Persecution by the Empire
Enter today's study by first listening to this song by Audrey Assad.
With the song and the definition of “Empire” in mind, read Acts 12:1-6 slowly, out loud if able:
1About that time King Herod laid violent hands upon some who belonged to the church. 2He had James, the brother of John, killed with the sword. 3After he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. (This was during the festival of Unleavened Bread.) 4When he had seized him, he put him in prison and handed him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. 5While Peter was kept in prison, the church prayed fervently to God for him. 6The very night before Herod was going to bring him out, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while guards in front of the door were keeping watch over the prison.
In these verses:
- James is killed by sword, by the state.
- Peter is imprisoned by the state with 16 guards assigned to watch over him.
- Popular opinion appears to be pro-Empire and anti-Christianity… King Herod Agrippa (grandson of Herod who reigned at time of Jesus’ birth) will kill and torture those who are followers of The Way because it “pleased the Jews” (v. 3).
- Meanwhile, the church prayed fervently for Peter’s liberation.
- Peter is bound with two chains, sleeping between two soldiers so he has no control over his own body.
- Peter is the one in prison, but Luke implies the whole church is held captive to the Empire.
And this from Willie James Jennings commentary on Acts:
“Just as we never leave the presence of the Spirit in Luke’s narrative, we never leave sight of the prison. It is always with us, always offering the antithesis to the good news. The prison always announces worldly power and reveals those intoxicated with the lust for violence, but not primarily from the site of the cell but from the place of the warden, the guards, and those benefiting financially and politically from the mechanisms of incarceration. The church cannot and must not ever seek to hide itself from the prison.” (Jennings, Acts, page 125).
So, when you consider...
- Criminal justice and the role of the prison in your country of origin,
- Acts 12:1-19 and the constant presence of the Holy Spirit, and
- Jennings's commentary on the church never hiding from the power of prison…
Comment below: What does “fervent prayer” look like, result in, become part of the culture in your congregation (or your ideal congregation)?
God of justice, your righteousness and mercy are revealed to us in your steadfast love. Give courage to government officials who lead, serve, and protect in our communities, our country, and throughout the world. Amen.
God of justice, your righteousness and mercy are revealed to us in your steadfast love. Give courage to government officials who lead, serve, and protect in our communities, our country, and throughout the world. Amen.
Fervant prayer is at the same time the call to action and the call to thoughtful prayer. The act of fervent prayer is a community holding fast together is a tight knit way united behind an idea or principle. They are praying without end to Jesus Christ to bring out the solution to the problem. At the same time though fervent prayer in a contemporary setting should include action. Actions that help to combat the injustice and inequality in the world. Actions that help to bring hope to those that are marginalized, oppressed and forgotten. It is not an either or situation but a both and in the case of fervent prayer. That being said though it is important to remember that the even though we are the actors at times the agency is not ours. It is through our faith in God the father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit that all things are made possible.
ReplyDeleteAbout a year ago, while on internship, the congregation and about a dozen or so members began a ministry project with the residents of the Northeast Regional Corrections Center. NERCC residents are low-level offenders from a criminal justice perspective, although the tragedy of their lives and their families is often deep and painful. With sentences varying from a few weeks to around six months, their transition back to the community from which they came can be difficult and lead to further offenses and re-incarceration. The congregation established a ministry team to help assist NERCC residents for re-entry and make needed community resources such as housing, jobs, and education more available.
ReplyDeleteThis was holy ground. We realized what a great opportunity and privilege it is to form relationships of mutual respect and learn from a group of people we would never otherwise encounter, people whom we previously knew only as crime statistics or clients of human service agencies. We have come to know them as a group of deeply spiritual and prayerful men. Coming to understand the world and encounter God from their perspective has been a huge spiritual growth experience for me and many others on the team.
Using the Restorative Circle model as a guide allowed everyone an equal opportunity to speak and to listen. The real power of the process comes from the deep level of sharing that is engendered from that equality and the amazing willingness of those who have no status or reputation to protect or defend, who are willing to share their deepest struggles and questions.
Based on this scripture reading from Acts and considering what “fervent prayer” looks like I’m taken back to this experience of honest sharing, healing, and resilience. A powerful, transformative spiritual experience that shows the gift of a deep and intense persistence in prayer.