Conversion of St. Paul

Church of the Redeemer, Chestnut Hill, Evensong at 5:00, Sunday, January 23, 2022 Rev. Nancy E. Gossling

The dramatic story of St. Paul is well known by most Christians. Indeed St. Paul’s faith story is chronicled in the Acts of the Apostles, and in many of the New Testament writings, beginning with his letter to the Galatians. We read about two very different St. Paul’s: a faithful Jew who persecuted and murdered followers of Jesus and the converted St. Paul who became a faithful missionary, evangelist, preacher, and teacher. Not only was Jesus the messiah for the Jews, St. Paul claimed, but Jesus was the messiah for all God’s beloved children. Proclaiming that Jesus rose from the dead, and that resurrection life is God’s promise to everyone, St. Paul testifies that our faith in Him is never in vain.

When I listen to the news recently, I often hear doom and gloom, which can be attributed to many things, depending upon where you live and to whom you listen. We seem to swing from one extreme to another, and like free radicals in our bodies, those toxic byproducts of oxygen metabolism that can cause significant damage to our living cells and tissues, radical extremists can do infinite harm to us and to our collective bodies as well. 

Recently, the public has been invited into the courtrooms of many highly visible cases. Judges and juries become subjects of scrutiny and the importance of self-defense and our personal freedoms have been highlighted. Our legal system remains critical in handing down fair verdicts; and our laws have become subject to public debate, interpretation, and revision.

Today, we are celebrating the conversion of St. Paul, and in preparing for this sermon, I couldn’t get past the very first reading in the Acts of the Apostles. Here is recorded St. Paul’s testimony in a court trial. After being imprisoned by the governors of Judea for over two years, he offers his self-defense in front of King Agrippa. We listen to his testimony as if we are members of the media or the jury, perhaps even stepping into the shoes of King Agrippa. Appealing to the emperor, St. Paul is eventually sent to the courts in Rome, the equivalent of our states sending decisions to Washington, D.C.

Yes, St. Paul admits that he has done great harm to the followers of Jesus. Initially they were all Jews, who had hoped that Jesus would become their new king and save them from the oppressive Roman government. However, Jesus’ followers grew exponentially among the gentiles as word about Him spread beyond the country of Israel. The churches of Judea heard that, "The one who (once) was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy." (Galatians 1:24

At first, adhering to his own religious laws, and given power and authority by his own chief priests, St. Paul was “convinced that he “ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus.” Fueled by his religious fervor, Saul “shut up many saints in prison.” He “voted against” Christians, condemning them to death, sometimes even pursuing them into foreign countries. Why? Because, according to his faith story, he was “exceedingly mad!” In modern translations, he was “furiously enraged.” He thought it was his job to bring these people to justice.

Consider those two little words “exceedingly mad” or “furiously enraged.” People of all political and religious affiliations are often fueled by fervor. Prophets and politicians demand justice and sometimes will go to extremes to get it. Now I’m not opposed to fervor; and there’s nothing wrong with anger; indeed it’s a perfectly good human emotion. When people don’t obey our laws, or when they harm others, it’s easy to become angry. When people violate our human rights, we get mad. And righteous anger acknowledges that there are injustices in our systems that need to be righted. But “exceeding madness”? Or “furious rage”? 

Some claim that what’s happening in our country and our world right now is “sheer madness.” Like the free radicals in our bodies, radical extremists can do infinite harm to our collective bodies. Unmedicated mentally ill people and unrestrained criminals, or extremely angry people, cause fear and violence on our streets. Like the fury that accompanies a woman scorned, a tornado that crosses state lines, or a pandemic that never ends, these things or people hurt everyone in their path.

When people act with extreme behaviors, there is no justice, only cries for mercy. There is no distinction, and there is no prejudice. Our collective body is wounded. Windows are smashed, goods are stolen, bullets fly, and people are stabbed. Subways are unsafe, cities are trashed, our streets and buildings are occupied. Threats are made, weapons are wielded, and borders are fortified in self defense. And people wonder why? How have we come to this sheer madness and how can we make this furious rage end?

What stops these cycles of harm, and these downward spirals of destruction, we might ask ourselves. For St. Paul, it wasn’t his religious leaders or the political powers of the Roman government that convinced him to behave differently. Furiously enraged and exceedingly mad, galloping on his high horse to Damascus, he was literally “out of his mind” when he was knocked to the ground. Blinded by a great light from heaven, he heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” 

Persecution, as we know, can take many forms. We pursue people with a vengeance, with our words, our actions, and our laws, perhaps even thinking, like St. Paul, that it is for the benefit of our own people or party or it’s an act of religious faith. We take justice into our own hands. We claim that others are wrong; and so we fuel our madness with demagoguery and personal attacks. And yet when we “kick against our pricks” we only hurt ourselves. Despite our best intentions, the impact of our rage, madness, and extreme behavior is long-lasting. It hurts everyone for generations to come.

When I occasionally act differently from my usual behavior, my daughter will look at me in disbelief, and say, “Who are you?” And this is what St. Paul said to that voice when he was temporarily blinded by the light. Forced to his knees, he said, “Who are you, Lord?” The voice that responded was personal; it was not the voice of a heavenly Father speaking to Him from on high in a stained glass voice. Rather it was the voice of Jesus, who told him to get up, to redirect his energies, and gave him a new purpose: “to be a witness to those things which thou hast seen.” 

Insanity, as they say, is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. We often only change our behavior when the pain of our actions has become too great or we suddenly see the light. In fact change often doesn’t come until we feel the heat, and that little voice inside our head asks us, “What are you doing? Can’t you see how you are hurting yourself as well as others?”

Today we celebrate St. Paul’s conversion when he turned from hate to love. On that day Saul stopped his destructive behavior; he put an end to his exceeding madness and furious rage. Saul became a new man, and he received a new name. St.Paul.

It was not a one and done, however. In fact, St. Paul spent many years after his conversion being persecuted himself and being rejected by many people. Imprisoned several times, he was routinely beaten and betrayed by his very own people, and yet he did not waver from his testimony about Jesus. He did not return to his old behaviors. You might say he swung from one extreme to another; and yet he swung from madness to sanity, from rage to peace, and from persecution to proclamation. 

Today, if we find ourselves ineffective, furiously enraged, or exceedingly mad, we can turn to Jesus for help. Grounded in prayer, we can appeal to God to balance the scales of justice and mercy in our own lives and in our country. We can act like apostles and share our faith stories with the purpose that Jesus gives us. Tell them what you’ve seen and known; tell them how you’ve changed because of me.

Often we fear talking about our faith, and yet Jesus once told his disciples, “Take no thought of how or what you shall speak. For it will be given to you in that very same hour. For it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaks in you.” Conversion opportunities will come to us daily. So look for the Light and listen to the Voice. Then be a witness to God’s forgiveness and Way of Love. Amen.

King James Versions: The Acts of the Apostles 26:9-21; Galatians 1:11-24; Matthew 10:16-22