Acts 19:21-41

Worship Guide

Printed Sermon

Have you ever been in the midst of a riot? It was a hot summer day on August 16, 1970 as Emily, my sister and I made our way with tens of thousands of Italians to the Piazza del Campo in Siena for the famed Palio, a wild, bareback, medieval-style horse race held twice each summer to determine bragging rights for one of the seventeen city districts called “Contrada.” The rivalries are fierce and all consuming, uniting passions of civic pride, religion and sports. Anything goes as long as you win. The greatest disgrace is to come in second. The pageantry and ceremonial buildup is typically Italian, meaning endless. There is more ritual at the Palio than you can comprehend. At 8:00 am the Bishop gives mass for the ten jockeys, who are actually hired guns. After the mass there is the mayor’s signature of authorization at 10:30. At 3:00 pm each district conducts a ceremonial blessing for their horse, which was chosen at random and for which the rider has no experience. After the blessing the horse joins the massive parade winding through the city.

Meanwhile, we were attempting to work our way into the center of the piazza to secure a good vantage spot amid a boiling sea of 10,000 spectators, some of whom passed out in the heat even before the race began. After some aggressive maneuvering, we were able to secure a spot against the wooden railing for a ringside view of the race. Finally at 5:00 pm the parade arrived at the entrance to the piazza. Dripping in sweat, I breathed a sigh of relief thinking the race was about to start. I forgot I was in Italy. This was just the beginning of a two-hour pageant of more than 600 participants in full medieval regalia, along with scores of horses, flag tossers and drummers displaying the colors and pride of their districts.

Just when I thought we could no longer endure being in this claustrophobic pressure cooker, the gun sounded and the horses were off, three laps around the treacherous track in 90 seconds. The race was a blur as the horses whirled around us at breakneck speed. At one of the 90-degree turns a jockey was thrown off his horse and trampled by the oncoming horses. As the horse lay dead on the track, I feared that the jockey had suffered a similar fate. Tensions in the crowd quickly rose to a boiling point and my only concern was to get out of the piazza as quickly as possible. With only two exits available, we slipped under the railing onto to the track and began running in the opposite direction from the accident. To my horror I discovered that an angry mob was coming towards us from the opposite direction. Our only escape was to climb up into the makeshift bleachers that scaled the buildings. After that my memory is a blur. I have a vague recollection of helping Emily and my sister into the stands as the mob whirled past us, then tentatively making our way through the narrow streets back to our car, unscathed. But what I’ll never forget is the absolute terror of a mob unbridled of all restraint.

Paul’s two and half years in Ephesus had been his longest, most fruitful and productive ministry. Last week we observed how Paul’s tireless preaching unleashed the power of the Spirit, bringing life and healing throughout the city of Ephesus and the wider community. The most striking example was the public confession of former magicians, who renounced their former practices by publicly burning their costly magic books worth 50,000 pieces of silver. Luke’s mention of “silver” raises a little warning flag. In our text today we learn what happens when the gospel begins to have a financial impact on a community and threatens the profits of the powerful. The enemy is not about to go down without a fight, and when he strikes back, there are no rules, just like the Palio. As we pick up the story, Luke gives us a glimpse into Paul’s plans and visionary spirit.

I. Visionary Planning in the Spirit (19:21–22)

Now after the