Bring him through safely to Felix the governor.

 

Monday, August 4, 2023


Psalms 11; 12

1 Kings 2:28-46

Acts 23:12-24


Observances: Oengus Mac Nisse of Dalriada, bishop of Connor (d. 514); Birinus, bishop of Dorchester (Oxon), apostle of Wessex (d. c. 650)


Bring him through safely to Felix the governor.


An English comedian once remarked on his dress sense: "One of the codes I live my life by is that my appearance should be in no way noteworthy. But then again, not so unnoteworthy as to be, in itself, noteworthy." Such might be, for some, the ideal Christian life. Pride, hanging as it does so menacingly in the corner, is our constant reminder of the dangers of self-aggrandisement. Honour is a zero-sum game: the more we get, the less is given to God.


Marching in a glorious parade of Roman soldiers, the peak military force of the greatest empire that ever was, mustered specifically to protect one person, that person being you: such an event would take a lifetime of political wrangling and skulduggery. To be able to convince 200 crack troops, seventy cavalry, and another 200 spear-wielding militia to give their lives for the sake of yours would not really inflate your ego, because to get to that point in the first place would require an ego such as none has ever known.


But this was the position in which Saint Paul found himself. Look at how he got there: an unfailing dedication to Christ, and the proclamation of Him crucified, without rest. Bold as brass must have been our Paul, in the midst of all that gleaming steel and fluttering bunting. This is the same man who told the church in Corinth that we Christians are the things that are not, chosen by God, so that when we boast, we boast in the Lord (1 Cor 1:26-31). Paul’s chest puffed out, not for Paul, but for his Lord.


This week, make yourself noteworthy. But not through your cunning wit, or theological training, or anything else that is about yourself. Go out in public and embarrass yourself as a Christian. Because if the world thinks it is embarrassing, then the kingdom of heaven sees it as perfectly normal. The bodyguard for a prisoner becomes the bodyguard of the apostle; did those soldiers know who they were guarding? Will your neighbours realise the blessing of God which you bring into their lives?



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