SETTING THE CONTEXT

Paul is a hero of the Christian faith. He was the great evangelist and writer of many of the books of the New Testament. He is also a saint with a past. Paul’s Hebrew name was Saul. He was a zealous Pharisee. While a young Christ-follower named Stephen was being stoned to death by a mob another young man named Saul stood by and watched over the coats of the murderers. The Scripture says “and Saul approved of their killing him.” (Acts 8:1) Saul was an enemy of the followers of Jesus. Acts 8:3 tells us that Saul was ravaging the church by entering house after house dragging Christ-following men and women off to prison.

Read Acts 9:1-20

THE SERMON

What do you do when God asks you to do something you don’t want to do? What do you do when God asks you to do something you find offensive maybe even insane? Faithful people have had to struggle with this question throughout history. God asked Abraham to leave the safety of his home and family to start a new nation. Moses was asked to overcome his shyness over his stuttering to become the voice of a nation speaking for the Hebrew people. God spoke through the prophets words of judgment and condemnation against the kings and people over their nation’s behavior and the prophets had to bear the nation’s angry response. A disciple named Ananias living in Damascus was minding his own business when Jesus came to him in a vision telling him to go to this horrible dangerous enemy of the church named Saul. Saul could very easily be faking the conversion story to gather in a bunch of Christ-followers for his Damascus sweep. So Ananias’ question is a valid one, “Lord, this is a very bad man and he can take me and anyone else off to jail, are you sure you want me to go to him?” The Lord’s response is clear, “Go.” Ananias is faithful and he becomes an instrument of God’s grace laying hands on Saul/Paul restoring his sight and in fact giving him new sight for Saul never sees life the same way again. Ananias baptizes him incorporating him in Christ so that Saul has a new identification; he is now a Jewish-Christian in a new community and in a new way of being called “in Christ”. Ananias is part of a conspiracy of grace with Jesus that changes Saul so completely he receives a new name, a Latin name, Paul that fits him for a calling of ministry that reshapes him, the church, and the world. What do you do when God asks you to do something you really don’t want to do?

Now some of you might be saying to yourself that only happens in the Bible that never happens to real people. I’d just like to ask the congregation, how many of you have ever felt God calling you to do something you really didn’t want to do? It’s happened to me several times. When I was in my 20’s and working in construction, I was very involved in my church in Greeley, Colorado. I had changed companies a couple of times and had just gone to work for a new company. The first job they wanted to send me on was in Amarillo, Texas at a nuclear arms facility. I felt that the use of nuclear weapons was immoral, so working on this job presented me with an ethical dilemma. I wanted to decline the job on moral grounds, but I really wanted to do what God wanted me to do. I prayed about it thinking this was going to be easy, but I was sincere. I asked for counsel from my priest and other people in my church; I was really seeking an answer about whether to go or not. One night at a midweek service we sang a hymn, Kyrie Eleison, and in that hymn I heard these words “Look around you, can you see? Times are troubled, people grieve. See the violence, feel the hardness; all my people, weep with me. Kyrie Eleison (meaning Lord have mercy.) Walk among them, I’ll go with you. Reach out to them with my hands. Suffer with me, and together we will serve them, help them stand.” I knew that answered my prayer, but it was not the answer I expected. I was to take that job and work at that site. I didn’t know why, just that I needed to go. It was hard, I didn’t want to work that job. After I moved to Amarillo and began attending church there they had a class related to the nuclear arms race that started right after I moved in so I felt that God confirmed my decision. I shared my ethical concerns freely among my coworkers so who knows what seeds were planted. I just know that I acted as faithfully as I knew how.

You see sometimes God asks us to do things that we don’t want to do or that are offensive to us because God’s grace is so far beyond our feeble ability to comprehend. We judge, we decide what we like and don’t like, who’s worthy and unworthy, but God’s vision, God’s ability to see beyond the mess of the moment is so much greater than ours. To quote scholar and Bishop William Willimon, “’Saul joins a long list of reprobates (Jacob); murderers (Moses), and odd characters whom God has chosen as vessels for God’s work.’ You did not choose me, but I chose you. (John 15:16)”ⁱ

God is the one who converts people, who transforms people’s lives. This story of Saul’s conversion is part of a much larger story of a number of conversions. Philip preaches in Samaria and some Samaritans were converted; remember that Samaritans were despised by the Jews. Then Philip talks to an Ethiopian eunuch from the Queen’s court and he’s converted. After Paul’s conversion, Peter converts a Roman soldier (Roman soldiers were the tools of oppression by the occupying empire). Are you catching a theme here? In a block of stories about the conversion of enemies, God took Saul, a violent enemy persecutor and transformed him to Paul, a passionate missionary proclaimer to the Gentile people. It is a wonder that God chose to move toward ones who were perceived as the enemy, the Gentile people, through one whom the church feared and hated Saul. Boy, God does have a sense of humor! Or at least a sense of irony!

We, like Philip, like Ananias, and like Peter are called to share the Gospel, nurture people in their faith, baptize, share food, lay hands on people, pray for them and with them and do whatever else the Lord requires so that we prepare and participate in God’s conspiracy of grace. Do you remember the meaning of the word conspire? To conspire means literally “to breathe with.” When we breathe with God, when we breathe with Jesus we participate in God’s act of grace in God’s purpose on earth. Ananias probably never knew the full harvest of his conspiracy of grace with Jesus, his act of faithfulness. Could he possibly have imagined what Saul (Paul) would have become? Could he possibly have imagined Paul’s impact even upon us today? We don’t always get to see the fruits of our faithfulness either, but sometimes even reluctant conspirators of grace get a chance to catch a glimpse.

Every month the youth group at River Road Church visited Holcomb Manor, a local nursing home, to hold church services for the residents. Daryl, a reluctant youth group volunteer, did not like nursing homes. For a long time, he had avoided the monthly services, but when a flu epidemic hit the chaperones, he agreed to go as long as he didn’t have to be part of the program. During the service, Daryl felt awkward and out of place. He leaned against the back wall between two residents in wheelchairs. Just as the service finished and Daryl was thinking about a quick exit, someone grabbed his hand. Startled, he looked down and saw a very old, frail, and obviously lonely man in a wheelchair. What could Daryl do but hold the man’s hand? The man’s mouth hung open, and his face held no expression. Daryl doubted whether he could hear or see anything. As everyone began to leave, Daryl realized he didn’t want to leave the old man. Daryl had been left too many times in his own life. Caught somewhat off-guard by his feelings, Daryl leaned over and whispered, “I’m … uh…sorry, I have to leave, but I’ll be back. I promise.“ Without warning, the man squeezed Daryl’s hand and than let go. As Daryl’s eyes filled with tears, he grabbed his stuff and started to leave. Inexplicably, he heard himself say, “I love you“ and thought, “Where did that come from?” Daryl returned the next month and the month after that. Each time, it was the same. Daryl would stand in the back, Oliver would grab his hand, Daryl would say he had to leave, Oliver would squeeze his hand and Daryl would say softly, “I love you, Mr. Leak.” Daryl started looking forward to the monthly visits. On his sixth visit, the service started, but Oliver didn’t come out. Finally he asked the nurse and she led him to his room. Oliver eyes were closed and his breathing was uneven. Daryl instinctively knew he might never see Oliver alive again. He stayed with Oliver about an hour then the youth director gently interrupted to say they were leaving. Daryl stood and squeezed Mr. Leak’s hand for the last time. “I’m sorry, Oliver, I have to go. I love you.” As he unclasped his hand, he felt a squeeze. A young woman was standing at the door, and Daryl almost bumped into her. “I’m sorry, “he said. “It’s all right, I’ve been waiting to see you,” she said. “I’m Oliver’s granddaughter. He’s dying, you know.” “Yes I know.” “I wanted to meet you,” she said. “When the doctors said he was dying I came immediately. We’ve always been close. They said he couldn’t talk but he’s been talking to me. Last night he woke up. He looked straight into my eyes and said, ‘Please say goodbye to Jesus for me,’ and he lay back down and closed his eyes. He caught me off guard and as soon as I gathered my composure I whispered to him, ‘Grandpa, I don’t need to say goodbye to Jesus; you’re going to be with him soon, and you can tell him hello.’ Grandpa struggled to open his eyes again. This time his face lit up with a mischievous smile, and he said as clearly as I’m talking to you. ‘I know, but Jesus comes to see me every month, and he might not know I’ve gone.’ He hasn’t spoken since. The nurse told me about you. Well, I never thought of Jesus as being as chubby and bald as you, but I imagine that Jesus is very glad to have had you be mistaken for him. I know Grandpa is. “Thank you.”ⁱⁱ

When we participate in God’s conspiracy of grace we breath with the risen Christ and people see him in us and who knows what miracles God can and will perform maybe even turning an enemy into a saint! What will you do the next time God calls you to do something you really don’t want to do? Amen.

Sermon delivered by Rev. Nancy Cushman on April 18, 2010.