Our text today is one of those passages in the New Testament that is well known in the Christian community. The story of Paul and Silas and their dynamic escape from prison has for many years been a favorite among preachers. Many talented and gifted sermon crafters have taken the images of midnight, earthquake, and open doors and painted a picture in the hearts and minds of the faithful. The images of ridicule, imprisonment and deliverance become images of witness, prayer, and the power of God's deliverance.

There is of course a larger meaning to this story that seldom gets told. This story like so many stories in Acts is best understood not as a single occurrence, but in relationship to other acts of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the emerging Christian community.

Students of the Bible…