true success, true joy, and true peace does not depend what we do in the world, or what the world does to us – God for the sake of Jesus Christ will forgive us and transform us with the power of his Holy Spirit and give us a new and eternal life. Yes, through faith in Jesus Christ even our “failures” will become VICTORIES! That is what Paul and Silas found out even while they were in prison. That is what the Philippian jailer found out when his life was changed from the inside out. That is what I have found out in my own life again and again. And may it be so for you, too!! Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through Jesus Christ our Lord! And now may the peace of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen! -------------------- Pastor George Karres 418 W. Main St. Sidney, MT 59270
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