Locked up

I am a fan of Murdoch Mysteries. Invariably when a suspect gets locked up, the one with the keys has a smile on their face: “There, that’ll give them something to think about! That’ll shut them up.” The camera pans through the bars to the sad soul slumped against the wall.

However, it doesn’t always work. Sometimes the prisoners keep yelling defiantly. In other cases, their eyes are full of fury. A few pull on the bars in hope they can escape.

The owners of the slave girls, the crowds and those in charge think jail will teach Paul and Silas a thing or two, that it will shut them up, that they won’t cause trouble anymore. Instead, we hear praying and singing. The hope and the witness of these followers of Christ won’t be silenced. God’s salvation is shared with the prisoners, the jailer, indeed his whole household.

When the world tries to “lock us up,” God also calls on us to keep praying and singing. Others are listening, needing to hear the good news we share.

God, in the midst of a world that does not want to hear or see you, help us to continue to speak your name and share your love. Amen. — MHD