Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
One of the modern American classic stories is that of Star Wars.
And in the recent episode in this saga, The Force Awakens, we see just what the title says. The Dark Side of the Force has been slowly rising over time. And the Light Side is finally receiving a champion. A new hero to bear the torch.
But on the Dark Side, we have Kylo Ren, who we learn in the course of the film is the grandson of Darth Vader. And at one point we see that he has the shriveled helmet of Darth Vader, which is all that is left after Vader’s funeral. And Kylo looks at this helmet and says “I will finish what you started.”
And if you’re like me, you just want to yell at the screen and say “No! That’s not what Darth Vader would have wanted at all. He died a hero. He died saying his son, who you are now chasing. He died returning to the light.”
Kylo Ren is trying desperately to hang on to what he thinks his grandfather would have wanted. But he couldn’t have his grandfather’s wishes so wrong. And that is what we see with our Patron Saint Paul in the story of his own conversion.
Paul was a Jew. And a very pious, faithful one at that. So faithful, that he belonged to one of the strictest orders in the Jewish faith at his time. The Pharisees.
The Pharisees were known for their reverence and adherence to the law. It was their way to try and do God’s will as best as possible. And Paul, as he tells the Galatians, was the most zealous in this already zealous group of people.
And then this group of poor, uneducated Jews comes and says, “Guess what? The Messiah has already come! And his kingdom isn’t a rule of military might but of repentance and forgiveness of sins. And you know what? This Messiah wasn’t just some sort of holy man. He was actually the son of God!”
And Paul, as learned as he is, looks at this and says “No! That is blasphemy. God doesn’t work like that. And I know what God wants me to do with people like you.”
And so Paul stands by, as Acts tells us, as people stone Stephen, one of the first deacons the church, to death. And he looks on approving of the work they are doing.
And in the recent episode in this saga, The Force Awakens, we see just what the title says. The Dark Side of the Force has been slowly rising over time. And the Light Side is finally receiving a champion. A new hero to bear the torch.
But on the Dark Side, we have Kylo Ren, who we learn in the course of the film is the grandson of Darth Vader. And at one point we see that he has the shriveled helmet of Darth Vader, which is all that is left after Vader’s funeral. And Kylo looks at this helmet and says “I will finish what you started.”
And if you’re like me, you just want to yell at the screen and say “No! That’s not what Darth Vader would have wanted at all. He died a hero. He died saying his son, who you are now chasing. He died returning to the light.”
Kylo Ren is trying desperately to hang on to what he thinks his grandfather would have wanted. But he couldn’t have his grandfather’s wishes so wrong. And that is what we see with our Patron Saint Paul in the story of his own conversion.
Paul was a Jew. And a very pious, faithful one at that. So faithful, that he belonged to one of the strictest orders in the Jewish faith at his time. The Pharisees.
The Pharisees were known for their reverence and adherence to the law. It was their way to try and do God’s will as best as possible. And Paul, as he tells the Galatians, was the most zealous in this already zealous group of people.
And then this group of poor, uneducated Jews comes and says, “Guess what? The Messiah has already come! And his kingdom isn’t a rule of military might but of repentance and forgiveness of sins. And you know what? This Messiah wasn’t just some sort of holy man. He was actually the son of God!”
And Paul, as learned as he is, looks at this and says “No! That is blasphemy. God doesn’t work like that. And I know what God wants me to do with people like you.”
And so Paul stands by, as Acts tells us, as people stone Stephen, one of the first deacons the church, to death. And he looks on approving of the work they are doing.
Paul is so worked up by what is happening, that by his own account, he travels to other cities to make sure the Christian movement was stopped. And as he is traveling to the city of Damascus, his eyes are opened. A blinding light appears as he hears the voice of God saying "why are you persecuting me?”
It turns out that Paul had it wrong. In trying to follow God’s ways, he had, in fact, gone against them. Instead of defending his Lord, he was persecuting him. Instead of being a blaspheming criminal, it turned out that Jesus was in fact his Lord.
And so Paul changed his ways. He made a complete 180. Instead of persecuting Christians, he became one of them! He became one of the most important Christians who has shaped the way the entire church thinks throughout the ages.
This is the man who is our Patron. Whose name is borne by these walls. This is the man who we honor with the name of this church.
And if we are to really honor him, we need to follow his example. And Paul’s example is a call to examine our lives.
There are times we may think we know what God wants from us. What His word says to us. What He wants us to do.
And there are times, like Paul, when we are right. Where we truly know what it is that God is looking for from us.
But so many times we, as human beings, can, like Paul, become too zealous. Zealous to the point that we are blinded to everything but what we think is right.
So to really know what God is saying to us, we have to be open to God’s Word. We have to listen to whatever God is trying to say to us.
One of the assured ways we in the church have listened to God over the years is through Scripture. Such as what we read today. And the Scripture sprinkled throughout our service.
But in reading Scripture, we must continue to see it with new eyes. To not read our meaning into it, but to let what it says change us and our view of the world.
And to listen to what God is saying to us through His Word in Scripture, it helps to have lots of practice. To listen and read Scripture constantly.
One way I try to do this is by reading the Gospel reading each day in the Daily Office Readings as I pray Compline each night. You can find the readings for this week on Page 946 in the Book of Common Prayer.
To understand what God was actually saying to him, Paul had to open his ears and listen. In following his example, we must do the same. And the tools to do so are right at our fingertips. And it doesn’t take much time out of our day to do so. Just a couple of minutes.
I hope this week, you all will take that time and listen to what God is saying to you. I hope that you will listen intently, hoping to be changed by it. Paul, our patron saint, is proof that even when it might not seem like it, even when we haven’t understood Him, God is still speaking to us. So let Him in to change your hearts and minds, just like He did for our patron saint so long ago.