He's Had His Chips... The Conversion of St Paul (Jeremiah 1.4-10, Acts 9.1-22, Matthew 19.27-30)

 

Sometimes we’re lucky that the first aren’t last, and the last aren’t first. For example, with the vaccinations. I’m pretty pleased that it’s not the young and the fit who are being vaccinated first, but the vulnerable. This makes sense.

We’ve got three Bible readings today that in some ways don’t make sense. Saul, the Pharisee being transformed into a Christian. God calling Jeremiah a young boy to serve Him as a prophet. And Jesus, saying the first will be last, and the last will be first.

Three readings, three topsy turvy things. But what’ve they got to do with us? Three words, as we all love a good triplet:

Called

Known

Loved.

I’ll come back to this.

I remember when I was a teenager in the line for school lunch. I was what used to be called a gannet. I still am really. Back in the days before Jamie Oliver stuck is awe in, ruined everything, and made it all ‘healthy’, we used to have chips on a Friday. It was my favourite day of the week. Not only did I get two days off, but I got to end the week with chips!

How good is that!

After a while I noticed (with a couple of friends) that if you waited until towards the end of lunchtime, you didn’t have to wait in line but also the portions were BIGGER! Probably because they didn’t want to waste the food. So we’d always wait, bide our time. In that case the first were last, and the last were first.

It was all about timing, all about the unexpected like our Bible readings today. About extraordinary things.

Jeremiah talks so movingly about the nature of God, and our relationship with Her.

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
and before you were born I consecrated you;
I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’

God isn’t all fire and brimstone in the Old Testament. God also encourages and lifts people up. God says to Jeremiah. You are known. I know you.

God knows all of us. From the richest to the poorest, the oldest to the youngest, fattest to thinnest. God doesn’t abandon us, but is always there even if we might not feel it.

God knows us, and God knew Paul.

Today we celebrate the feast day of the Conversion of St Paul. That dramatic, extraordinary moment when Paul followed Christ.

As Saul was blinded on the Damascus Road, he was changed forever, changed into Paul; one of the most important figures in the early church. It’s thanks to Paul, founding churches and putting all his energy into work for God that the Christian church grew. Without Paul the face of Christianity would be totally different.

Yet Paul was a Pharisee. Someone who persecuted the church relentlessly. Baying for blood. He arrested and tortured Christians, and most likely had many of them killed. It’s no wonder that Ananias was frightened to see him. He had street cred. He was known far and wide as a powerful persecutor of the church.  

It just goes to show what the grace of God can do. What extraordinary things can happen. If God can work with Paul, then God can work with anyone, even us.

God called Paul. Just as God calls us. Everyone, everywhere is wanted and known, but also called into relationship with God.

‘Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and Kings and before the people of Israel.’

‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.’ It was as true for Paul as it is to us.

God called Paul into something new and exciting. Proclaiming God’s wonderful message to people who’ve never heard it.

As the line from Amazing Grace goes ‘I was blind but now I see.’

Paul had been blinded by tradition, by convention, by his own hate, but through grace his eyes were opened into a new relationship with God.

God calls us all. Even though we might be blinded sometimes. Blinded by what we want. Blinded by our own mental state or our choices. Blinded by what’s going on in the world and how hard life is right now, for so many.

I’ve found it hard to pray at this time. It’s like there’s a fog between me and God sometimes, and it won’t lift. I can’t tap into what I used to because lots of the things I did for spiritual welfare now can’t happen.

Nevertheless, the one who calls us is faithful. God waited for the right time to call Paul, and Paul listened to God’s voice. Notice that Jesus said to Paul. Why are you persecuting me?

He didn’t say, why are you persecuting my followers, or the church, he said ‘me.’

We are part of the body of Christ. Our identity is in him, and he loves us as if we are part of himself. God is faithful to us because through Christ we have a part in him, all that he wants is us.  

I believe God gives each of us a calling. Because God knows us, God calls us to be in relationship but also to do something with our lives.

That could be setting up lots of churches like Paul, though for me, I think I’m probably going to stick with the Church of England.

Or it could be setting up that project, or praying, or helping someone you know. God calls us all into extraordinary things.

What I encourage you to do is to think about what that might be? What are your gifts? How can you use them?

Despite all the bad things that Paul had done. Paul was called, known and loved. Our Gospel reading today challenges all of us, that sometimes we must leave what we want behind us to do what’s best for God, and for ourselves.

God calls us, knows us and loves us.

The Question is are we willing to put ourselves last and God first? Or put ourselves first and be last?

The choice is up to us. We must think and pray. Look for inspiration, know our hope with us, and perhaps if the time is right, we might get a double helping of chips.

Amen. 

Photo by Dzenina Lukac from Pexels