August 3, 2014 Swift Church Keith Cardwell Acts 8:1-3, 9:1-22 The Conversion of Ananias “Syrias minority Christians under threat from extremist Muslim rebels”, read the headlines in December of 2013. globalpost/dispatch/news/regions/middle-east/syria/131224/syria-minority-christians-under-threat-extremists In our politics and self-preservation we forget there are brothers and sisters in Christ in Syria, Palestine, Iran, Egypt and Iraq. Christians have been in these areas since the earliest days of Christianity--1500 years before Christianity came to the Americas. And they are under attack; forced to leave their homes, churches, and monasteries. Forced to flee or recant their faith or die in resistance. 2000 years ago the headlines would have read: “Syrias minority Christians under threat from extremist Jewish zealots.” Saul of Tarsus set out to eradicate Christianity from the face of the earth. He heads a campaign to ravage the early church before it can get established. His Jerusalem assault against the Jesus freaks is so vicious Christians flee for their lives. That’s how early Christians wind up 150 miles away in Damascus, Syria. But they are not safe there. Saul goes after them intending to wreak havoc on that infant congregation. News travels fast even in that age of no text messaging, no cell phone, or Instagram. The Christians in Damascus know Saul and his posse are on their way. Should they recant their faith or flee or stand their ground and possibly die. They pray about how to protect their families from this brutal persecution. “God, save us,” they cry. And sure enough God comes. God comes in a vision and speaks to Ananias, one of the church leaders. “Ananias!” “Yes, Lord.” “Ananias, I want you to do something for me.” Sure, anything, Lord. I want you to go and minister to Saul of Tarsus.” “No way, Lord. You need to get updated. He’s not on our side. He’s out to get us. ” So, here we are. Saul is coming to arrest, perhaps kill, them. Ananias and the followers of Jesus pray fervently for God to intervene. They pray for a hedge of protection. (Isaiah 5:5) God responds with a call to evangelism. “Go to Saul. I want him to be one of mine. In fact, I’m already working on him. But he needs the church to minister to him and to nurture him. You go to him with love and a welcome.” This is not the response these frightened disciples want. Often times we want someone—vision, pastor, friend—to reassure us that the Bible doesn’t say anything we don’t already think; that Jesus won’t demand of us anything we’re not already offering. And we want those same people, when something outrageous shows up, to explain it away. The command over and again in Acts is “go.” An action verb. Movement not monument. The disciples huddle in the upper room after the resurrection and ascension fearful of their lives, find life in proclaiming Christ to the community. The Damascus disciples get the same word from God. Go to the enemy. I’m in charge. In the movie “Sister Act” Whoopi Goldberg is a lounge singer who witnesses illegal activities by a crime boss. The police hide her in a convent under the name Sister Mary Clarence. The convent is in a rough part of town and the sisters have closed themselves off to the community content to live in the safety of their religious shelter. They are irrelevant to the community and the community it is irrelevant to them. Mary Clarence has a vision to stop hiding in their religious fortress and risk going into the streets in love. Mother Superior has doubts. The Jerusalem disciples risk going into the streets and three thousand are saved. The Damascus disciples risk going into the streets to minister to Saul and the world is changed. The nuns in Sister Act risk going into the streets and their community is changed. And they are changed. The members of Swift risk going into the streets and . . . There are risks in going and loving. We are safe when evangelism is from our Swift Church shelter. I wonder the conversation in that small church when Ananias told them his vision. “If he wants to be a Christian he can come here. He knows where we are.” “We don’t want/need his kind.” “If he comes here, I’m leaving.” Or maybe, just maybe: “What great and exciting news. If God can convert Saul, our enemy, there is nothing our God can’t do! Let’s go!” There is risk in going. But God didn’t call us to cloistered life. He calls us to go. Christ sends Philip to track down a castrated man, who according to Deuteronomy, is not allowed into the temple. Philip welcomes and loves him. Christ sends Ananias to track down Saul. Ananias loves, welcomes, ministers, and nurtures him. The most significant words in this whole saga are these: Placing his hands on Saul, [Ananias] said, “Brother Saul . . .” What we see and will continue to see is that God’s idea of who’s in and who is out of the kingdom many times does not match our idea. Thanks be to God for that. Much is made of this story being the conversion of Saul—and it is. Amazing--from persecutor to blindness and conversion. What we see and will continue to see is that God calls Christians to ongoing conversion. Ananias, through the grace of God, is also healed from blindness. Christ opens his eyes to see the enemy in a new way. From hesitance, to action. From hiding, to going. From Saul the enemy, to Saul the brother. What a conversion story of this disciple of Jesus! One that is repeated over and over again. Christ constantly converts us to new ways of seeing, living, risking, and accepting others. This story invites you to look at people in a different way. Stop seeing people as outcasts or enemies; but see people as brothers and sisters.
Posted on: Sun, 03 Aug 2014 11:04:21 +0000
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