Scripture & Reflection: Sunday 1st June and for the week ahead:Scripture: ‘When [the Romans] had brought Paul and Silas before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them... ‘ (Acts of the Apostles 16.20-25)Reflection:While the Gospels recount the earthly life and ministry of Jesus, Acts is all about what his followers did when Jesus was no longer physically present with them. We read that after offending the Romans Paul and Silas, stripped, severely beaten and imprisoned, spent the night ‘praying and singing hymns to God’. No wonder the prisoners were listening to the them. How could they possibly make sense of it? The absolute faith and endurance of the disciples is surely the greatest proof of the reality of the Resurrection. Nobody would endure such suffering if they were not totally certain of the truth of what they proclaimed. Though they no longer saw Jesus they knew his loving and sustaining Spirit with them in every part of their lives. Let us pray that we too may know the presence of the Holy Spirit to give us courage and strength in whatever we are called to endure. Revd Rosemary
