+==Sermonizing {004}==+

A Damascus Road Community

Saul was on his way down the road to Damascus persecuting Christian Jews.  He was “out for the kill,” you might say.  He was a religious zealot, speaking out against and arresting those who were followers of Jesus. He had been well known in the area and so people were afraid of him.  As we heard in the reading, on the Road to Damascus, he saw a light which was so incredibly bright and heard a voice speaking to him. It was the voice of Christ. Saul is made blind and goes for three days without food or drink. Then, Ananias has a vision of Jesus as well. Speaking of people being afraid of Saul, Ananias was one of them.  When Jesus spoke to him in a vision, we heard a sense of anxiety in his voice. He was not necessarily afraid of him as a person, but was concerned for his own well being, as any follower of Christ would be with Saul on the prowl. His immediate reaction to the vision was, “YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS! EVERYONE IS TALKING ABOUT HOW TERRIBLE HE IS AND YOU WANT ME TO LAY HANDS ON HIM AND CURE HIM OF HIS BLINDNESS?! What the heck?!” Jesus is like, Just go to him. I have everything under control for I have chosen him. Please, just do it.

Please join me in prayer… God may the words of my mouth
and the meditations of each of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, for you are our rock and our redeemer. Amen.

So here are both of these guys in seemingly awkward positions. Saul was just made blind by someone he doesn’t believe in, and Ananias has to go cure Saul’s blindness. What a duo. Now in order to understand all of this, I think we need to back up a little bit. The Borg book, which many of you have been reading mentions this conversion as one of three types. The three types are: conversion from no religion, to a religion; from one religion to another; and conversion within a religion. Saul was an very religious person. He called himself one type of Jew, but was then converted to another type of Judaism. To that which we commonly call “Christian Jews.”

However, this sermon is not really about Paul, himself. This is about the community that surrounded Paul after his conversion.

So here’s a question…Do any of you remember when you were converted? I think it would be a safe guess to say most of you grew up I the church and therefore your “conversion moment” was your baptism. Or perhaps you have come and gone from the church so the most recent time you dedicated yourself to coming to church was your conversion moment. Or maybe you used to belong to something other than the UCC and the moment in time when you changed denominations, when you realized what the UCC was about and decided you loved it  was your “conversion moment.”  Or perhaps you don’t feel as though you have had one yet. And that is ok too. But, whatever it is, it is unique. It may not be the same as the person next you and that is great. It shouldn’t be and there is no reason to compare.  I think a lot of times people get nervous when the word converted comes around because then we get this picture of “Born Again Christians” or Overly Converted Christians  who seem way to excited for their faith and don’t know what to do with themselves…and it scares us. But as Borg points out, conversion changes the way one sees. It gives us a new perspective. Now if you think of a conversion as this, it is a pretty refreshing thought. It becomes more tangible. Something we can grasp.  But think about this.

This means that we are continuously being converted. Whether it is any part of a church activity or service, even things in the wider community- such as shopping, work, things at home, or out playing-- can give us an entirely new perspective on things.

So then, what happens? We have a new perspective. Do we just run with it? Do we go off telling people “I had a brilliant revelation today! And it totally changed my perspective I want to tell everyone!” Well, that is great and all, but we tend to be blind to various ideas and feelings after having a “conversion moment” because we are on a spiritual high. We take this change to heart and go with it. Blinding us to other ideas. Don’t get me wrong, spiritual highs are AWESOME. (For example- General Synod… over 9000 UCC members worshiping in the Hartford Civic Center? Talk about a spiritual high!) However, you have to realize that community is necessary in order to continue the conversion. You need people in whom you can confide to discuss and process what you have experienced and learned.

I have a friend at Elmhurst who is planning to go to Eden Theo. Sem. after graduating from college. I explained to her last year that I was beginning this member in discernment process and broke it down for her to see if it was something she was a part of or interested in and said to me…”I can discern on my own. I don’t need all sorts of groups to help me do that. I’m doing just fine.” I was taken aback by her statement because I have sort of always figured that you just have to do it that way. I could never see myself discerning on my own, and you shouldn’t either.  It’s hard to rely on ourselves. That’s why we need communities to which we can turn.

Whether it’s discerning your call or processing through an experience, you need a community to uplift you and help you. It is not a time to think you can do it on your own. I have found that when I rely on myself, I don’t do as well, but when I put my trust in God or in those who surround me and can educate me in different ways, I can do so much more.

The promise of God's presence in community is in these words of Jesus, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." Not only are we called to be a strong community, but we are a community of Christ, built on the foundation of faith in a God who calls us into this place in our lives.

So getting back to the story, Ananias goes to Saul, lays his hands on him, and calls him brother. At this moment, Saul becomes Paul and something like film or scar tissue falls from his eyes and he regains his sight. He finally saw the light—literally and figuratively! Saul was knocked off of his high horse and was given a reality check or as one of my friends says, hit over the head with a spiritual 2x4. He realized what he had been missing for so long. He shouldn’t be persecuting those who follow , he should be following in His way. It was an… “AH-HA!” moment.  Ananias’ welcome to a former zealot becomes a model for churches today.  It shows us the supportive, restorative role the church is to play in the lives of our community.

As most of you know, back in March I met with Church Council to present to them why I feel I should be considered a Member in Discernment with the United Church of Christ. This status grants me a support system through this, my local church, and the association to help me discern and guide me from now until my ordination.  It is a fantastic program for candidates like me who feel called to ministry and want the support and guidance of others. This is much like the community by which Paul was surrounded.

Ananias supported Paul to his fullest and without the vision and the actions that followed by him, Paul would not have been the person we know of today, the transformative soul whose voice and writings permeate our New Testament.  God put each of you in this church at this place in your life. We are all called to live in a community, grounded in Christ, which supports and guides others. We are called to be a church together and if we are not there for one another, how can we fulfill God’s call for our lives as a community?

SO think about us. Think about First Congregational Church, United Church of Christ in Battle Creek, Michigan. Are we the transformative kind of community by which Paul would feel embraced? A community which, through God, helps the other members of our community by support and encouragement? By asking the big questions? By deepening your faith? Is this place helping you? I bet you’ve been transformed and converted while you’ve been here and didn’t even realize it! Or perhaps you’re realizing it right now! Based on his conversion, Paul comes to realize the importance of an evolving, transforming, and redeeming community. If this churches job is to help you continuously convert yourself, change your perspective, and this isn’t happening, then examine your relationship to this church. This is a scary way to think about things because we fear change. We fear new perspectives because what if it changes us? GASP! [hands to mouth] OH MY GOSH!.This doesn’t have to be about the church, it could very well be a question of if you are open to being changed, being converted by this conversion community here. We are being constantly reminded through scripture and the actions of others to be as Christ, to follow in the example he left us and if we aren’t seeing that, then we need someone like Ananias to take away the scar tissue and let the light flood into the deepest part of our souls.  

          We must be as encouraging, inspiring, and helpful as we can be in order to become a Damascus Road Community. It is not a matter of whether or not you as one person in this community think we can do it or not. It is a communal effort that has already been started. We have to brush the scales off of each others eyes. We must pray for others. You don’t just sit next to that person in the pew every Sunday. You are all children of God and Brothers and Sisters in Christ. When you realize that, these people aren’t just your pew neighbors anymore.  Your church body should be to you as Ananias was to Paul.

          If we are to become the conversion community God is calling us to be, we must do what it takes to be a Damascus Road Community. This Damascus road experience transcends Christianity. We hear the phrase in secular circles too—whenever someone has a grand realization. That means something. Paul’s story isn’t just for this community but for all communities. Groups of people are always evolving and changing as time goes on. And it is evident that the power of community is incredible.  

          We need to steer away from the path of independence and join this transformative Damascus Road Community which is right here. And happening right now. Amen.