Covenant
United Methodist Church
Sunday School 9:45 Worship 8:30 & 10:45 am
Pentecost 16 Acts 16-25-34- Putting our Trust in Christ
Have you heard the story about the plane that was delayed for 45 minutes at take off, then had to make an unscheduled stop. When the plane stopped the passengers were allowed to get of the plane a stretch their legs. Everyone got off the plane except one blind man and his seeing eye dog.. the pilot had stayed in the cockpit all this time. He walked in and saw the blind man still sitting in his chair. He said to the blind man, “Don’t you want to get off and stretch your legs?” the blind man said, “No, but if you wouldn’t mind it would be nice if someone walked my dog.” The pilot said he would. He stepped off the plane with his sunglasses still on from flying the plane, being led by a seeing eye dog… it is said that a number of the passengers changed their flight plans that day…
It has happened to all of us from time to time. We have misread a situation and in the process lost our trust in what is going on around us. It takes a deep trust in God to pull us through all the situations that come our way.
It is surprising how seldom we read about those early followers of Jesus losing faith in Jesus. I think that is because they knew him up close and personal. They literally gave their lives to continue his ministry of faith hope and love. One of those situations that could be easy to misread comes up in our scripture lesson today. Paul and Silas have been put in jail. They are in jail for healing a young woman who is possessed with a demon that helps her tell the future. When the demon is cast out she costs her owners a lot of money so Paul and Silas are put in jail. Now it would be easy for anyone to lose faith when dumped into jail for something that seems so right, but just the opposite happens to Paul and Silas. While they sit in their jail cells the Holy Spirit enters the room while they are praying and singing, and the jail cells are opened… but Paul and Silas stay where they are. The jailer comes in and sees the jail cell open and starts to kill himself, but Paul and Silas yell out we are still here. The jailer is astonished by their faith, and their compassion, and says to them, “What must I do to be saved?” They tell him to believe in Jesus Christ and be baptized. That very night the jailer and his whole family are saved. The next morning the authorities find out that Paul and Silas are Roman citizens and in order to stay out of trouble they apologize to them and release them and send them on their way.
Now the question that comes out of this scripture lesson is… Where did they get the self worth to take on anyone who doubted their message? Where did Paul and Silas get their faith? Where did they get the power to be that compassionate?
They got it from Jesus of course. Those are the gifts that Jesus gives to all his followers!
Have you heard the story about the elderly West Texas woman who lay on her death bed? She was in her 90’s, and had been ill for some time. The family sat at her bedside and waited patiently for her to pass on.
Suddenly there was a knock at the front door. It was a traveling revival preacher. He had arrived in the town that morning and had heard about her impending death. When he had heard about the old lady he came right out to the ranch. He went to her bedside and took hold of her hand. She opened her eyes and looked up at him and said “I don’t know you do I?”
The revival preacher patted her hand in a sanctimonious looking way and said, “They tell me you don’t have much time left. I have come to forgive your sins and to get you ready to meet your master.”
The elderly woman abruptly sat up in bed and said, “Let me see your hands.” She took his hands in hers and quickly looked at them. Then she said, “Sir you are an imposter.” The revival preacher said, “Pardon me?”
The elderly woman said, again, “You sir are an imposter. Only the one with nail prints in his hands can forgive my sins. Only the one with nail prints can get me ready to meet my maker.”
The question for you is… do you know the one up close and personal with nail prints in his hands? Have you felt the forgiveness that comes from the one with nail prints in his hands?