Coronavirus Pandemic Friday readings and reflections

From Rev. Jerry Eve

Friday, April 3

 

Psalm 31:9-16; Job 13:13-19; Philippians 1:21-30

 

In Philippians, Paul is writing to the first European Church founded by him. And I think it’s helpful to note that he’s doing so from prison. We don’t know which. Paul was always being imprisoned (see 2 Corinthians 11:23: “I have been in prison more times).

 

Philippians, Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Timothy, and Philemon are all written from one prison or another, and Acts tells us that he was in prison in Jerusalem, Antipatris, Caesarea and Rome. He was probably also imprisoned in Ephesus. There’s a Paul Tower there, and tour guides will tell you that that was where he was imprisoned. There may well have been other places as well.

 

He was certainly imprisoned (along with Silas) in Philippi itself. And the Philippians would have remembered this. The story of this can be found at Acts 16:16-40, and I know there are another two passages to read today, but we read one of them yesterday, and I do think you would enjoy the account there of how these two early Christians were set free by an earthquake of all things.

 

What I hope you notice as well, however, is Paul and Silas’s attitude to imprisonment. Those of us who are having to be at home most of the time – and even those of you whose work is essential at this time are restricted in your movements (and this is all very necessary just now, but) – I think Paul can teach us all a lesson here. Not that we’ve suffered a severe beating and had our feet placed in blocks of wood!

 

But whatever hardship St Paul experiences, he never seems to see imprisonment (and restrictions to his movement) in any way an impediment, but rather an opportunity. Paul and Silas have been sorely – and unjustly – abused, and their response, at midnight, is not to complain about their woes, but to pray and sing hymns to God. And this is something they do for themselves, I’m sure, but also to raise the spirits of those who are imprisoned with them. Afterwards, rather than being consoled by others, Paul and Silas gathering together all those who belonged to the fledgling Christian community there, and encouraged them.

 

And this is a story that would have been told over and over again in Philippi; it would have led others to join the Church there, and would have been remembered when (whether it was 2 or 3, or maybe even 10 or more, years later) this letter from Paul wtas received and recited by one of them to them all saying to them:

 

“Don’t be afraid of your enemies; always be courageous, and this will prove to them that they will lose and that you will win, because it is God who gives you the victory.” (Philippians !:28).

 

Paul actually felt, it seems to me, that he could do more good from prison than when he was free.

 

Let us pray:

 

O God, early in the morning I cry to you.

Help me to pray

And to concentrate my thoughts on you;

I cannot do this alone.

In me there is darkness,

But with you there is light;

I am lonely, but you do not leave me;

I am feeble in heart, but with you there is help;

I am restless, but with you there is peace.

In me there is bitterness, but with you there is patience;

I do not understand your ways,

But you know the way for me….

Restore me to liberty,

And enable me to live now

That I may answer before you and before men.

Lord whatever this day may bring,

Your name be praised, Amen

 

(by Dietrich Bonhoeffer from Letters and Papers from Prison)

 

 

 

 

 

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