Singing at Midnight

On Sunday we will hear from Acts 16 about one of the times when the apostle Paul was imprisoned. Paul had interfered with the economy of certain people who profited from an enslaved girl. Paul healed her, and that changed the business. The owners claimed that Paul upset the peace, and he was thrown in prison along with Silas. At midnight, they were singing and praying when an earthquake shook the prison. I wonder what the other prisoners were feeling?

You know that prisons are not just a present-day reality. In Paul’s day, they served those whose businesses were threatened or those who had political clout. Prisoners regularly had no rights or recourse to justice. In our day, we are struggling to find ways for justice to happen in our legal system. Too often, wealth and race play an outsized role in the process. In what ways do our prisons make society safer? In what ways do they get misused to serve the economic gain of for-profit businesses?

There was an earthquake that made possible a real conversation between Paul and the jailer. What kind of earthquake can lead us to reforms that bring together the needs for safety, civil liberties, and justice in our communities?

People of St. Timothy, I’m grateful for your commitment to learning about multiracial solidarity and the ways that we all do better when there is justice for all. God be with you in your search for healing and renewal this week.