Tuesday
of the 6th Week of Easter
May 12, 2015 6:30am
About five years ago, an American
Christian evangelist proclaimed God’s judgment on the people of Haiti.
They had suffered a great
earthquake and this evangelist said that this was God’s punishment and that the
Haitians brought this on themselves.
They did this, so he said,
because centuries ago, they had made a pact with the devil to get the French
out of Haiti.
Well, we see a very different
response to an earthquake in today’s first reading.
Paul and Silas are in jail, being
persecuted for their faith.
During the night, there is an
earthquake.
The doors of all the cells are
thrown open.
And what do Paul and Silas do?
They don’t run for their freedom
and escape.
They know that if they do that,
the jailer will lose his job or even his life.
Also, Paul and Silas don’t
condemn the jailer or anyone else.
And they don’t proclaim that the
earthquake is God’s judgment against their jailers, as the evangelist did with
the Haitians.
Instead, Paul and Silas just stay
in their cell.
Imagine having the presence of
mind to say that this earthquake that has freed me is not worth my freedom if
it imprisons someone else in shame and even death!
Paul and Silas, even while
persecuted, have the inner strength to live for the benefit of another person.
And the result?
The jailer is so touched by their
love of God and of himself that he and his family become believers.
I find this to be a wonderful
message for us!
People are usually drawn to God
not condemnation and judgment and not by negative imagery and threats.
Rather, the best way to draw
people to God is by thoughtful, faithful caring for their well-being, all of
this empowered by the presence and life of God within us.
That is one of my core beliefs
about ministry in this 21st century.
