"Beyond Imagination"
Sermon Presented June 10, 2007
Galatians 1:11-24
One who exhibits great zeal sometimes becomes a zealot! We want zealous people in our churches and organizations, but we shrink back when the word zealot is applied. Religious organizations and faith traditions have had their share of zealots - those who are so fanatical that they will do anything to promote their agenda or suppress another's point of view. We have only to look at the killing of doctors who perform abortions, the attack on the World Trade Center, the killings of Joan of Arc and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, attacks on gays and lesbians, and the death of Jesus to find examples of religious zealots turning to violence and murder to stop a practice or belief that they oppose. According to Scripture, Saul - or Paul, his post-call name - was one such zealot!
If you listen carefully to the reading of this text written by the hand of Paul, you will see what Lawrence shared in his teaching: Paul vs. Paul. Paul's account of what happened after his call as written in this letter doesn't jive with what Luke writes in the book of Acts, and the Acts account is the most familiar. When there is a discrepancy between two biblical accounts, we accept the primary source of Paul's own words as having greater weight. I invite you to put Luke aside and hear a portion of Paul's letter to the church at Galatia. Galatians 1:11-24. (Read text.)
After the death and resurrection of Jesus, nothing affected the course of church history more than Paul's call and his response to that call. Not only are many of his letters included in the canon, but Paul is responsible for the spread of the Gospel to the Gentiles in Greece and the West. His impact on the spread of Christianity is unequaled in the first century.
In a single moment, God turns Paul's world upside down, as he is transformed from one who passionately persecutes the followers of Jesus to one who becomes an object of persecution because he now follows Jesus. He has the same passionate nature as before, but his passion is redirected!
Paul writes to the Galatian church because people are leaving the church to follow those who preach a different gospel. Paul wants the church to accept his authority as an apostle of Jesus because of his unique calling to preach to the Gentiles - to them.
Paul wants them to listen because he speaks a divine message and not a message that is filtered through humans. He didn't go to Jerusalem immediately after his calling to confer with Jesus' disciples as Luke claims, but he stayed in Arabia and Damascus for a period of three years before finally going to Jerusalem - and then for only 15 days. God through Jesus is the sole source of Paul's understanding - of his calling - of his message. God got hold of him on that road and turned his life around180 degrees. His zeal remains, but the object of his zeal changes. He is no longer obsessed with persecuting Christians, but obsessed with sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We like to read and hear stories of rogues who change from a life of sin to one of godliness. "Just look at what God can do! I was a drug addict; I killed my best friend; I was a Satan worshiper; I stole from my grandmother; I was a prostitute" are stories that have appeal when the speaker goes on to say that his or her life changed radically after finding Christ. Many books have been written that falsely claim a depraved past to bolster book sales. The book The Satan Seller comes immediately to mind.
However, even though most of us don't have sordid pasts, we do have a personal story to tell, and we yearn to hear the stories of God working in other peoples' lives. A miraculous change for the good must be God's work. God's work in the life of Saul on the way to Damascus caused a radical change, and we appreciate his story. Most likely our friends and colleagues appreciate hearing our stories, and by sharing those stories, we can help them and us.
When God calls us to a new way of life, that life will reflect a love for God and people. People can see that our lives change because of what we do, more than by what we say. Our priorities change as evidenced by our actions. Paul's call was legitimized through his changed life, a change that everyone could see. But before he launches into his new ministry, he takes the time to experience God in preparation for his new mission.
How do people prepare for God's mission? The answer is different, depending on our task. About a week ago, I attended a leadership meeting of the Greater Milwaukee Sponsors. You can learn more about this group by reading the Reporter, but basically, this is an organization that desires to accomplish great things in the Milwaukee area through the cooperation of religious, educational and social action groups. Before the meeting began, I overheard a man introduce himself to the one sitting next to him and ask him about his position of leadership and where he serves. The person replied that he was a minister at one of the Elmbrook branches. The questioner then asked him his educational background for ministry and I heard the minister say he had no seminary training, but was trained by staff members of the church. It was obvious that the questioner assumed a superior attitude and was unimpressed with what he heard. The minister being questioned had no question about his calling but he lacked formal training. Some congregations consider seminary training to be more significant than others. Seminary was for me what Paul's three year period following his call was for him. It was a time to experience God in new and powerful ways.
If Tasha's goal is to be a veterinarian, she must have formal training. Working in a vet clinic won't prepare her for what she needs to know to properly treat animals. Paul's training consisted of spending three years listening to God so that he could be the missionary that God wanted him to be.
Paul has a background in Judaism and is well versed in its teachings and laws. But when he meets Jesus, he needs something more. He doesn't attend seminary - there was no such training then - but he grows in the faith. People receive from God and human teachers what they are willing to learn; and we learn as we worship God, study the Scriptures and spiritual readings, and launch forth into places where we can serve others.
Our personal stories are significant to us and can be beneficial to others. When we are willing to share our stories of cancer, divorce, depression, death of a loved one, faith, or enslavement to an addiction, we share a part of ourselves and that sharing can impact the listener. Although Paul's story won't be replicated, his story bears witness to the power of God in his life; so he tells it to the church at Galatia and to anyone who will listen.
Those who are passionate about their faith, caring for the environment, and/or peace and justice issues want to unite with others who share their passion. Sierra Club members, Catholics for Peace and Justice, and church members join together because of a passion to accomplish through unity what can't be done alone. I was impressed last Sunday afternoon at the Cal DeWitt program with the way members of the Sierra Club and the Urban Ecology Center shared informally what they are doing to help save the environment as they interacted with those around the tables who were gathering handouts. Their stories are significant to others.
We who are Christians have our own personal stories of our experience with Jesus. When we share our stories - not just our conversion experience, but what God is doing in our lives now, we can open the way for others to find a personal relationship with God through Jesus.
Paul was steeped in religious traditions before he met Jesus on the Damascus road. This new revelation took precedence over his tradition, but the tradition was still a part of him. We have elements of tradition in our Christian faith and they are important, but if tradition is all we have or if we allow the tradition to take precedence over people, we will soon drift away from God. We need both tradition and personal experiences to sustain us!
Paul doesn't advocate a spirituality in which everyone listens individualistically for messages from God and invents his or her own private religion. But he does believe that his message was given to him by God who chose to rescue people through the death and resurrection of Jesus. The message was so clear to him that he didn't need corroboration from those who had been apostles before him. God breaks in on him from outside of his religious tradition and transforms him, and he wants to share that message with others. He not only believes the message, he's passionate about sharing it!
I don't know about you, but I'm skeptical when someone claims direct access to God's revelation - especially if it's unmediated by tradition. We hold at arms length those who claim privileged access to God's revelation. But Paul experienced it, claimed it and shared it with the world.
The connection between religious zeal and persecution are ever present. Religious conviction can have its ugly side. Paul recognized that his religious zeal in the past caused him to sanction violence, and this aspect of his life changes dramatically when he meets Jesus. Just as God called Paul, God calls us to a life of love. And when our zeal is tempered by love - both love of God and love of people - we will be where God wants us to be - we will be doing what God wants us to do. What we do with our call is up to us!
