November 9: Upside Down

And Paul went in, as was his custom, and on three sabbath days argued with them from the scriptures, explaining and proving that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and to rise from the dead, and saying, "This is the Messiah, Jesus whom I am proclaiming to you." Acts 17:2-3

Throughout the remainder of this chapter there is a sense of newness. That Paul and the apostles are talking about something new… and it both intrigues and irritates Jews and Gentiles alike. When the newness seems to get out of hand the followers of the way of Jesus Christ are spoken about as, “These people who have been turning the world upside down.” (Acts 17:6)

Of course they haven’t done this at all – all they have done is pointed out what Jesus did. The crowds are right about what has happened, it’s just that they are blaming the wrong people – they should be blaming Jesus. I think this is why it is interesting that what Paul is talking about is why the Messiah needed to suffer and die and rise from the dead.

Sadly the text only tells us that this is what he is teaching, it doesn’t actually tell us his answer. Conjecturing on why Jesus had to die, and how that death offered salvation to the world is a favorite past time of theologians – but none of us really has an answer, and I’m prone to think that there isn’t any one answer but lots of reasons. However today let me play with one reason that interests me and seems to relate to all this newness and world-turned-upside-downness that is happening in this chapter of Acts.

We all have an idea of who God is. We all have some particular desires about how God will act in our life, and how God will be in relationship to us. That is to say, each of us knows how we wish to be saved. And I think in many ways that we limit who God really is by only conceiving of God as we wish to – only hearing God say what we want to hear – only being willing to see God at work in ways that we like.

Jesus knew this… and thus Jesus knew that he was never going to be able to save us from ourselves… until our God died (or our limited, and limiting, notion of who God is and what God does is taken away from us). It is only when our conception of salvation dies, that we can become open to true salvation. It is only when we give up putting God in the box we would like God to be in that we can be open to a relationship with God as God really is. That’s wordy I know, but I hope you are following me because I think it’s of vital importance.

So Jesus had to die… that God might come to life. We become saved when the small notions of God that we cling to are replaced with the awesome mystery of the God who really is. And when that God lives – and lives in our lives… our worlds are turned upside down.

What ways are you putting God in a box and limiting your openness to the activity of God in your life?

How are you practicing listening to the God who really is, rather than just telling God who you want God to be?

What does it mean for you as an individual and the church as a whole to be open to having our world turned upside down?

God of mystery,
You are always doing a new thing in our midst. Help us to keep open to your Spirit that is always urging us in new directions. Give us the strength to boldly move into your upside down future. Amen.

November 4: Cornerstone

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. (Acts 16:23-25)

How often have you seen a movie or television show have a character end up in prison only to sit there dejected and hopeless, singing in almost monotone voice, “Nobody knows the trouble I’ve seen, nobody knows my sorrow?”

It is one of those songs that I associate with despair. Despair is more than sorrow or trouble… despair is a complete lack of hope, it is the loss of life. Soren Kierkegaard calls despair the sickness unto death, and considers it actually worse than death itself.

So why do I reflect on this now? Because this is not the song Paul and Silas are singing – they are singing hymns to God… and whatever they are singing everyone WANTS to listen to (even in the middle of the night).

I imagine we all have visuals of characters and people in jail that go a different route – that are filled with anger and rage and ready to strike out at anyone who comes near them. Anger and rage may just be very similar to despair – because they aren’t a way towards life and hope and they are as destructive to the person who is consumed by them as they are to the object of their hate.

Paul and Silas do not hate, in fact a few verses later they will stop the guard from killing himself.

And of course we all have seen lots of shows and movies about prison breaks, there was even a television show called Prison Break. Here there are daring and intricate plots to escape the cell that holds the person. Paul and Silas do not break out of prison. In fact when the jail cells are rocked open in the earthquake a point is made (in saving the guard from killing himself) that they are all still there. Not only has Paul and Silas not left, everyone is sitting in their cells – not running!

Despair… Fight… Flight… these are response we know and expect in moments of great adversity. We lose hope. We strike out. We run from reality.

Paul and Silas go a different route. They sing hymn and say prayers to God. They witness hope to the other prisoners and captivate them with their faith. They show love and grace to the guard and not only save his life but offer a new way of life to that guard’s entire family. And finally they push a confrontation with the very people who put them in jail in order to unmask that what was done was wrong, they don’t flee but their confrontation is not one of malice and hate.

Their actions are counter to all our instincts. Their actions are based in a very deep trust in God – more than I can imagine. Their actions are rooted in a hope that survives beatings, shackling, mocking… they have an abundant life that cannot be contained.

How do we get that life? Haven’t you ever met someone who so exuded grace and quiet peace and said to yourself – I want that! Here is the thing… you don’t just get “that”… you live it. You practice it – you let grace shape you so you can shape your life and the lives around you with grace.

You learn to allow sorrow – without falling into despair.
You learn to confront injustice – without resorting to anger and hate.
You learn trust God – without needing to flee adversity.
And you learn it all one small step at time… and until then – you sing.

What is causing you sorrow… anger… fear?
Have you spoken your grief, angst and anxiety to God… to a companion?
Do you trust that God is strong enough for you… with you in your pain… enabling you to have life?

God our Cornerstone,
It truly is you that holds our worlds together. So often we find ourselves too weak and helpless, and we move to despair. Remind us that you are not too weak to hold us up. Strengthen us to respond in trust and love to a world that too often stays in anger, hate and fear. Amen.