Changing the Guard // Rev. Matt Kennedy // June 1 2025

Unjust imprisonment is a frequent prompt of great works of literature. Think of classics like The Count of Monte Cristo, the works of Dostoyevsky, or even the novels of Stephen King. Wrongful incarceration is not just a tool for compelling storytelling, it is an all too common reality for those who live under totalitarian regimes (even in our own country this is not fantasy or fiction). Sometimes these stories become revenge tales. Sometimes these narratives become redemption stories.Our scripture this week tells a story from the early days of the Christian church that includes captives of all kinds: a demon-possessed fortune-telling slave girl, unjustly jailed apostles, and an imperial bureaucrat bound by cultural custom and militant state (Acts 16:16-34). As Luke narrates their stories, we are invited to ponder deep questions about oppression, suffering, mercy, resilience, economics, and what real liberation looks like in the Kingdom of God. It’s masterfully told story with ironic twists and turns, but most importantly it is a story of compassion and mercy. Because freedom and captivity are categories with blurry boundaries. Because God calls both the captive and the captor to redemption and salvation. Because the gospel is good news for all people: Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free.