Wednesday 28 January 2015

From whence does such incredible power come?



  • Scripture:

    Acts 16:25-26 
    "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."

    Observation:

    In this passage we can see to types of power at work in the world. The first type of power is coercive. Such power does what it can at all times. It is about one party enforcing its will upon another, supposedly weaker, party. A spirit of divination possesses a little girl; wealthy slave merchants possess the same little girl; the doubly possessed girl, under the power of said spirit, accosts Paul slandering him as a possession of Jesus Christ; the slave owners seize Paul and Silas and drag them before the magisterial powers who enforce their will for order by commanding them to be beaten, chained and imprisoned.

    The second type of power is relational. Such power is expressed through willing self-limitation that sets others free, inviting them into right relations thereby multiplying its influence. Instead of wrestling, it dances; instead of yelling violent threats, it sings hymns of praise. Paul dispossesses the spirit and the slave owners by freeing a little girl; Paul and Silas are inexplicably singing hymns when they should be gnashing their teeth and plotting their revenge. Yet, this humble action proves to be so efficaciously subversive as to catalyze the obliteration of the very foundations of all forces that would attempt to oppress and enslave.

    Application:

    Within any system based upon coercive power the best anyone can hope to achieve is a fleeting semblance of freedom from the grasping, conspiring powers of the other.

    The type of relational power that seems to be God's preferred way of engaging with creation - the type made most clear and manifest in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ - invites us into an existence that is both deeper and wider. Relational power adds a dimension of "freedom for" to our "freedom from" that enlivens our imaginations and sets our toes to tapping.

    Which type of power sounds better to you? 

    Today, will you choose to seize hold of others and press 

    your advantage through acts of coercion; or, will you 

    choose to cry out to all the weak losers you encounter, 

    "Do not harm yourself, for we are all here!"

    Prayer:

    Dancing, three-stepping God; Grant us all the grace to live into three dimensional freedom in our relations today. Set us free from all forces that seek to enslave our bodies and imaginations. Set us free for the holy work to which you have called and invited us. Amen.

No comments:

Post a Comment