View today's sermon on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSLf8YOeoQA.

Acts 16:16-34

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

¹⁶ One day as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a female slave who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. ¹⁷ While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” ¹⁸ She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

¹⁹ But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities. ²⁰ When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, “These men, these Jews, are disturbing our city ²¹ and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us, being Romans, to adopt or observe.” ²² The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. ²³ After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. ²⁴ Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

²⁵ About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. ²⁶ Suddenly there was an earthquake so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. ²⁷ When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. ²⁸ But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” ²⁹ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ Then he brought them outside and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ They answered, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² They spoke the word of God to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. ³⁴ He brought them up into the house and set food before them, and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Luke 24:44-53 – New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

⁴⁴ Then he said to them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.” ⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, ⁴⁶ and he said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to suffer and to rise from the dead on the third day ⁴⁷ and that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ And see, I am sending upon you what my Father promised, so stay here in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

⁵⁰ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and they were continually in the temple blessing God. 

June 1, 2025 – Ascension Sunday – Seventh Sunday of Easter

Acts 16:16-34 and Luke 24:44-53

Rev. TJ Mack – Union Congregational Church of Hancock

I worked at a factory from age 18-29. The first five years I punched a time clock. I listened for bells to indicate shift start, shift end, and when to take breaks. I felt caged; imprisoned. When my shift ended at 3:30 p.m. I ran from the building … finally free… enjoying the wind in my hair and the sun on my skin. I resented needing to respond to bells, so I quickly learned to end my break early, so that my movements were not dictated by external prompts.

Paul and Silas responded to their imprisonment in a similar fashion. They did not let external conditions affect their internal responses. We will come back to them… 

Today we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus, 40 days after Easter. Ascension Day was on May 29^th this year. Luke’s Gospel passage that we read today is leading us to the culmination promised after Jesus’ death and resurrection. 

In Luke’s Gospel we learn of other post-resurrection encounters. First was his appearance to Mary Magdalene at the empty tomb. Later that same day he appeared to Cleopas and his companion as they were walking to Emmaus. Cleopas and his companion were so moved when “the stranger” walking with them revealed himself to be Jesus in the breaking of the bread during their shared meal that they immediately returned to Jerusalem, where Jesus appeared again to them and the eleven apostles. 

Before leaving this earth, Jesus reminded them that everything written in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled. Beginning there and then, they were to practice and teach repentance and forgiveness of sins, in Jesus’ name, to all the nations. They were to wait there in the city until being clothed with power from on high. They would not need to wait long. The culmination comes next week, 50 days after Easter, when Alison will celebrate Pentecost Sunday with you. 

Much as Jesus opened the minds of the two travelers on the road to Emmaus that day, and he opened the minds of those with him at this final appearance, Jesus is still opening minds today. 

In this last appearance in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus leads his followers out of Jerusalem. Our Luke scripture concludes, ⁵⁰ Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and, lifting up his hands, he blessed them. ⁵¹ While he was blessing them, he withdrew from them and was carried up into heaven. ⁵² And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, ⁵³ and they were continually in the temple blessing God. 

This had been a tough few months for the followers of Jesus. A roller coaster of high and low emotions. Now, even though they still grieved Jesus’ earthly presence they were able to express joy, gratitude, thanksgiving for all that he had taught them. Now, with him gone, they could continue to practice and teach what he had taught them. And of course, so can we. 

Which brings us back to our passage from the Acts of the Apostles and Paul, our very human, very flawed, very sincere follower of the Way of Jesus after his conversion experience with the risen Christ. 

First and foremost, it bears saying; slavery is wrong. It was wrong two thousand years ago. It was wrong two hundred years ago. It is wrong now. People should not own other people. Period. 

There are other types of slavery in this passage that we learn from the woman with the fortune-telling ability. In addition to being the possession of a human master, she possessed or was possessed by a spirit of divination. And she calls out Paul and Silas as slaves to a non-human entity which she calls the Most High God. 

The scripture tells us that Paul, very much annoyed, rebuked the spirit and told it to come out of the girl. Which begs the question; if he had not been annoyed with her interruptions, would he have helped this person? And knowing what we know about people with the gift of telling fortunes, did he do her more harm than good? Did she possess the spirit or did the spirit possess her? We cannot know. From my perspective it certainly would appear that freeing her from slavery would have been preferable to taking away her gift of divination and her potential means of financial support. 

The focal point that spoke to me in this scripture is that we do not need to be perfect in order to do God’s work. Although Paul was acting in his own self-interest and his motivation was less than pure, he was even then an instrument of God. None of us are perfect. God is still able to use us, if we are willing to put our faith into action. 

Paul and Silas, being slaves of the Most High God, as the woman with the spirit of divination proclaimed, landed in prison for their actions. However, they did not let their outer situation affect their inner resolve. They passed the time in shackles by praising God and singing hymns. Their bodies could be imprisoned but not their spirits. 

Paul and Silas were clothed with God’s power from on high. We are all clothed with power from on high. Some use this power as intended. Some mis-use or abuse this power. Others do nothing with the gift. Paul is one example to follow. Being willing to change. Presenting our best and most authentic selves to one another. Jailers and prisoners respecting one another. People with opposing viewpoints listening and learning from one another. Enemies becoming friends. 

Breaking open the chains that keep us from becoming our best selves does not require a well-timed earthquake. 

We can start here and now (or continue here and now) praising God and singing hymns, freeing our spirits for all that God desires of us. 

Amen

Rev. TJ Mack – June 1, 2025