Sermons from St
Faith's
Spiritual Protection
Paula O'Shaughnessy
Sunday, 2nd June, 2019
We are here today in a holy place, a place of
blessings and spiritual protection. We are lucky
to have the privilege to meet here in prayer and
worship. St Faith's is a beautiful church in a
small town which enjoys many blessings too. This
makes our spiritual journey one which has an
environment of beauty, and helps to feed the
soul. That does not mean that there are no dark
places where we encounter in our daily lives – because
of course there are. On this earthly land, we
always strive for the kingdom of God, but there are
thorns and trials that we meet in our daily
lives. It is the life of prayer and worship
which gives us access to the divine grace of God – to
sustain us in this life and spiritual journey.
I've been out and about recently, to a few places,
meeting lots of people. Sometimes, your own
daily routine and little world can become your only
reality. It brought a new awakening and
perspective to see how different can be the experience
of others. One thing that was apparent was the
casual way the supernatural is accepted and even
pursued by folk – and often done so innocently and
with good intentions. A few people were wearing
pentagrams – usually these are worn as protective
symbols. Then, when staying in a hotel in
Scarborough, amongst the craft fair stalls, there was
a tarot card reader.
What is important about this is that in the context,
the people themselves are genuinely looking for
spiritual protection. The lives of the people
concerned are often difficult and full of pain and
sorrow. In other words, they are
vulnerable. At the same time they don't find the
officialdom of church appealing – in fact, often they
see the church as negative or bad.
So there's a concern for us and a cause for action -
as Christians. Today's passage from the Acts of
the Apostles tells us directly about the threat of the
supernatural and dark arts. The slave girl in
the story makes money for her owners by telling
fortunes. The declarations she makes in her work
are often against the Christians and their message of
salvation. Of Paul and Silas, two of the
disciples she says: 'These men are slaves of the most
high God, who proclaim to you a way of
salvation'. There is of course an irony in the
fact that she herself is a slave. In the name of
Jesus, Paul orders the unnamed force out, which
speaks these pronouncements against the Christians,
through the girl. She is at once freed of the
force, which leaves her. However, the slave
owners are angered at this and take revenge on Paul
and Silas, having them arrested and thrown into
prison. The second miracle happens soon after,
when an earthquake breaks down the door of the prison
– a force of God, which overwhelms the earthly powers
and opens the hearts of the guards to divine
grace. Paul and Silas are set free – to carry on
their work of discipleship, taking the Gospel message
to people in many lands.
The mysterious book of Revelation too, which we have
heard from today – apocalypse. What is it?
No-one is quite sure, but it is clear from the opening
passages that part of it forms a letter to the
churches, warning them of the need to keep to the law
of God, and the teachings of Christ. Today's
passage warns against the supernatural and the dark
arts too.
All of this tells us that it is the body and community
of the church is where the strength of the faith lies,
but also the weakness. If there is solidarity
and faithful fellowship, all will be well. The
individuals need to be strong and devoted, but the
community of the church gives protection and
support. The sacred building of the church is a
space of solace and peace. The faithful people
within it, make it a sanctuary and refuge – a safe
place. The framework of prayer and worship too,
is like the structure and safety of the building.
The appeal of the fortune=tellers, the pagan symbols
like the pentagram – attract people who are curious or
in spiritual or physical need, searching for answers
or an escape from difficult realities. It is
true now, as it was true in biblical times. The
church, and its people need to be on guard against the
appeal of these alternative ways.
Of course, wickedness can ensnare all of us, if we are
not on guard ourselves. It's not just about
using the obvious symbols. In the Easter pilgrim
daily messages from the church, one of the daily
lessons – drawing on Paul's letter to the Ephesians
reminded the reader of how evil seems to often not be
random, but to have a definite strategy – to pull us
down, to accuse us or to distract us. The
passage from Ephesians puts heart into us, helping us
to be strong in faith:
'Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be
able to stand against the wiles of the devil.'
In our lives, in our actions – we aim to be the bearer
of the good news of Christ, bringing hope and
salvation to those in need. We recognise
ourselves, that each one of us has need of mercy, love
and goodness – which ultimately comes from God.
From God, we allow the light to enter into us, and
then outwards to the world, we too become beacons of
hope and salvation. Yet, always, it is a daily
journey, where we rely on strength from God, to grow
in faith and discipleship.
