Midweek Lent-Day 1 Wednesday, February 24, 2021 @ 6:30 Worship and Confirmation

Introduction:

Pastor Jacob: Welcome to another dramatic series as we explore another area of the . Some of you may have been with us this past Advent as we explored the Prophets whose combined works fill approximately a quarter of the Old Testament. As we move into this season of Lent, we make a shift to the works that cover approximately a quarter of the : the letters written by or attributed to the Apostle Paul. Over the next five weeks we will explore who this person is, and then move onto important theological themes that continue to be vital for our church today—despite the fact that there is nearly a two-thousand-year difference between our lives today and that of Paul. Today we begin this exploration by focusing on the historical person of Paul.

The Liturgy—Part 1:

Pastor Jacob: is the light of the world, Congregation: the light no darkness can overcome.

Pastor Jacob: Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening, Congregation: and the day is almost over.

Pastor Jacob: Let your light scatter the darkness Congregation: and illumine your church.

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OPENING HYMN: “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” (ELW 807)

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CONFESSION AND FORGIVENESS: Pastor Jacob: Let us confess our sin in the presence of God and one another. A moment of silence is kept. Holy and gracious God, Congregation: I confess that I have sinned against you this day. Some of my sin I know— the thoughts and words and deeds of which I am ashamed—but some is known only to you. In the name of Jesus Christ I ask forgiveness. Deliver and restore me, that I may rest in peace.

Pastor Jacob: By the mercy of God we are united with Jesus Christ, in whom we are forgiven. We rest now in the peace of Christ and rise in the morning to serve.

Paul—Day 1: Introduction to Paul

SCRIPTURE READINGS: The following Scripture readings will be used in this service. They will be interspersed in the dialogue with Pastor Jacob and Reader/Characters. • Acts 9:1-31; • Acts 11:19-26; and, • Galatians 1:13-24.

Pastor Jacob: In order to help with this exploration of the historical person of Paul, I should introduce those who are going to help me with these dramas. This week, I will first introduce a character that some of you many recognize, Herodotus, who has joined us several times before as the author of the books that we know of as the of Luke and Acts; Herodotus will only be here one week. Herodotus will be joined this week by a couple of new voices who will follow us through the whole five weeks: Quite obviously Paul, and then another voice who I will introduce as Epaphroditus, an associate of Paul, who will function as my associate through this process. Epaphroditus: Hi, my name is Epaphroditus. As Pastor Jacob said, I’m going to be serving as the co-host for these services. I claim myself to be a fairly minor character in the Biblical story; I appear only briefly, bringing aid to Paul from the congregation that he had founded in . But this story is not ultimately about me. We’re here to learn about that great figure in the early church, Paul. So, let’s get onto what our first goal is for this series: getting a handle on who this person Paul is. There are two primary sources that we turn for this: The book of Acts and the writings of Paul himself. Herodotus: We first encounter this individual that you have come to know as Paul in my work, the book of Acts. Epaphroditus: You have to acknowledge that the reason for that is because the people who put together the Bible placed the book of Acts, because of its connection to your gospel, before the letters of Paul—not because of any “firsts.”

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Pastor Jacob: Indeed, Paul wrote his letters starting in about 50 CE until near his death in the mid 60’s. The book of Acts was written approximately 20 years after this. Herodotus: I will acknowledge that I come after Paul’s own writings, but you have to admit that I tell a lot more about what Paul did. Paul: Yes, you did talk a lot more about me than I did. That’s because I had more important things to talk about; we’ll get into that a lot more as we move into the next couple of weeks. Herodotus: That means that today is mostly me. Yeah! Epaphroditus: Yes, but we aren’t going to forget Paul. Pastor Jacob: No, we’re not. But, let’s go ahead and start with Herodotus’ tale of Paul’s entry onto the scene. Herodotus: Thanks. I’ll now report from my story. “When [the Jewish council] heard these things [that Stephen said], they became enraged and ground their teeth at Stephen. But filled with the Holy Spirit, [Stephen] gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. ‘Look,’ he said, ‘I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ But they covered their ears, and with a loud shout all rushed together against him. Then they dragged him out of the city and began to stone him; and the [false] witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning Stephen, he prayed, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them.’ When he had said this, he died. And Saul approved of their killing him.” Epaphroditus: Wait a minute. I thought his name was “Paul,” not “Saul.” Why are we starting with a story about a person named “Saul”? Pastor Jacob: It’s true that we are confronted by a different name. One can interpret it as a change of name similar to what one encounters with Jacob becoming Israel or Simon becoming Peter—where the name-change represents a change in one’s relationship with God. Paul: I don’t think of it that way. And I’m the one you really should be asking. Epaphroditus: How, then, do you consider it? Paul: While there is a change in my relationship with God—we’ll get to that a little later—I like solving the Saul/Paul conundrum by thinking of “Saul” as my Hebrew name (you know, like the first king), and “Paul” as the Greek version of my name. Though, never in my letters do I use the name “Saul” for myself. Herodotus: Frankly, I don’t care what you call him. Unlike the story where Jacob becomes Israel, I don’t make a big deal about the name-change. I will simply note “Saul, also known as Paul”—and then just keep on with the story, thereafter calling him Paul. What’s important is how he comes on the scene: as a persecutor of the church. Not only did he participate in the murder of the deacon Stephen, he continued persecuting after that event. See; here’s the next phase of the story: “Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that

4 if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.” Epaphroditus: I should interject that “the Way” refers to those Jews—for they were all Jews at that time—who followed the way of Jesus. Paul: I won’t agree with everything you say about me, but my history as a persecutor of the church is something that I do acknowledge. I write thusly to my congregation in Galatia— primarily to show that I also have made a change: “You have heard, no doubt, of my earlier life in Judaism. I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it. I advanced in Judaism beyond many among my people of the same age, for I was far more zealous for the traditions of my ancestors.” Epaphroditus: Of course, we don’t remember Paul primarily as persecutor of the church. We would never want to remember such a thing. Pastor Jacob: Well, maybe we’d do better if we had heard the story of more persecutors; it might have helped us from repeating many of the same mistakes. But, you are right; Paul would not be as lauded as he is if we only remembered him as a persecutor of the church. Epaphroditus: Why then do we remember him and laude him so much? Paul: Because of the transformation that I made away from being a persecutor of the church into one who not only supported the church, but expanded the church into the broader Greek world. Again, as I wrote to the church in Galatia: “But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, so that I might proclaim him among the Gentiles, I did not confer with any human being, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were already apostles before me, but I went away at once into Arabia, and afterwards I returned to Damascus.” Herodotus: My gosh, you just don’t know how to tell a story, do you? Paul: My intent is not to “tell a story.” But to claim my authority to spread the good news to the Gentiles. Pastor Jacob: Remember, everyone, that the term “Gentiles” simply refers to those who are not Jewish. Paul would become known as one who would spread the good news and start churches in several primarily Gentile places in Asia Minor—what you know of as the country of Turkey— and Greece. Herodotus: But we still need to know how Paul got from being one who persecuted the church, into one compelled into this mission. At least he got the detail right that it started in Damascus. Paul: Are you trying to tell me that you know more about my own story than I do? Of course, my details on my own history are right; yours, on the other hand, need to be taken with a grain of salt. After all, by your own admission, you’re interested in “telling a story.” Herodotus: That doesn’t mean that I’m lying. It just means that I feel a narrative structure does better at relaying information. You say, “God … called me through his grace.” How? The answer to the “how” is what makes it memorable. See?

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Paul: I do, but remember, I’m only important because of the message that I share. Epaphroditus: No, I think you’re important for more than that. I think you’re important because of how you spread the word. I put myself forward as an example of that. So, I think it’s important for these people to get some details on how you made that transition from persecutor to missionary. Herodotus: Remember, Paul was persecuting (as that term is a later construction, I refer to them as those who “belonged to the Way”) and was on his way to Damascus to persecute more of them, and then, all of a sudden, he was interrupted: “Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.’ The men who were travelling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.” Epaphroditus: This is what’s known as Paul’s “Damascus Road Experience”—or “conversion.” Pastor Jacob: But, we should be cautious about the term “conversion.” In today’s terminology, “conversion” usually implies a change of religious tradition. Paul does have, though not on his own, a change in mission or focus—not religion. In the mid 30’s of the common era, there is no such thing as a separate religion of Christianity; at this point, these are all Jews, just ones who follow different paths. Epaphroditus: What do you mean by he doesn’t do it on his own? Herodotus: He has a guide. I’ll continue with my story: “Now there was a in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ He answered, ‘Here I am, Lord.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.’ But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your in Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.’ But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.’ So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food, he regained his strength.” Pastor Jacob: After this, Paul makes his change. He starts to urgently preach the message of Jesus. Herodotus: Indeed, he does: “For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ All

6 who heard him were amazed and said, ‘Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?’ Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah. After some time had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night so that they might kill him; but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.” Epaphroditus: Well, that doesn’t sound very good. It sounds like he’s having a lot of trouble with the Jewish leadership. I wonder: Should the story itself—or the way Herodotus is telling it—cause us to make some connection to Jesus, and his struggle with the Jewish leadership? Pastor Jacob: Yes, we probably should. Epaphroditus: But, despite how bad his relationship with the Jewish leaders was now going, it seems as though his ministry was going well—at least with those who follow the way of Jesus. Paul: Well, not really. It didn’t go that smoothly between me and the so-called “establishment” of the Jesus followers either. Herodotus: Yes, there definitely was some disagreement between Paul and leadership of the Jerusalem church—those of the “establishment.” As I write, “When he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples; and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But took him, brought him to the apostles, and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He spoke and argued with the Hellenists; but they were attempting to kill him. When the believers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. Meanwhile the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace and was built up. Living in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.” Epaphroditus: So, it actually sounds like not really anyone liked Paul. He had real issues with the Jewish leadership—again, like Jesus, I’m not that surprised with that. But it really confuses me that even the other followers of Jesus didn’t really like him. Paul: That’s because they didn’t realize how important I am. Pastor Jacob: Really, Paul?! I think one of the reasons people start to dislike you is because you have an arrogant streak in you. You are important—but you are not uniquely important. Paul: Just look at how much of the New Testament is written by me: 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Romans, Philippians and Philemon. No one else comes close. And I’m not even counting the “disputed” works. Herodotus: Hold on for moment. I am clearly the most prolific writer of the New Testament. The bulk of my work far exceeds yours. I’ve written two major volumes that are in the Bible. In fact, given that several of your works are really short, I’d say that I have almost twice as much content as you do. Besides, one of my works is a Gospel—those actually deal with the life of Jesus, something you almost never write about. Pastor Jacob: Maybe we can hold off on this argument. If one wants to talk about total length, then one needs to acknowledge that the Gospel of Luke combined with the Book of Acts does win. However, if we consider the number of pieces written, then Paul takes that prize.

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Epaphroditus: I want to go back to something that Paul said earlier—the “disputed works. What are these? Pastor Jacob: There are some letters that have “Paul” listed in the “sender” part of the letter that we now question—to varying degrees—whether they were actually written by Paul. Epaphroditus: Why? Paul: Because I have my style. And my theology. Epaphroditus: Huh? Herodotus: Every writer—me included, of course—has a certain vocabulary, certain structure that they like using, and a certain outlook. Just think about how I tell my story of Jesus in the Gospel of Luke. What is essentially the same story is told in the of Mark and Matthew—and even John. But, even though I used the Gospel of Mark as one of my sources, there are slight variations in how I tell that story. You put all of these things together, and it’s almost like a fingerprint or DNA. Pastor Jacob: In looking at the six “disputed” works, some of the style, vocabulary, theological and social outlook—like Herodotus said—seem to be inconsistent with the seven “undisputed” letters that Paul mentioned earlier. Epaphroditus: You said earlier that the disputes are to “varying” degrees. Pastor Jacob: Yes. Some of them only have minor differences, others’ differences are more profound, and, for some even the situation addressed by the letters seems to address a church structure that didn’t even exist yet by the time Paul died around the year 66 of the common era. Paul: On the early end, and most like my other writings, are 2 Thessalonians and Colossians. 2 Thessalonians could fairly easily follow shortly after 1 Thessalonians (my first letter) and has similar themes. While Colossians has some style differences from my usual writing, it was clearly written in my lifetime because an earthquake destroyed the city of in 64 CE, and it had no further evidence of habitation during the New Testament period. Many scholars believe that these two were written by me—I’m sorry that I can’t add special insight. Herodotus: There are three that we consider to come from quite a bit later, perhaps even later than when I was writing; they are known as the Pastoral : 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. Not only do these seem to address a different church structure than was present at the time of Paul, they also seem to offer a very different social perspective. Most scholars agree that these three works were not actually written by Paul. Epaphroditus: OK. But that’s only five. If I’m not mistaken, you haven’t talked about Ephesians yet. Pastor Jacob: Correct. Ephesians falls at the fulcrum of “disputed” or “authentic”—nudge conditions a little bit one way or the other, and it falls in a different direction. There are similarities with Paul’s authentic works, but there are also noticeable differences—or differences in a number of areas. The jury is still very much out (and there’s probably no way that it will end in anything other than a hung jury) as far as which camp Ephesians should be in. Paul: There’s another “disputed” work that we haven’t talked about—Hebrews.

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Herodotus: Are you just trying to pad your resumé!? There’s a reason we haven’t talked about it yet: no one in centuries has considered you to be the author of that sermon. Epaphroditus: I’m still confused about why Paul wrote all these letters. Paul: Well, I couldn’t text or message them, so I was left with this really old-fashioned method of communicating—writing letters. Herodotus: I don’t know if the sarcasm works. Anyway, we left off the story—at least my story—with Paul having this conversion experience, starting to preach the gospel in Damascus, running into problems with the leaders of the Jerusalem church, and eventually returning to his hometown of Tarsus. As I write, “Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, and they spoke the word to no one except Jews. But among them were some men of Cyprus and Cyrene who, on coming to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists also, proclaiming the Lord Jesus. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number became believers and turned to the Lord. News of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast devotion; for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for an entire year they associated with the church and taught a great many people, and it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called ‘Christians’.” Paul: Though I don’t write this, Antioch would become my home base, and it was from that congregation that I would be sent out by the Holy Spirit. I would try to go to the Jews, but my reception by them often wasn’t the best. So, I would also go the Gentiles. Thus, I become known as the “Apostle to the Gentiles.” Herodotus: Paul would eventually make three journeys to areas through Asia Minor (what you call Turkey) and Greece. (He’ll make an additional journey to , but primarily as a prisoner, not as a missionary—though it seems that he planned to make a missionary trip there, but that didn’t materialize.) Paul: I started making these trips in 46 CE. During this first journey, I established churches in eastern and central Asia Minor, such as the churches in Galatia to which I would eventually write my letter to the Galatians. Epaphroditus: But why did you write it? Paul: I was not the only missionary traveling around. Pastor Jacob: Paul would come to a place and found a congregation. But he was always on the move. Paul: This opened the space for others to come behind me, and speak of different ways of following Jesus—this was a major concern in Galatia. I had to confront that—and offer correction. Herodotus: Over the course of a nearly two decades, these journeys would then take him twice to Greece—and travel wasn’t nearly as easy as it is today—and I’m not just talking about logistically (he got thrown in prison several times). Throughout this period, he would write letters to and receive information from former congregations.

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Paul: And it is from prison that I write, oddly enough, two of my most joyful letters: Philemon and Philippians. Pastor Jacob: And then, of course, congregations have difficulty. Many of the letters that Paul wrote dealt with conflicts that were taking place in the congregations that he founded. Paul: I founded a congregation in Corinth (in Greece) on my second journey, and it was a troubled place. I wrote a series of at least four letters to them over the course of at least three years to help them resolve their many difficulties; you have three of them—1 Corinthians and what you have as 2 Corinthians is a composite of two letters. These letters were some of my most painful. Epaphroditus: You haven’t yet mentioned the letter to the Romans. Pastor Jacob: That letter, written in the mid to late 50’s, is somewhat unique among Paul’s authentic letters. It was written as an introduction and systematic theology to a community that he didn’t know—but planned on visiting. Epaphroditus: I think I’m starting to understand who this person, Paul, is. We’ve talked about his move from a persecutor of the church to a missionary and letter-writer. But I guess we’ll have to wait until next time to learn more about these things that he’s using to introduce himself, or that he’s trying to teach his congregations. We invite you to join us on this journey that we’ll continue over the next several weeks.

The Liturgy—Part 2: SCRIPTURAL DIALOGUE: Pastor Jacob: Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets. Congregation: but in these last days God has spoken to us by the Son.

PRAYERS: Pastor Jacob: Hear my prayer, O Lord: Congregation: listen to my cry.

Pastor Jacob: Keep me as the apple of your eye; Congregation: hide me in the shadow of your wings.

Pastor Jacob: In righteousness I shall see you; Congregation: when I awake, your presence shall give me joy.

Pastor Jacob: O Lord, support us all the day long of this troubled life, until the shadows lengthen and the evening comes and the busy world is hushed, the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then, in your mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Congregation: Amen.

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LORD’S PRAYER: Pastor Jacob: We join in the prayer our Lord taught us: Congregation: Our father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

CLOSING HYMN: “We All Are One in Mission” (ELW 576)

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BLESSING: Pastor Jacob: Let us bless the Lord. Congregation: Thanks be to God.

Pastor Jacob: Almighty and merciful God, Father, + Son, and Holy Spirit, bless, preserve, and keep us, this night and forevermore. Congregation: Amen.

The Congregation leaves in silence. The Confirmation class remains in the Sanctuary.

If we get the information in time, we will have the following leaders in this service: Liturgist: Pastor Jacob Burkman Piano: Music: Worship Team “Herodotus”: “Paul”: “Epaphroditus”:

The liturgy portions for this service are copyrighted by Augsburg Fortress, and are reprinted and steamed/podcast with permission of Augsburg Fortress, license #SBL14848.

“Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing” is public domain. “We All Are One in Mission” text © 1986 by Hope Publishing and Arrangement © 2006 by Augsburg Fortress; all rights reserved. This hymn is reprinted and streamed/podcast with permission of ONE LICENSE, license #A715536.

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