The LCA Provides This Sermon Edited for Lay-Reading, with Thanks to the Original Author s2

The LCA provides this sermon edited for lay-reading, with thanks to the original author.

Easter 3 Acts 9:1-19

The believers in our text today are called “People of the Way”. To belong to Jesus Christ is to live a new way of life! It is not just piling up a lot of head knowledge, as might have happened sometimes in Confirmation classes many years ago.

Jesus was the first one to live “Of the Way.” Jesus knew more than anyone can ever know about God, but he is not known for his head knowledge. Rather, the Way of Jesus is a very practical and down to earth way of living. Jesus chooses the way of loving care for the sick people, the people who were social failures, and for people trapped in selfishness, like you and me. For Jesus, the way finally meant going the way of the crucifixion. The way we travel is the way of the Cross.

Today we see Saul enter the way, like a child – led by the hand. Saul is blind, and then at his baptism he sees! Everyone enters the kingdom of God like a little child when they enter it in baptism. When a grown up person is baptized they are born again. They begin a new way of life. In some societies an adult Christian takes on a new name when they are baptized – a Christian name.

In our text, Saul becomes Paul. He is taking on a new way of life. He is changing from a professional enemy of Jesus who hunted down the Christians, as described in verses one and two: “Meanwhile, Saul was uttering threats with every breath. He was eager to destroy the Lord’s followers, so he went to the high priest. He requested letters addressed to the synagogues in Damascus, asking their cooperation in the arrest of any followers of the Way he found there. He wanted to bring them – both men and women – back to Jerusalem in chains.” Saul sets out on his 230 kilometre journey on foot. He is possessed by fury and is making threats of what he will do. He arrives at his destination and enters Damascus blind, and led along as a child. God turns him around, and Saul becomes the hunted one. Twice in the next few verses we read, “After a while the Jewish leaders decided to kill him.” In fact, they let him down the city wall in the dead of night in a big basket and he escapes to Jerusalem. He has turned full circle! Then in verse 29 we read, “He debated with some Greek speaking Jews but they plotted to murder him.”

For Paul, The new way is a way of danger, like it was for Jesus: the way of persecution. It is a rough road. On the way, Jesus is travelling with Saul, whether he knows it or not. When he becomes Paul, he knows Jesus is travelling with him on the road of life. God has changed the most dangerous enemy of the people on their way with Jesus, into the greatest Christian missionary of all time. Saul, the enemy of Jesus, becomes Paul, the great witness to the resurrection of Jesus. Most of the New Testament Scriptures were written by Paul, the one who had tried to wipe out the Christians.

On the way, unlikely people become his brothers and sisters. Saul’s enemies become his brothers and sisters. In verse 17, Ananias - who had been scared of Saul coming - goes and looks for him and greets him as “brother Saul”. Look at the Christian brothers and sisters you have with you here today! We can easily forget that Jesus travels with us on the way of life. He comes along every day

1 to journey with us, to enrich us and fill our lives with love and care for other people he puts near us on the way. The closer we are to Jesus, the closer we are to one another. It can be called the way of God’s Grace.

The amazing grace of God is clearly seen in Saul. The depth to which God’s forgiving love reaches to include Saul is amazing. Paul knows the most ‘unworthy’ person in the Christian Church is Paul himself. We can welcome and make people feel at home on the way with us whom society might consider ‘unworthy’: the social failures; the enemies of the Christian Church. We shouldn’t neglect these people and only invite the nice ones we feel comfortable with. The risen Jesus who travels with us doesn’t mind some risks, and even danger.

Saul had lived and planned what he wanted to do with his life, who he would be, and thought he knew where he was going. Now he does what Jesus wants him to do and become, and he goes where Jesus leads him. The Jesus who comes to us in the Lord’s Supper and travels with us in the streets and cars and trains this week is the one who knows the way ahead. When we are in a dilemma and we don’t know what to do, we can simply turn to Jesus and ask him, “Lord, what do you want me to do?”

Each day comes as a new gift from God. We might ask Jesus, “What do you want me to do today?” and he might show us all sorts of people, including some unlikely ones, to be a sister or brother to. We don’t do it because these people are so wonderful, but because Jesus is. The way we are travelling is the way of grace. It might happen that we are the person with special needs. Then we can be gracious about the help our sisters and brothers give us along the way of life, and thank God for them.

Saint Paul is a wonderful reminder that our congregation is built on the way of forgiveness. We welcome each other because of the grace of God to each one of us. His way is deep and rich. If we were to try and build a congregation without forgiveness, then we could end up jostling and fighting for positions of honour, as described in Luke 14, where each one thinks they are better than the other! For the Christians travelling together Jesus is Number One, and the rest of us are servants.

To be a servant costs one one’s life. It cost Jesus his life. It cost Saul his life. We exchange our lives for one that never ends. We can say, “He is risen!” The Good News is that we are travelling together on the Way with Jesus, on a journey that never ends. Jesus knows the Way. He is the Way. Amen.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.