April 25, 2004
|
|
|
|
Today we have heard how knowing Jesus Christ changes lives. Saul meets Jesus on Damascus Road. As lives are changed, as our lives are changed, we can discover the radical nature of Christ’s call on our lives and find our way to renewal and transformation. Often
when we hear the word radical, we think in extreme terms. We talk about the
radical left or the radical right in our political discussions. Radical surgery
such as a mastectomy or prostate surgery can cause permanent changes in our
bodies and in our spirits. But in the dictionary I used, the first definition of the
word radical is this, “of or going to the root or origin; that which is
fundamental” (Webster’s New Universal
Unabridged Dictionary. Barnes and Noble Books).
We are transformed, changed radically from the inside out. When we are transformed in faith, we get at the root of what
it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Sometimes
the transformation is dramatic as it was for Saul, who will later become known
as Paul. But right now, he is so intent on maintaining his faith that he
believes the best way to defend it is to persecute those who in his mind have
turned their back on it. We know that Saul has some 21st Century
descendents who would beat and imprison, and even kill people who give religious
dissent and assert religious independence. We see their behavior among the most
extreme of every faith who believe that God speaks to them and them alone, and
therefore every one else is less than faithful, less then whole, less than
human, and so unworthy of trust or respect, and sometimes even unworthy of life.
It is Saul who held the coats of the people who stoned Stephen to death. Saul
will learn as he encounters the bright light and loving of Christ that it
isn’t so, that instead there is what he will later describe to the Corinthians
as the “more excellent way” (I
Corinthians 12.31). But
right now Saul hears a question, “why do you persecute me?” Now
Saul says, “Lord”, in his day the same as saying, sir, “who are you?” Now
comes the revelation, “I am Jesus, who you persecute. Every time you bring a
disciple of mine handcuffed and shocked to stand trial on my behalf, you
handcuff and indict me. Blinded,
led away from the road and from his former life, Saul is helpless, when he is
met not only by the risen Christ, but by one with no reason to trust or help
him. We understand when Ananias, a Christian, is told by the risen Christ to
heal Saul, and then declares that he wants nothing to do with him.
“Lord
Jesus, I know who this guy is, he is a bounty hunter and we are his prey. Why
should I or any other Christian help him?” Our impulse is to gloat when a
friend is in trouble. But a friend of mine would say to Ananias, “love your
enemies, it confuses them”. Jesus
simply says, “Go, lay hands on Saul, and heal him. He is the one I have
chosen, he is the means by which my story will be told to the Gentiles and to
the Jews. He will carry my name wherever he goes” (Interpretation
series. Acts. William Willimon. Atlanta. John Knox Press, 1988, p.75). Saul
will know soon enough what it means to suffer. But right now he knows the love
of the church. Ananias reminds us that ministry is up close and personal, it
makes room for friends and adversaries. It is about what God will do in us even
if we do not quite get it. It says we are connected. Ananias does not hold Saul
him at arms length; he touches him. He says, “Brother Paul, I am sent by the
Lord Jesus as you are sent by him. Neither of us thought we would be here like
this, but here we are. I see you are in difficulty now, but you will see, the
Holy Spirit will move in you and we will both be changed. Isn’t the grace of
God amazing?” Who are we willing to offer the healing touch of Christ so that
they can let go of who they were and fully embrace who it is that God is calling
them to be? For
Saul, who will soon exchange his Hebrew name for the Greek name Paul, radical
conversion will lead to radical ministry that plants deeply the roots of
Christian faith among both Jews and Gentiles. The scales will fall from his
eyes, he will be baptized, he is fed, and as he experiences love and healing, he
is changed. Saul,
now Paul will no longer be the trouble-making persecutor of the church. He will
become the protector, the theologian, the evangelist of the church, and today we
would call him a new church developer. Paul’s
encounter with Jesus, his encounter with Ananias and others lead him to a
radical transformation. “In Paul’s case, his fierce energies which had been
expended in persecuting Christians are now redirected so that they are employed
in winning women and men to faith in Christ” (Texts
for Preaching, Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1994, p. 287). His
proclamation that Jesus is the Son of God is our proclamation too. It is one we
make as believers in Jesus Christ, no matter how we came to believe. The truth
is that not all of us come to that declaration as dramatically as Paul did.
Perhaps what we have known is not bright, blinding light, but a gradual dawning
of a new and renewing reality. That is what Peter’s radical encounter with
Jesus teaches us. There is Peter, called out of his fishing boat to follow Jesus a few
years ago, Peter who a few days ago denied Jesus three times, just as Jesus had
said he would, takes up his former profession. But he cannot go back to the way
it was before he knew Jesus; in fact, Peter will learn that there are three
things at the root of transforming faith. First, the root of our faith is the
voice of Jesus. We
know when we listen to Jesus calling us to cast our nets again, we open our
doors and we open wider our hearts to receive all of God’s sons and daughters
as they enter this house. But we are called not only to wait and to welcome the
ones who find us, but also to cast our nets outside, and to make ourselves
available to share the good news of Jesus Christ that is in us. What news is
that? It is that we each of us is loved, we matter to God, we are called to love
and serve others, to treat everyone with respect and justice, to hold each other
accountable for what we do here, and to love God with all that is in us. One
writer puts it this way: “Disciples, whose efforts at fishing are without
success, obey the voice of Jesus, and their nets overflow with a huge catch of
fish. It is intriguing that the Greek word translated here as ‘haul in’ (21.6,11)
appears twice earlier in the Gospel of John
to denote the divine moment in ‘drawing’ people to Jesus and to the
community of salvation (6.44); (12.32).
The detail mentioned later, that the net was not torn despite the vast number of
fish (21.11),
may suggest that the unity of the church is maintained even in the face of a
diverse and growing company of people” (Texts
for Preaching, p. 283). There
must be something in his voice; or in the way he carries himself, that led them
to know that it was Jesus. When these disciples hear his voice they run to him,
Peter dressing as he goes. Then they discover the second way of transformation
comes when we discover that the risen Christ already has what we need. Jesus has
them bring him fish even as he grills fish on the beach. He feeds them and as he
does he reminds them of the bread they have broken together, especially in the
upper room and of that day he fed thousands with a little bread and a few fish. “Even
before Peter finally draws the full net ashore, Jesus as host has prepared the
meal, and later serves it to his hungry guests. It turns out to be a time of
renewal for the disciples, who are confirmed in their knowledge of Jesus as Lord
21.12;
(Texts
for Preaching, p.294). He gives them what they need and then tells them to do likewise. The
third way of transformation comes is in the form of a question given to Peter
and repeated three times. There is one question for each of Peter’s three
denials. “Do you love me more than these?” “Yes” “Feed my lambs.” “Do
you love me?” “Yes”. “Tend my sheep”. “Simon,
son of John, think carefully before you answer, do you love me?” “Jesus, why
do you ask me over and over whether or not I love you? You know everything, you
know all about me. You know I love you.” “Then feed my sheep.” We
are called now like Peter to shepherd the flock of Christ, to nurture and build
relationships with each other, to be caring and tender in guidance of children,
to be respectful of the wisdom of the elders among us. How do we do it, it can
be as simple as speaking to several people you do not know before you leave this
room. It may be that you invite someone new to go to lunch with you. It is about
getting to know people better so that we can offer better ministry to the people
who need us. Saul,
now Paul declares that Jesus is the Son of God. The disciples recognize him as
the risen Christ who is Lord of their lives. They see with new eyes, they are
strengthened by food for their bodies and nourishment for their souls. Contempt
can become love; fear can become courage. Love and courage become ministry when
we are transformed by God. Peter
already has a new name; he was Simon, as he claims his role as shepherd. He will
need to be strong as he endures his own persecution and death. He will hear as
we have heard the radical call of Christ, “follow me”. Jesus
says, “follow me in loving creation. Follow me, acknowledge your fear of
change and do it anyway. We will be changed, we can’t help it, we can’t stop
it, we can’t avoid it. We can embrace it, and be transformed by change. The
talk used to be of revitalization, but I have come to understand that
revitalization means to bring back something that is dead. Let’s agree to
leave what is dead to rest in peace. As
we get at the root of our transforming and renewing faith, we will be changed.
As we find faith that transforms us and turns us around from obsessing on what
used to be or what might be to how we celebrate what is, plan for what cane be,
but deal with what is, God will do amazing things in us. When
we let ourselves be transformed, scales will fall from our eyes and we will see
clearly that Jesus continues to offer us grace, forgiveness, and hope for a
better day. Voices
will speak and we will know that they call us to cast our nets wide and to reach
out to those whose need of God is as great as ours is, yet have not found a
community of faith. We
can receive the commission to discover new brothers and sisters, to shepherd
each other and to be shepherded ourselves. We
can know that at the root of it all is the love we have through Jesus Christ,
and our faith can dig deep and rise high as we love God, care for one another,
and serve the world. That
is our task, let’s get to it and say thanks be to God as we go. Amen. Dr.
LaTaunya M. Bynum |
|
Broad
Street Christian Church
|
