Acts 9:1-20
Psalm 30
Revelation 5:11-14
John 21:1-19
A Convert’s Response
What happens to our
world in times of tragedy? What happens
to our security? Tragedy shakes-up our
lives. Our routines are interrupted. Often, we don't know what to do. Sometimes we run...when we do run, we often
run towards the things and places we're familiar with. Maybe after having a bad day, you want to run
to your home, your couch, a favorite chair, or maybe even a favorite food. We're often comforted by things that we're
familiar with. Sometimes we react
proactively to the tragedy. For
instance, military recruiting went up right after the terrorist attacks on
9-11.
This past week, we faced
a national tragedy with the shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech. On educational
campuses throughout the nation, the normal order was upset. Some reacted by running to places of comfort,
others by wanting to actively do something about the situation. Fight or flight.
In our
readings from the Book of Acts and the Gospel of Saint John, we find the world
experiencing tragedy and trauma. The
disciples were still dealing with the death of Jesus Christ while at the same
time trying to make sense of his appearances to them. They've been on an emotional roller-coaster;
first their beloved teacher is executed, then he appears to them, not as a
spirit, but in bodily form... truly
risen. Their response to this situation
is one of confusion - Christ is risen, but now what? What exactly are they to do? Jesus is risen, but he gave very little
instruction for his disciples. In this
confused situation, "Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of
Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of the disciples," go
fishing [John 21:2]. Now, this is not
nearly as bad as it first sounds. You
see, Jesus really hasn't given them too much along the lines of instructions as
to what to do now. So, they returned to
the familiar; they were fishermen before they met Jesus, they knew fishing,
that was their profession. What else
would they do to make an honest living?
Even with returning to the old
familiar, things aren't going well. They
caught no fish and were calling it the night as the sun was rising. It was nearly impossible to fish during the
day because the water was so clear and shallow - the fish would be spooked by
the sight of the boat in the daylight.
Then, Jesus appears to them on the seashore. They don't initially recognize him [John
21:4]. At least not until Jesus demonstrates
his power over nature by telling these fishing experts how to catch fish when
it was not possible. The disciples then
share a familiar meal with Jesus and receive their calls.
In our reading from Saint Luke's Book
of Acts, we find Saul reacting to what he sees as tragedy in his world. Instead of running to the old familiar, Saul
has reacted by attempting to actively go after what he sees as the cause of the
tragedy. For Saul, Christians are the
tragedy. They're shaking-up the status
quo, the stability of the Jewish religion.
Saul will have none of that and is attempting to do all in his power to
keep his world as it has always been. I
suppose in a sense, Saul too was trying to return to the old familiar through
his actions to silence the Christians and maintain Judaism as he remembered
it.
On his way to
Saul regains his sight physically as
well as spiritually. He is filled with
the Holy Spirit, baptized, and then "after taking some food, he regained
his strength" [Acts
Here we have two call stories. Both included the risen Christ. Both included times of tragedy, distress, or
at least confusion. Both included God's
power. Both included a form of healing,
a form of being made whole. For Saul,
that healing included regaining his physical sight as well as his vision of the
true God. For the disciples, it began
with first receiving fish - after all, how healthy is a fisherman who catches
no fish - but then they are made whole in being able to recognize Jesus and
receiving more clarity in their own calls.
What I find interesting about both of
these stories, is that the disciples and Saul were all reacting to their
current situation in the world. They
were reacting to a confusing world and trying their best to make sense of
it. In both stories, there was an
attempt to return to the old familiar: fishing for the disciples and
maintaining Judaism as it was before the Christians for Saul. The problem is that they can't return to the
way things used to be. Their contact
with Christ changed their lives and their world.
Things simply aren't what they used to
be. But that's not necessarily a bad
thing. The Church was founded through
the disciples and Saul (who would eventually be known as Paul). Where would we be today if the disciples were
able to go back to the way things were?
What if they did return to the lives of fishermen? What if Saul could have exterminated the
Christians? What if he did preserve
Judaism as it "always was?"
These are neat questions, but moot all the same, because God's grace brings
about change. And Christ extended grace
to both the disciples and Saul in these readings.
God's grace still changes people
today. Christ's power is just as strong
today as it was in our readings. We are
changed when we come into Christ's presence.
Just like these readings, our change is a process. The disciples spent three years with Jesus as
well as this time after the resurrection.
Saul wasn't immediately made the apostle he became; first he was
blinded, then he was healed with his sight being restored and being filled with
the Holy Spirit, baptized, and then fellowshipped with other believers.
So it is with our conversions. The word conversion insinuates change. So, what are we changing into? When we become a Christian, we become a member
of the Church Universal. The Church
Universal is to be the body of Christ in this world. As the Church, we are to continue Christ's
ministry. Together, we are changed into
Christ's body to do Christ's ministry. We
all have a part to play as individuals, but together, we are Christ's body.
So, as a changed people, as Christ's
body, what does our ministry look like?
Our ministry looks like Christ's because it is his ministry after
all. Jesus Christ came into a tragic
world. He came into a fallen
creation. He came to a hurting world, a
world full of death and suffering. He
came into our world. He came into a
world where a troubled 23 year old would kill 32 people on his college campus
before killing himself. In this world,
Jesus proclaimed the
In light of tragedy, we are to
continue Christ's ministry of caring, healing, and prayer. Our lives have changed because of
Christ. We are no longer slaves to sin
and death. We no longer seek
revenge. We no longer seek
retribution. Instead we seek reconciliation;
we seek to share the grace that Christ has given us. In short, we accept the changes Christ makes
in our lives. Since our lives are
changed; and as the Church we are transformed into the body of Christ. Our reactions to tragedy are not worldly, but
Christ like. We respond with tears for
those who cry, we join the suffering in their pain, we care for those whom we
can reach, we heal those whom we can touch, and we pray for those whom we can't
reach.
SDG