St Mary's

Today Talk from Pete

1st June 2025

Acts 16:16-34 & John 17:20-end.

Our readings to day focus on prayer. In Acts it is Paul and Silas that are praying and in John, it is Jesus who is praying. Let’s look at Acts first.

Have you ever had one of those times when things seem to be going well and then suddenly, they get worse and worse and worse.

Paul and Silas in our reading today had a good day that turned bad and for them the consequences were pretty painful. They had been preaching in Philippi, a Roman colony, and things were going well. On the face of it they even had a servant girl who was proclaiming that they were “servants of the most high God telling people the way to be saved”. Of course, Paul became annoyed because he realised that this was an evil spirit and he commanded the spirit to leave her at once. The owners of the slave girl realised that they had just lost control of her and their ability to make money from her going forward. They were able to persuade a local magistrate that Paul and Silas were causing uproar in the city, and they should be cast into prison. They weren't just cast into prison of course they were beaten badly first, and it wasn't a modern prison like today, they were thrown into the darkest dungeon and put in stocks as well. It's fair to say if that had happened to us, we would most probably be feeling pretty sorry for ourselves. But we read that Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Paul and Silas had prayed, and they knew God would hear them and so the next step for them was obvious - to praise him. They knew God had a plan for them. Then the earthquake happens, all the prison doors fly open, and everyone's chains are loosened. This causes the jailer to prepare to kill himself, because he would have been killed by the authorities if they found out that prisoners had escaped. The magistrates had ordered him to keep them securely which was why he put them in the inner most cell and put their feet in stocks.  When Peter escaped prison, having been arrested by Herod, it says in Acts 12 verse 19, that when Herod couldn’t find Peter, he examined the guards and ordered them to be put to death. But Paul calls out to him not to hurt himself because no one has actually left. This gives Paul an opportunity for evangelism and the jailer, with his family, came to believe in God.

Our passage for today ends at that point, but if you read to the end of the chapter, you see something of the strength of character of Paul. When the magistrates realise that they might have got this wrong, and in particularly that Paul was a Roman citizen, they probably panicked and advise the jailor to release them. It was illegal to whip a Roman citizen, and they had a right to a fair trial. But Paul is not having any of that. He won't go quietly; he wants the magistrates to come and release them. You and I might have just been glad to get out of there and indeed get out of the city, but the final verse of the chapter tells us that Paul went to Lydia's house, who we read about last week, and met with the brothers and sisters to encourage them before they eventually left. The church at Philippi was the first Christian church in Europe, planted by Paul on his second missionary journey. Paul visited Philippi again on his third missionary journey.

There is a clear lesson for us in this reading. Notwithstanding the very difficult circumstances in which they were, and the physical punishment, Paul and Silas turned to prayer and praise. We might not be thrown in prison, but we do have times of difficulty, days that go from bad to worse or situations that go from bad to worse. These times and situations can become our prison experience and like Paul and Silas we too have the opportunity to pray knowing that our prayers will be heard. Julie reminded us last week that God’s purpose and plan are bigger than us and our lives and, as Paul said in Romans 8: 28 “we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Also, we can praise God in those situations and like Paul and Silas, we might be presented with an opportunity to share the gospel with someone as a result of our experience.

Someone who went through difficulties in his life was Joseph Scriven the author of the hymn “What a friend we have in Jesus” His life was full of tragedy. To mention two instances, his first fiancée was drowned the night before their wedding and his second fiancée died of an illness shortly before their wedding. He wrote the hymn originally as a poem called “Pray without Ceasing” which he sent to his ailing mother. It was subsequently set to music, and the verses make it clear that our response to our troubles is to take them to the Lord in prayer.

What a friend we have in Jesus,

All our sins and griefs to bear!

What a privilege to carry

Everything to God in prayer!

O what peace we often forfeit,

O what needless pain we bear,

All because we do not carry

Everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations?

Is there trouble anywhere?

We should never be discouraged;

Take it to the Lord in prayer.

Prayer is the topic of our second reading from John. It is set after the last supper and before Jesus is arrested. Knowing that he is about to leave them, Jesus is praying for his disciples. He doesn’t pray for success or safety for his followers. He knows they will face failure, opposition, and even persecution as demonstrated in our Acts reading. Instead, he prays simply “that they may all be one” At verse 20 though he extends his request to the Father to include those who will be in Him through the words of the disciples i.e. you and me. Just as Jesus and his Father are one, so his prayer is that we will be as one and through that oneness demonstrate God’s love in the world. There are many divisions in our world, in families, among friends and on a more national or global scale. In our lives there will always be such divisions, but being one is not about resolving those divisions through human effort, but about showing God's love through them, through humility and willingness to see Christ in others. If we open our hearts to those who are different or difficult, we bear witness to the risen Christ within us and may create the opportunity for that unity that the world desperately needs.

Going back to Philippi we read in Paul’s letter to the Philippians in chapter 4 of a dispute between two members of the church. In verse 2 Paul writes:

“I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.”

He then continues, reminding us of his response while in prison:

 “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

So, what’s the conclusion? Well whether it’s our own problems, the problems of others, or the disunity in our world - as the hymn says “take it to the Lord in prayer” and don’t forget to rejoice and give thanks along the way! Amen.