The lion roars
Commentary
Object:
Encratis lived in Portugal, but her father had given her in marriage to a nobleman in Roussillon, France. Wanting to preserve her virginity for the honor of God she fled from her father's home to avoid the arranged marriage. She privately went to Saragossa, Spain. In Saragossa she encountered the Diocletian Persecution of 304, conducted by Dacian. Because of the cruelties of the barbarians she personally reproached Dacian for his actions against Christians. Because of her outspokenness and confrontation Dacian had Encratis tortured in the most inhumane way possible: her sides were torn with iron hooks; one of her breasts was cut off exposing her inner chest to be viewed; and her liver was then pulled out through her upper chest cavity. In this condition she was sent back to prison, still alive, where she died of her wounds.
When we think of persecution, we often put it into the shape of stories like Encratis from the early church. But the persecution endured by the church of the first four centuries is not absent from many churches scattered around the globe today. In April 2014, in Somalia, a group of armed men burst into a home in Mogadishu and murdered "Sufia." They dragged her outside, shooting at neighbors who tried to rescue her. After killing the young woman, the men fled. The victim was given the name "Sufia" out of fear that her attackers will return to kill her family.
Somalia has suffered from civil war for more than two decades. Ninety-nine percent of the population is Sunni Muslim, and Christians are targeted by all of the Muslim factions fighting for control. The most dangerous of these groups is the militant Islamist group known as al-Shabab, which controls much of southern and central Somalia. Al-Shabab, which means "The Youth" in Arabic, has sworn to rid Somalia of all Christians and impose its strict interpretation of Shariah law. All Christians are viewed as apostates by the Muslim majority. Every church building in the country was destroyed during the civil war, so believers meet for fellowship in small home groups. When Christians are discovered by al-Shabab, they are sometimes beheaded on the spot, as occurred with a seventeen-year-old boy in 2011 in Mogadishu.
The story coming out of Somalia is repeated in North Korea, China, Rwanda, India, Pakistan, and Egypt to name only a few where devastation and destruction, killing and maiming are daily occurrences inflicted upon Christians.
There are several themes coexisting on Ascension Sunday that we celebrate this day. Luke, who is the author of Acts, instructs us that with Jesus' departure we are to be his witnesses to his life and teaching, guided by the Holy Spirit. John instructs us that in doing so we shall be persecuted; but, in our persecution we will be giving glory to God. Peter informs us since all congregations compose the Body of Christ the persecution of one church is the persecution of all congregations. The death of "Sufia" is our death as well.
Though we live in the sanctuary of the United States, we should not feel so content and at ease. If we are adamant in our witness for the Lord and promotion of social justice, our persecution may not come in the form and machetes and bullets, but it will certainly come in the form of being jeered and ostracized.
Acts 1:6-14
Our reading from Acts outlines for us our spiritual journey. Two themes are apparent in Peter's account. The first is that the disciples stayed together. The second is that the disciples prayed together. We know they stayed together for they went as a group to a place that was familiar to them and where they were reminded of their relationship with Jesus -- the Upper Room. It was in this place of refuge they found solace with one another. It was in this room where they shared what has become known as the Last Supper that they prayed together. It was in this solidarity that the era of the church began.
The disciples embarking as the Body of Christ, or as we understand it the church, is symbolized by the presence of Mary, the mother of Jesus. As Mary was present at the birth of the Messiah, she was now present at the birth of the church.
The journey that the disciples undertake will not be aimless. The disciples received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which next Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, will come upon the multitudes. The Holy Spirit will be the presence of Christ within all believers, empowering and directing, instructing and enlightening.
Verse 8 is often referred to as the apostolic charge: "And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Having witnessed Jesus' ascension into the cloud of heaven, having received the Holy Spirit, having the assurance of the cohesiveness found in the Upper Room, and having Mary as a reminder that they are the Body of Christ in the world today, they do take the message of the resurrection "to the ends of the earth."
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Our reading from 1 Peter outlines for us our journey into persecution. "As Christ suffered so shall we" suffer is the message that is presented by Peter. Although Jesus was accepted by many, he was also despised by many. We read of the multitudes that followed him and worshiped him. We only read of a few names of individuals who actually opposed him and two groups in general: the Pharisees and Sadducees. Unrecorded, but we know to be present, are the Roman citizens dwelling in Palestine who had a disdain for Jesus. Then there were the Roman soldiers who joked among themselves that if they ever encountered this Jesus, they would adorn this fabricated king in a purple robe and a crown of thorns. Then there were the Jews in general who thought of Jesus as some sort of soothsayer. In this milieu of hatred and resentment Jesus walked. The disciples, as his ambassadors following the ascension, walked on this same ground.
The devil, Satan, is compared to a roaring lion ready to devour its prey. Lions hunt in a pack, single out one animal from the herd, and then pronounce its death. This is why the disciples must stay alert. This is why as the Body of Christ the disciples were connected to all congregations in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. The cohesiveness of the Upper Room spreads beyond the doors of the room, beyond the city limits, and across borders.
The severity of the persecution that will confront the disciples is described by Peter as the need for them to endure "the fiery ordeal." These words should be taken at their full meaning that only hardship and headache will be encountered as the gospel message is taken to the ends of the earth.
Peter calls his fellow believers to "resist Satan, and be steadfast in your faith." These are easy words to speak; almost impossible words to live by as the lion roars.
John 17:1-11
Our reading from John outlines for us a journey in discipleship. Jesus tells them that the same intimacy and interdependence that he had with his heavenly Father the disciples will now have with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. The call to discipleship has now begun for Jesus declares that the same words that God gave to him he has given to his disciples. It is those words that the disciples are to take to the ends of the earth. The ministry of the disciples is displayed in unity when Jesus said: "So that they may be one, as we are one."
Application
Persecution is a theme that is present in all three readings. Discuss how the church has been persecuted through the centuries and continues to be persecuted this day in many foreign lands. Then emphasize that we, who are living in the serenity of the United States, should be experiencing some persecution, some discomfort for our beliefs, as we witness to others the gospel message and promote social justice. Discuss how the disciples were able to endure through fellowship and prayer and how we need to institute those same principles in our own congregations.
An Alternative Application
Sharing the gospel message with others is present in all three readings. We must be willing to tell others about Jesus and invite them into the fellowship of the church. Realizing the message is to go to the ends of the earth we need to explore ways to evangelize the entire community in which our church resides. Within the church we need meaningful worship, an educational program, prayer groups, small groups, and as many ways as possible to provide spiritual nurturing. It is through these spiritual disciplines that we will be receptive to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, providing the strength and guidance we will need for our mission.
When we think of persecution, we often put it into the shape of stories like Encratis from the early church. But the persecution endured by the church of the first four centuries is not absent from many churches scattered around the globe today. In April 2014, in Somalia, a group of armed men burst into a home in Mogadishu and murdered "Sufia." They dragged her outside, shooting at neighbors who tried to rescue her. After killing the young woman, the men fled. The victim was given the name "Sufia" out of fear that her attackers will return to kill her family.
Somalia has suffered from civil war for more than two decades. Ninety-nine percent of the population is Sunni Muslim, and Christians are targeted by all of the Muslim factions fighting for control. The most dangerous of these groups is the militant Islamist group known as al-Shabab, which controls much of southern and central Somalia. Al-Shabab, which means "The Youth" in Arabic, has sworn to rid Somalia of all Christians and impose its strict interpretation of Shariah law. All Christians are viewed as apostates by the Muslim majority. Every church building in the country was destroyed during the civil war, so believers meet for fellowship in small home groups. When Christians are discovered by al-Shabab, they are sometimes beheaded on the spot, as occurred with a seventeen-year-old boy in 2011 in Mogadishu.
The story coming out of Somalia is repeated in North Korea, China, Rwanda, India, Pakistan, and Egypt to name only a few where devastation and destruction, killing and maiming are daily occurrences inflicted upon Christians.
There are several themes coexisting on Ascension Sunday that we celebrate this day. Luke, who is the author of Acts, instructs us that with Jesus' departure we are to be his witnesses to his life and teaching, guided by the Holy Spirit. John instructs us that in doing so we shall be persecuted; but, in our persecution we will be giving glory to God. Peter informs us since all congregations compose the Body of Christ the persecution of one church is the persecution of all congregations. The death of "Sufia" is our death as well.
Though we live in the sanctuary of the United States, we should not feel so content and at ease. If we are adamant in our witness for the Lord and promotion of social justice, our persecution may not come in the form and machetes and bullets, but it will certainly come in the form of being jeered and ostracized.
Acts 1:6-14
Our reading from Acts outlines for us our spiritual journey. Two themes are apparent in Peter's account. The first is that the disciples stayed together. The second is that the disciples prayed together. We know they stayed together for they went as a group to a place that was familiar to them and where they were reminded of their relationship with Jesus -- the Upper Room. It was in this place of refuge they found solace with one another. It was in this room where they shared what has become known as the Last Supper that they prayed together. It was in this solidarity that the era of the church began.
The disciples embarking as the Body of Christ, or as we understand it the church, is symbolized by the presence of Mary, the mother of Jesus. As Mary was present at the birth of the Messiah, she was now present at the birth of the church.
The journey that the disciples undertake will not be aimless. The disciples received the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, which next Sunday, Pentecost Sunday, will come upon the multitudes. The Holy Spirit will be the presence of Christ within all believers, empowering and directing, instructing and enlightening.
Verse 8 is often referred to as the apostolic charge: "And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Having witnessed Jesus' ascension into the cloud of heaven, having received the Holy Spirit, having the assurance of the cohesiveness found in the Upper Room, and having Mary as a reminder that they are the Body of Christ in the world today, they do take the message of the resurrection "to the ends of the earth."
1 Peter 4:12-14; 5:6-11
Our reading from 1 Peter outlines for us our journey into persecution. "As Christ suffered so shall we" suffer is the message that is presented by Peter. Although Jesus was accepted by many, he was also despised by many. We read of the multitudes that followed him and worshiped him. We only read of a few names of individuals who actually opposed him and two groups in general: the Pharisees and Sadducees. Unrecorded, but we know to be present, are the Roman citizens dwelling in Palestine who had a disdain for Jesus. Then there were the Roman soldiers who joked among themselves that if they ever encountered this Jesus, they would adorn this fabricated king in a purple robe and a crown of thorns. Then there were the Jews in general who thought of Jesus as some sort of soothsayer. In this milieu of hatred and resentment Jesus walked. The disciples, as his ambassadors following the ascension, walked on this same ground.
The devil, Satan, is compared to a roaring lion ready to devour its prey. Lions hunt in a pack, single out one animal from the herd, and then pronounce its death. This is why the disciples must stay alert. This is why as the Body of Christ the disciples were connected to all congregations in Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria. The cohesiveness of the Upper Room spreads beyond the doors of the room, beyond the city limits, and across borders.
The severity of the persecution that will confront the disciples is described by Peter as the need for them to endure "the fiery ordeal." These words should be taken at their full meaning that only hardship and headache will be encountered as the gospel message is taken to the ends of the earth.
Peter calls his fellow believers to "resist Satan, and be steadfast in your faith." These are easy words to speak; almost impossible words to live by as the lion roars.
John 17:1-11
Our reading from John outlines for us a journey in discipleship. Jesus tells them that the same intimacy and interdependence that he had with his heavenly Father the disciples will now have with Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. The call to discipleship has now begun for Jesus declares that the same words that God gave to him he has given to his disciples. It is those words that the disciples are to take to the ends of the earth. The ministry of the disciples is displayed in unity when Jesus said: "So that they may be one, as we are one."
Application
Persecution is a theme that is present in all three readings. Discuss how the church has been persecuted through the centuries and continues to be persecuted this day in many foreign lands. Then emphasize that we, who are living in the serenity of the United States, should be experiencing some persecution, some discomfort for our beliefs, as we witness to others the gospel message and promote social justice. Discuss how the disciples were able to endure through fellowship and prayer and how we need to institute those same principles in our own congregations.
An Alternative Application
Sharing the gospel message with others is present in all three readings. We must be willing to tell others about Jesus and invite them into the fellowship of the church. Realizing the message is to go to the ends of the earth we need to explore ways to evangelize the entire community in which our church resides. Within the church we need meaningful worship, an educational program, prayer groups, small groups, and as many ways as possible to provide spiritual nurturing. It is through these spiritual disciplines that we will be receptive to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, providing the strength and guidance we will need for our mission.
