THURSDAY, September 16 (Ninian)

Acts 16:25-40. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.

It was midnight for Paul and Silas in more ways than one. They had been brutally flogged and thrown into prison merely for healing someone in the name of God—and God let this happen to them.

But Paul and Silas were not complaining at midnight; they were singing and praising God. This made for a strange and unusual midnight. The prisoners heard them—and they must have marveled. Whatever this new religion was that had gotten these two men into such trouble, it also gave them an astonishing joy and courage. No wonder the prisoners listened.

The world always listens when we Christians sing in our midnight hour. What wins people to Christ is not our sound doctrine or our beautiful worship or our high moral standards. It is not our friendliness or our parish programs. It is the courage and joy which sings out from our souls when midnight misery descends upon us. (1962)

PRAY for the Dioceses of Hereford and Hereford–Ludlow (Canterbury, England)

Ps [70], 71 * 74; Job 28:1-28; John 12:27-36a

View the daily Lectionary Readings at Satucket.com.
Or view the Bible passages at Biblegateway.com.

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Timeless

Sep 16, 2010 at 5:04 am

Written by Dave,

What continues to amaze me about these anniversary readings is how timeless they are. Today's is almost 50 years old & is as relevant today as it was then.

...

Sep 16, 2010 at 7:06 am

Written by lois,

What really wowed me is the reading of Job today. Wisdom comes from the Lord. We seek it always and there it is.

...

Sep 16, 2010 at 7:15 am

Written by Norman,

I'm amazed at the courage of Paul and Silas as demonstrated in today's reading in Acts 16:35ff. They force the hand of the authorities of their time. They do not go quietly but extract an apology from them. This is an example of the kind of accountability that present day Christians should expect from the "authorities" that exist today.

...

Sep 16, 2010 at 9:56 am

Written by Marcia,

Whether we are singing and praising God at midnight, or when our hearts are open, God comes to us, giving us strength and peace. We can go on, with grateful hearts.

Paul or Saul

Sep 16, 2010 at 10:10 am

Written by Tom P,

Refresh me memory, at which point did Saul morph into Paul? The "miracle" of his conversion on the Road to Damascus is reported to have been witnessed by his traveling companions who heard what was said but were not affected by the blinding light, apparently very selective, which struck Saul temporarily blind. Is this conversion story, therefore, metaphorical? His companions are neither enumerated or identified in any way.

Is it not also curious that the author of the Gospel of Luke was also the author of the Acts of the Apostles and also was mentored by Saul/Paul?

And is it not further curious that one named Ananias is identified as the one responsible for helping Saul to have his sight restored and the author of Acts used the same name earlier, in Chapter 5, to put one Ananias to death, along with his wife Sapphira?

...

Sep 16, 2010 at 2:31 pm

Written by Philip M. McGhee,

Reply to Tom P. You have to learn the read the Bible critically. The name Ananias was quite common in the Biblical times. There are also three James's in the NT. Saul started using Paul went he went to Cyprus (Acts 13:9),probably because of its Greek sound,. Name change in the Bible frequently indicates a new vocation. There are also several Mary's in the NT and John's.

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