THE CHRISTIAN’S BENEFITS PACKAGE: Free Singing Lessons

June 28, 2009

Acts 16:23-34

After they had given [Paul and Silas] 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 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.

NRSV

Some of you might remember the story I told of when I was a boy, and fascinated by what I saw on TV—how someone could hit someone on the back of the head, and they’d fall asleep for a little bit. You might remember that I tried that on Dad—sneaking up behind him and bopping him on the head with his size 11 shoe. You might remember that I learned new words that day, none of which can be repeated here.

You might remember this story.

What you don’t know is that shortly after this, Dad arranged for me to get a tour of the Butler County jail. Hmmm, what a coincidence.

Visiting that jail made a definite impression. Up until that time, I’d only seen animals in cages. But these were humans I saw there. The cells were small, the walls were dirty, the paint was peeling. Each cell had a toilet in plain view. There was a stale odor in the air.

This was not exactly the jail that Barney and Andy managed in Mayberry.

It was scary. I vowed never to hit Dad with a shoe again.

Since then, I have been in jail a few times—only in a professional capacity, of course. The scariest part of those experiences when I’d visit prisoners wasn’t the dismal sight of the cells. It was just walking into the place, and hearing the metallic clank of the cell door close behind you.

Right then and there, you know you no longer are in control. You can’t just walk out. You have to rely on someone else, who has the key or the code, to open it. If the jailer doesn’t open it, you’re stuck. You have to follow someone else’s schedule for yourself. And the only free time you have is in a courtyard lined with razor wire and armed guards.

You ever been in jail? You ever felt that you had no control in your life? Something happened to you that you never saw coming. Something regarding your health or your job, your spouse or your child. Maybe you’d had hopes and dreams; maybe you’d made plans and worked hard—and everything just came crashing down. There’s no place to turn, and there seems to be nothing you can do—all you did seemed to not matter any more.

Being in jail like this is a rather human experience. Interesting thing, though. As much as we don’t want to be in jail, and as much as we wish we had a “Get Out of Jail Free” card: there’s something to be said for the time we spend behind bars.

For one thing, when you’re behind bars, you…

LEARN.

[secular stuff]

When something happens and your plans are interrupted, you start looking at life differently. You learn, above all, that life is precious, and not to be taken for granted. You learn that each second, each minute, is a treasure. You learn that the color of a sunset

the fragrance of a rose

the giggle of a child

—are more valuable than anything in your portfolio. You learn that the beating of your heart and the breathing of your lungs are beyond your control—you can only accept them with profound gratitude.

When your life has been taken out of your hands—when your field of vision is narrowed: THEN is when life is shot through with awe, wonder, appreciation.

Stephen Hawking, the famous astrophysicist at Cambridge University, has been battling ALS [Lou Gehrig’s disease] for years. He’s confined to a wheelchair, and can’t do anything for himself. And yet, he says that he has been happier after his diagnosis than before. He said before his illness, he called life a “pointless existence” resulting from sheer boredom. He drank too much, worked too little. But after his diagnosis, and after the shock wore off, he said this: “When one’s expectations are reduced to zero, one really appreciates everything that one does have.”

Now, this type of learning is pretty natural. But for people of faith, it can be downright miraculous. You’re going through a time of feeling lonely and misunderstood? God will send you companions who will not abandon you and will understand. You’re going through a serious illness? You discover healing of the spirit. You’re going through a failure? Your eyes are opened to new possibilities. You’re going through a job loss? You discover new resources and skills you never thought you had. You’re struggling with sin? You discover grace and forgiveness.

You’re going through a time when you feel persecuted for your faith? You discover the strength of your convictions, and discern the mind of God.

I can’t help but think of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and what he wrote when he was in jail in Birmingham, Alabama. After a peaceful protest he was locked up. A group of white clergy wrote to him, criticizing his activism for civil rights, saying that he should go slowly, and that he shouldn’t be so “extreme.”

I invite you to read his response—look up on the web, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” and you’ll be amazed at the clarity and insight of his thoughts.  
It was as if jail gave him the opportunity to reflect on a deeper level.

Here’s a sample:

I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, [but] as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist for love: "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you”… Was not Martin Luther an extremist: "Here I stand; I cannot do otherwise, so help me God." …[Was not] Abraham Lincoln an extremist: "This nation cannot survive half slave and half free." And Thomas Jefferson: "We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal”…

So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice? In that dramatic scene on Calvary's hill three men were crucified. We must never forget that all three were crucified for the same crime--the crime of extremism. Two were extremists for immorality, and thus fell below their environment. The other, Jesus Christ, was an extremist for love, truth and goodness, and thereby rose above his environment. Perhaps the South, the nation, and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.

Wow!

Thus Dr. King wrote from his jail cell.

When you learn from behind bars. When, from your confinement, the world has opened up in rainbows. When insights sparkle like radiant jewels. When people take on angelic appearance. When Jesus isn’t just a name, but a person whose love and companionship you feel:

When you experience all this in your cell, what do you do?

You do more than think and reflect.

Listen to this account in Acts.

Acts 16:23-34

After they had given [Paul and Silas] 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.

Now, get this scene clearly in your mind’s eye.

They’ve been “flogged”—whipped in such a way that their skin is cut and bleeding, their muscles enflamed, their bones bruised. They’re placed in the “innermost cell” of this jail, which probably means a dark dungeon that really smells, because there’s no outside light or air. Their legs are spread in an uncomfortable position and clamped down in wooden stocks that no doubt had splinters.

So here they are—in a smelly, pitch-black place…bloodied, beaten, and in pain.

And what are they doing?

“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”

In  your prison, SING.

They’d discovered that when they are the weakest—when they’re most out of control: THAT is when God’s strength is displayed. THAT is when God’s unmistakable, clear direction is best experienced and celebrated. They knew there was no situation they could find themselves in that God couldn’t get them out of. And so, they just had to praise God.

Maybe they sang the ancient equivalent of this hymn:

“A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our Helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing; the Prince of darkness grim, we tremble not for him—his rage we can endure, for lo his doom is sure, one little word shall fell him.”

Or maybe they sang something like this:

“O fear not I’m with thee, O be not dismayed, for I am thy God and will still give thee aid—I’ll strengthen thee, comfort, and help thee to stand, upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.”

What will you sing?

A hymn like one of these?

A song of your own creation?

You know, the song you sing from behind bars doesn’t even need to have words. Paul and Silas’ singing was simply an outrageous, daring expression of their faith. Their act of singing was their song.

You can sing through your actions. You do something audacious: You sing by doing something that tells everybody that your body may be imprisoned, but your spirit is being set free by Jesus Christ!

Do you have cancer? What about baking cookies for the other cancer patients you see waiting for treatment with you?

Have you lost your job? What about volunteering some time at a homeless shelter?

Have you broken up from someone, or gotten a divorce? What about writing a note of genuine grace to the person you’re estranged from?

When you’re in jail, and you feel lost: sing out, however you do it, and praise God.

When you’re in jail, and you discover God coming to you: sing out, however you do it, and praise God.

When you’re set free from jail, and you’ve learned lessons that open you to life’s mysterious beauty: sing out, however you do it, and praise God.

Your song is a song of faith, more beautiful in God’s ears than that of birds, than that of choirs. Your song pierces the darkness, fills the void, touches God’s heart.

And once you sing…WATCH OUT!

Once you sing, all you have to do is…

WITNESS GOD’S POWER.

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.

NRSV

The world thought only the jailer had the power to open the door and unlock the stocks. The world was wrong. GOD has the power—the God who shook the entire earth to free those singing out to Him. The world thought the jailer deserved death for letting it happen. The world was wrong. God said the jailer deserved LIFE, because he witnessed the unstoppable, loving power of the Father of Jesus Christ!

When you feel you’re behind bars, and have no way to free yourself—be patient. Use it as an opportunity to talk and listen to God as never before. Then use it as an opportunity to sing, as you’ve never sung before. Sure, the throbbing from the beating you took is still intense. Sure, the wood cuts into your ankles. Sure, the door remains locked. Sure, the guard outside laughs at you.

But you sing, anyway. You keep singing. You keep doing those audacious acts that baffle the world. And the powers of the world will shake. As you sing, God WILL open the door. God WILL unlock the shackles. God WILL heal you, and set you free.

Keep singing.

Here’s a song you might consider using.

Martin Rinkart was a Lutheran pastor in Eilenburg, Saxony, during the Thirty Years War. Eilenburg was a walled city, and the Swedish army lay siege to it. Eventually a plague and famine ransacked the city. It was a horrible sight. Pastors had to conduct dozens of funerals a day. Eventually, the pastors, too, died—all except for Rinkart. He conducted fifty funerals a day. In one year he buried over 5,000 people—and one of them was his own wife.

The war ended in 1648. You might have thought that he would have been a broken, bitter man because of all the suffering he witnessed. But that wasn’t the case. He had embodied hope to his people. He had kept singing hymns, like Paul and Silas had, and his people were encouraged by him. And when peace was restored, he sat down and penned a hymn of celebration…

…A hymn I invite you to sing with that pastor’s passion, faith, and hope….