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 on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household." ³² They spoke the word of the Lord 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.

We are very fortunate in this country that our religion, the way that we articulate worship, is, for all intensive purposes, totally accepted by society. This does not mean that everyone believes what we believe (we all know that’s not the case) but no body is picketing outside in the parking lot to have our doors closed either.

It’s because this nation has created an environment where we are able to praise God the way we feel called to that we look at our passage this morning and have a real hard time relating to it. Paul and Silas were thrown into jail because they upset the owners of that slave girl and the unrealized financial windfall that they were looking to grasp hold of.

But apparently that wasn’t against the law. So what do the owners point to as the reason that they should be thrown in jail? They say of Paul and Silas, "they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe." People hop on board with that assessment because (let’s be honest) it’s true, and that’s why they’re beaten, put into chains, and thrown behind bars. Like I said, this is not one of those settings that we look at and think, "yeah, I know what they’re going through". We simply (and thankfully) can’t relate to this situation. And we haven’t even gotten to the miraculous nature of the rest of the story, and I’m not referring to the earthquake, I’m talking about the prisoners staying in their cells when they had the chance to run. These verses are foreign to our ears, and foreign to our experience.

At the same time, its not as if we no longer have our faith put to the test. In the world that we are a part of, the challenges the different, but that does not mean that the example that Paul and Silas set behind those bars is not one that we must live up to today.

Here’s an example of what I’m saying: this afternoon Rhinebeck Reformed is going to be celebrating the ordination and installation of their pastor Luis Perez. Luis has been serving that congregation since June of 2003 and has led worship here at St. John’s a couple of times when we’ve had pulpit swaps. Now if you’re a couple of steps ahead of me you may be wondering why this ordination and installation service is only being held now, four years after he was called to serve there. Here’s why (and I admit, there is quite a bit of personal bias in what I’m about to say): apparently a Masters of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School isn’t enough, or the appropriate, education for the Reformed Church in America. Yale Divinity School.

Over the last four years Luis has been taking all sorts of additional classes so that the denomination could feel that he was adequately prepared to serve one of their churches. Over this time there have been many people who have questioned whether or not Luis was really called to this level of service. People have questioned his commitment; they have also questioned his dedication. In a lot of ways they out and out questioned his call to ministry in general, and to Rhinebeck in specific.

Luis could have very easily just folded under that pressure. He could have said, "you know what, it’s not worth it. I don’t need to put up with this. I’m done." He could have walked away and no one would have blinked an eyelash. Paul had the same opportunity when that cell opened. He could have walked away and said, "um…no. I do not want to be beaten and jailed on a regular basis. It’s not worth it."

But here’s the thing, when God has placed a calling upon your heart, (and your faith (the call to believe) is one such calling) it is not something that you simply walk away from. We need to stand up in our words and actions and show to the world, and to ourselves that our faith is more than just a fad, or a way to help us fit into our family (basically, your mom makes you come) or the greater community (everyone else is here so you come as well).

Our faith is no longer challenged by the threat of prison. Instead it is challenged by a culture that says science has all the answers and if you don’t follow what they believe, then you’re lost. Our faith is challenged by a society that screams out, "it’s all about you" and that if you worry about anyone else other than yourself then you’re a sucker. Our faith is challenged by a line of thought that declares that hope is lost, and that the only thing that will reign is chaos. Our faith is challenged by religious people (both Christian and otherwise), who say that they have all the answers and that you don’t have to do anymore thinking, because they will tell you what is real. Our faith is challenged by family members becoming sick or dying long before we are ready. Our faith is challenged by a job that is no longer fulfilling, or maybe a job that has been lost. Our faith is challenged by a relationship that was once so important, but is now struggling to survive.

These are just some of the challenges to our faith and they come at us fast and furious on a daily basis. We need to be prepared and shore ourselves up so that we know that we are children of the Living God, the Creator of all; that we are called to care for one another, as God first cared for us; that in Jesus Christ hope is not lost, but is in fact found; that we don’t have all the answers (that’s left up to God) but that in listening to God’s Word and following what is taught there, we can get so much closer to being who God would have us be.

The challenges to our faith are still there and while they’ve changed over time, the response needs to be the same: we need to be like Paul and Silas and know that the life of faith that we have been called to is a life that we must stay strong in. The challenges are there and the temptation to walk (or run) away will be great. Hold on, trust in God, and know that what you have been called to is something that will not let you down. Respond to your faith. Hold on, trust in and respond to your faith!

Holy God, although the challenges have drastically changed in regards to the following of Your call, they do still remain. We pray that You might move in and through each of us so that we are able to remain true to what we know to be real and what we know to be right. God, help us to stand up for all of the ways that You have called us to service, and let us never back down. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.