Trinity Lutheran Church

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 if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 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.

Now there was a disciple 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 saints 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.

Let us Pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of all our hearts be acceptable unto O Lord our Rock and Our Redeemer. Amen.

There was no lighting, flashes of light, or really loud thuds from the sky. Instead, it all began with a question, “You are going to be a Pastor aren’t you?”. It was 2 weeks before my senior year in high school. I was elected by the Delaware/Maryland Synod to attend the National Assembly of the Evangelical Lutheran Church, the ELCA. The assembly that year took place in Denver, Colorado and the big action item for the assembly was the Called to Common Mission with the Episcopal Church. The first day of the assembly as I entered into the convention center I was struck by how vast the complex was and just how many people were in attendance. I spent the week hearing the business of the church and listening to Pastors talk about their ministries and their callings. I was in awe of how dynamic each call was and how different one church body could be across the country.

On that last day of the assembly something inside of me change; I had felt I was called to ministry. I knew I was young, but in my deepest core, I felt at peace. It was not as exciting as the conversion of Saul, but I knew God was calling me to ministry. For every seminary class the first week the first year students are gathered to share with one another their call stories. For some the stories are filled with lighting, water, bread, wine, and earth shattering events. For some of them their worlds were turned upside down. For others of us our call stories were ordinary. Those stories were like Ananias, with a simple response, “Here I am Lord.”

Our Story of the Family today focuses on the conversion of Saul who would later be given the name Paul. He was someone who forcefully removed members of “The Way”. The Way was the name of those early Jewish Christians. During the time of Saul Christianity was known as “The Way”. They were people whose lives were changed by the way Christ lived. They were hoping to follow his way of living. Saul would throw those early followers into prison. He was not a nice man. He was not a follower of Christ, until one experience that would forever change his life and the lives of all of those who would follow after him.

The conversion of Saul was dramatic. He spoke out against those early followers. He was not a nice guy to those in “The Way.” He was mean, brutal, and unfair. God then changed his life. God did the one thing people would have never expected to have happened to him. Saul thought he knew what was expected of him, he thought he knew his mission in the world. However, God knew Saul. God knew Saul as he was being formed in his mother’s womb. God also knew that Saul would need something a little stronger then how he called Ananias to change his life.

It took a few days, but eventually Saul got it with the help of Ananias. He felt called, and I sometimes wonder what it would have been like to feel that type of calling, to lose your sight, your desire to eat, your desire to talk. How it would feel to realize that those you have persecuted because of their faith, you would now affirm that same faith. How different your life would be, when all of a sudden one day God tells you to go in a different direction. I have to imagine that in some ways Saul was afraid. He was afraid for what this new reality would mean for him and for his life. He would have to be asking himself some really hard questions, wanting some answers, but not being able to receive those answers or a crystal ball to look into the future.

Like Saul when God tells us or leads us somewhere unexpected we can be afraid of what the future may hold for us. We can be concerned for what this now means for us, for our family, for our friends, and for our lives. We can wonder what this new reality will mean for us. God called Saul to a life he and others would have never expected. Like Saul our lives are not based off one experience or just one moment in time. Our stories are journeys.

For Saul his story did not end at his conversion. Instead, he went on to become one of the greatest leaders and authors of the faith. He would later change his name to a Roman name- Paul. He would write several letters to those early churches and Christians. He would make trips to see these early Christians to support them in their ministries. In his letters he would remind them of the grace and love we have been given by God, not by anything we could or have ever done, but only by what God has done and continues to do. He had first hand experience in knowing that it was by God’s grace we have been saved and by God’s grace we are loved. Saul would write to the Corinthians in his second letter “Therefore, since it is by God’ mercy that we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.” Saul encouraged those early followers to not be afraid of where God was calling, but instead to trust where God was leading them. Saul knew better than anyone that sometimes God calls us to places that can be terrifying and tells us to “not be afraid.”

Saul’s story was not just in his moment of conversion, but it was how he lived.

-We cannot talk about Saul without realizing who he became- Paul, we too cannot and are not just who we are on the day we are baptized or on the day of our conversion. It is a process, it is a journey. Our lives and where God is calling us will at times be terrifying. We will wonder what is going on and why God has lead us in a particular way.

A congregation I use to attend in North Carolina, recited the prayer for Venture at the end of every worship service. After communion and before the blessing and sending the community would say these words together: God you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden through perils unknown. Grant us the strength to go out in good courage, not knowing where we go, but only that you hand is leading us and your love supporting us.” Over the years this prayer has periodically run through my brain as I embarked on a new adventure in life. I would like to think that like Saul, it has run through my mind as God speaking to me. I understand this may sound weird, but how many times have people said something to you that you needed to hear? Or when you were looking for words of comfort you were reminded of a particular Bible verse or words of comfort that have been spoken to you before? For me that is this prayer. When I have been nervous about something or getting ready to start something new, somehow someway this prayer has either run through my mind, or it was said in a worship service, or in a book I was reading.

The Prayer of Venture, is a reminder that we will be called and lead to places we could never have imagined. At times it will be terrifying, but thanks to God’s grace, we are loved and cared for beyond our wildest imaginations. We never have to be afraid of where God is calling us, like Saul we need to trust in God and know that “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,^[a^] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39). Amen.