Council Sermon 2008 The Conversion of St. Paul

Let me begin by thanking the pastor and good people of St. Andrew’s Roman Catholic Church for inviting us to have opening eucharist here tonight. This is such a beautiful worship space.

This is the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, which brings to an end the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The week began with the Feast of St. Peter. The first Feast celebrates our Roman Catholic heritage and the second Feast (tonight) celebrates our Protestant heritage. It just seemed too much to pack into an already packed sermon. Then it dawned on me that to have the opening eucharist of the Council of the Episcopal Diocese of Southwestern Virginia in a Roman Catholic church itself is the sermon. Thank you.

Tonight we celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.

The writer of the Book of the Acts of the Apostles thought that the story of the Conversion of St. Paul was so important that he told it three times: in the 9^th chapter, in the 22^nd chapter, and, as we just heard, in the 26^th chapter. The first telling is from the viewpoint of the narrator who observes and reports. The second and third are in Paul’s own words.

Saul, as Paul was called in his pre-conversion days, was brought up in the strictest and most educated of Jewish communities. He said, “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.” Paul was privileged, being both a Jew and a Roman citizen. He was clear and single-minded in his opposition to the followers of Jesus, called followers of The Way. “I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it,” he wrote. He hunted the followers of The Way down, men and women, door to door. When St. Stephen was martyred by stoning, the crowd laid their coats at the feet of Saul, indicating that he had organized the execution.

(By the way, stoning is still used in some places in the world. The current movie The Kite Runner portrays a stoning in one particularly gruesome scene.)

“Breathing fire” and armed with arrest warrants from the temple, Saul heads for Damascus to arrest followers of The Way living there and to bring them back to Jerusalem for trial. Approaching the city, he has a profound, life-changing experience. A blinding light, “brighter than the sun,” drives Saul to the ground, and he hears the voice of Jesus, first confronting him and then commissioning him to preach the Good News to all.

Saul is led blind into Damascus. For three days he has nothing to eat or drink. (Those three days spiritually joined Saul to Jonah, spent three days in the belly of the “great fish,” and to Jesus, who spent three days in the tomb.)

In Damascus, Ananias, a follower of The Way of Jesus, is instructed in a vision from the Lord to seek out Saul and make him welcome. Ananias is understandably cautious and concerned. Saul’s reputation has preceded him.

Ananias finds Saul at a house on Straight Street, lays hands on him, and prays. Immediately it is as if scales have fallen from Saul’s eyes. His sight is restored, and he is baptized.

From that time on, Saul is called Paul. The change from Hebrew “Saul” to Greek “Paul” marks the change in direction in Paul’s life and mission. There are other times in the Bible when a name is changed, always marking a profoundly different mission or commission from God. For example, when Abram and Sarai are chosen to be the founders of a mighty nation, their names are changed to Abraham and Sarah. Jacob becomes Israel. Simon becomes Peter. Saul’s name was changed to Paul when he was commissioned by God to preach the gospel to all nations.

The story of the conversion of St. Paul is so familiar that you can refer to “a Damascus road experience” or say “the scales fell from his eyes” and your hearers will very likely know what you mean, even if they cannot tell you the story itself.

Following his conversion, Paul takes all the energy that he has been pouring into persecuting the followers of Jesus and pours it into preaching the Good News of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He tells King Agrippa, “After that [conversion] … I was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, but declared first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout the countryside of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God and do deeds consistent with repentance.” Paul visits, nurtures, and builds up communities of believers, throughout the Mediterranean world.

Eventually Paul is brought before King Agrippa under charges of disturbing the peace. The scene of Paul before King Agrippa is powerfully depicted in a stained glass window in the chapel at Virginia Theological Seminary and also in a window in the nave of St. Paul’s, Salem. Go and see. Paul demands his right as a Roman citizen to have his case heard by the Emperor. Agrippa observes that he would have released Paul for lack of evidence, but since Paul has appealed to the Emperor, he must be kept in custody and sent to Rome.

This plea takes Paul to Rome, the center of the empire, and also to martyrdom. That is, according to tradition, he was martyred. Scripture is silent as to the manner of Paul’s death.

So, what are the lessons for us in tonight’s story? What message is there from God for us, gathered to celebrate the opening Eucharist of the 89^th annual Council of the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia with the Presiding Bishop herself present?

1. A little humility is a good thing. As the prophet Micah (6:8) wrote, “what does the Lord require of you, but to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Paul was absolutely convinced that he was doing God’s will when he organized the stoning of Stephen and set out for Damascus to kill more followers of The Way. When you are absolutely convinced that what you are doing is the will of God, remember St. Paul: take a deep breath and pray for a little humility.
2. Don’t be afraid to tell your story. When Paul was called before the governor, he simply told his story. Wherever Paul went he told how Jesus touched his life and the difference it made in the way he lived. “Go thou and do likewise.” Trust the Holy Spirit to provide the words.

1. God’s love through Christ is for all people. For all nations. Not just for Paul’s own people, but for all people. “Also to the Gentiles,” said Paul. Not just for your own people, either. John Wesley said, “The whole world is my parish.” Unfortunately, sometimes we are wont to say, “My parish is the whole world.” Remember the words of our baptismal covenant: “seek and serve Christ in all persons .… Strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.” Our faith that God’s love is for all people is not an abstract notion. We are called by God to live out this faith in real action. For example, this week we celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Dr. King called us as a nation to live up to the ideals of the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal.” He called us as Christians to live out our faith that God loves all people, regardless of race or color. And we can celebrate that Bishop Marmion shared that same faith during the struggle for integration in the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia, an episode in our history that some of you remember vividly. Both Bishop Marmion and Bishop Light fought for the ordination of women. While few people still stand up for racial segregation, racism remains a very difficult challenge for America. Someone has said “racism is America’s original sin.” While few people still stand up for racial segregation, there are places in the Episcopal Church and in the Anglican Communion where women clergy are not welcome. God expects us to live up to the promises we make at baptism.
2. We never know where God is leading. We never know what God can do with what we do and what we have and who we are. Paul had no idea at all where he really was headed when he took the road to Damascus. You cannot see the future even to the end of your nose. There are no limits to God’s love. You are loved more than you can ask or even begin to imagine. And any God who can turn Good Friday into Easter has worlds of surprises in store for all of us.

Amen

--The Rt. Rev. Neff Powell