In Acts
16 healing happens because Paul “very much annoyed” tells the
divining spirit outing him as a slave of the “Most High God” to shut up. Of
course the slave girl set free is a set up for the freeing of the Philippian
jailer who doesn’t know he’s the one behind bars. Once the stage is set, Paul
and Silas singing in the aftershock of the earthquake is such a surprise that
the jailer brought back from the brink asks, “What must I do to be saved?” even
though what he really wants to know is “Why are you still here?” The answer
that saves the jailer and his household is to believe in whatever kept Paul and
Silas in the cell singing when running away made more sense. That is the answer
that saves us as well, for instead of coming down from the cross and saving
himself Jesus stayed put so that like the jailer we might be brought back from
the brink. In this we know we are saved, not by confessing a creed or adhering
to a tradition or allegiance to denomination or ritual, (as good as those things might be) but when our believing in
Jesus means staying put with and for the other when walking away would be much
easier. And so whether we can carry a tune or not we are called to sing the
mercy of God in the aftershock of whatever life throws at us for we know as
slaves of the “Most High God” we are truly free.
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