Acts 16: 16-34 One day, as we were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour.

But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.

Who is your Lord?

As Americans, Lordship isn’t a concept we are entirely comfortable with. We believe in freedom and equality and justice. We don’t bow for anyone and claiming someone is our lord makes us uncomfortable. We are free. Independent. In control of our own lives.

Yet, admit it or not, we all have lords. Someone – person, thing or concept – rules your life. Your lord is the driving force, the director of your life. Sometimes we’re confused or conflicted about who that lord is, but that doesn’t change the fact that we are ruled by someone – some thing. For some its money, and they build their lives to chase the almighty dollar. For others its pride, or power, or lust. Your lord is the ruler of your life.

So I ask again. Who is your Lord?

On our drive down to Florida last month I got the opportunity to hear an NPR segment I have never heard before. It was called “This I believe” and on that particular Sunday they were featuring a nun called Sister Helen Prejean. She was talking about her work with death row inmates, but what really resonated with me was why she felt it was so important. She said, “The only way I know what I really believe, is by keeping watch over what I do."

This woman moved from reaching to her neighbors a comfortable, safe suburban home to a violent housing project in New Orleans. That led her to working with the people who had been the victims of crimes, of injustices. And that in turn took her to Christ’s statement “Love your enemies.” So Sister Helen began to work with the death row inmates. And the in turn with the families of their victims. It is clear to see who her Lord is.

So here’s how to tell who your Lord truly is. Look at your life. Look at what you do, where you spend your time, money and energy. Your lord is wherever those are directed.

So, are you primarily interested in money? Status? Having the right things? The best and brightest toys?

Or do you seek to help others? Do you reach out to the outcasts?

Nearly 30 years a study was conducted at Princeton University, designed to figure out the conditions under which good people would act for good, or at least be helpful.

Two psychologists asked a group of theology students to walk to another building on campus to give a short speech, either about their motives for studying theology or about the biblical parable of the Good Samaritan. Meanwhile, the psychologists had arranged for an actor to be stationed on the path between the two buildings, slumped over, coughing and obviously in bad shape. The two experimenters had also led half the students to believe they were late for their speaking appointment, and half that they had ample time.

So, what do you think the responses were? Who was most likely to help: those with the story of the Good Samaritan uppermost in their mind or those thinking about the motives for studying theology?

There was a significance difference between groups, but it was not along the lines of speech content. Contrary to what we might expect, the content of the speech made no difference. About the same number of Good Samaritan speakers and theology motivation students stopped. What did make a difference was how rushed the students thought themselves to be. Only 10 percent of those led to believe they were running late stopped to help. Of those told that they had plenty of time, 60 percent stopped to help.

In what group do you fall?

Now, the thing is, calling Christ Lord is easy. Anyone can do that. The trick, the hard part is actually living in Christ. Saying and Living are two very different things. Christ says to his disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Go. Do as Christ has commanded us. Not just say the words. That’s the hard part. That’s where everyone will screw up at least once in awhile.

Jacob is an excellent example here. His all night struggle wrestling with God mirrors the struggle we have every day of our lives. We fight with God over what we should be doing. We want to follow other lords – ones that seem more flashy, more appealing. Most importantly those other lords have easier paths to follow

Christ is firm. The road he leads us down is hard. It’s a struggle and we will frequently tumble. We will make side detours to lords that seem like a better idea. They seem easier and the benefits sure seem nice.

Its so hard, because following in Christ’s footsteps is more than just telling others about Christ. It is more than saying you’re a Christian and attending services once in awhile. Truly calling Christ lord means that you stop and talk to the homeless man on the street. It means that you take the time out of your day to buy a total stranger a sandwich. Or you comfort someone you’ve never even met but who is so desperately in need of your time.

The really hard part of it is that living with Christ as your Lord means that you have to step outside your comfort zone. You go out of your way to help those you don’t really want to help. Take time for things you don’t want to do.

No wonder we follow other lords! Other lords don’t put such hard demands on us. They offer us much more in material gain. They seem to benefit us far more than Christ does. Christ doesn’t promise us riches, or power, or even an easy life.

And yet… And yet. So many of us keep wrestling ourselves away from God, yet God continually calls us back. Of all the possible lords, Christ is the only one that doesn’t give up on us. And Christ is the only one who supports us when things go bad.

I feel bad for the jailer in the New Testament passage today. He gets handed two prisoners and his world flips upside down. I picture him as your average guy. Goes to work every day to feed his family. Maybe likes to fish on the weekend. Just a regular Joe.

And then in come Paul and Silas. I suspect the jailer has seen people in all sorts of states after they’ve been thrown in jail: shock, tears, anger, despair, but I doubt he’s seen anyone quite like these two.

They have just been unjustly beaten and arrested. They were a threat to the status quo and would probably be executed in the morning. Yet instead of bewailing their fate, they spend the night singing and praying to their lord! What strange fellows!

Then comes the earthquake. The jailer’s world is turned upside down and the faith that he had put in his lords of routine and the government comes shattering down. He has no support there. He has no protection. No comfort. No hope.

And then he hears it. The voice of the prisoners he thought were long gone calling out to him. ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ What a lord these two must have in order to wait patiently in jail when they could easily escape. The jailer wants that faith. These two men are so confident in their salvation that the jailer begs them to show him the way too.

He accepts Christ in his heart and is saved. Hallelujah! Does he have days were he slips back into following his old lords? You bet. But I bet he keeps trying to follow this new Lord – a lord that will truly be there for him.

So, who is your Lord?

Is your lord routine? Status? Possessions?

Or is your Lord one who loves you so much that he would die for you? Is your Lord someone who will be there no matter what else happens in your life? Is your Lord the one who ate with outcasts and loved the sinners?

Who is your lord?

As we begin this Lenten season, many people agree to give up something. They give up chocolate or coffee or TV. They deprive themselves of something so they might know what the temptation of Christ was like after his forty days of fasting.

This Lenten season I have a challenge for you. I challenge you to seek out the lord you have been following that is calling you away from Christ. I challenge you to give it up. I challenge you to give up all lords who are not Christ in your life. Start with a day. Then a week. Then see if you can follow Christ, and Christ alone for all of Lent.

This isn’t an easy thing to do. I suspect I’m going to have trouble but I’ll keep wrestling my way back to God when I’m lead astray. I will keep trying to live my life with the example Christ gave me.

You can try to do the same. We can all strive to live our lives so that no one need ask us, Who is our lord. They will know it in every thing that we do. Amen.