Tuesday Sermon: Perspective

          Perspectives are fascinating things.  How one person views something happening can be seen by someone else as something completely different, and might be something absolutely different to God.  Alternatively, perhaps with the choices we humans make, God ensures that whatever the outcome, it will be to the benefit of His plan for us, His children.

          Today's first reading in Acts provides us the perspectives of several different people.  First, we see a girl identified only as a slave, who had a spirit of divination.  Think about the Romans in the first century CE.  Divination, oracles, fortune-telling – these were unusual abilities, but certainly well within the realm of the norm.  But in this instance, Paul and Silas perceive that it is not the girl herself who has an ability for divination, but rather a spirit of divination.  And through this, her owners made quite a bit of money in her fortune telling.  She apparently followed Paul and his companions for several days, declaring that they were "slaves to the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation." 

          Here there are two things in the text to note.  First, the word "you" in this translation, was often used by others in ancient texts as "us".  So the statement would have been, "who proclaim to us a way of salvation."  Secondly, why was she following Paul and essentially acting as a hawker to gather a crowd around the men?  What was it that annoyed Paul in this?  Did he ever stop to talk with her?  We don't know the answers to that, but it was not a calm, rational decision to remove the spirit from her.  It was a decision made by a "very much annoyed" Paul, bringing about what might have been unforeseen consequences. 

          His actions brought the wrath of the slave-girl's owners on him and Silas.  It got them beaten, and then thrown into prison.  "What if" is one of my favorite games.  What if he'd spoken to the girl, to find out why she was following them, why she was essentially telling everyone that they were both slaves like herself, and that they brought a way of salvation?  What if, in so doing, he'd lost his annoyance?  Would it have eventually brought the attention of the jailer to his message?  Would it have reached many others?  Would it have simply died out, having never irritated anyone enough to suffer in the name of Christ?

          In every situation, there are many sides to decisions and actions.  Perspectives change with each person involved or observing a situation.  But something to keep in mind is that we're often unable to see how something that might be disadvantageous in one instance, might be very advantageous in another.  Paul and Silas were injured and jailed, but because of their behavior, their example as Christ-followers, they gained the jailer's good will, a fair hearing of what they had to say, and baptized his household before moving on.  Are there possibilities in our adversities? 

          The last verse of today's Psalm tells us:  "The Lord will make good his purpose for me; O Lord, your love endures forever; do not abandon the works of your hands. "  It is that trust in God that no matter what we might do to mess up, alter plans, or have utter disasters result from impetuous actions, God will make good His purpose for me.  Try to find the perspective of God, and what good can come from our actions.  It helps us to trust that God is steady and constant, always working in our lives.  Occasionally, from our perspective, it might not be all that comfortable, but find the good in it.  Remember God's peace Christ has given us – and know that in the big picture, we're creating the kingdom of heaven on earth:  one person or event or word at a time.