Loving God, you call your people to share your good news with those who need it the most.  Open our hearts this day to the presence of your Holy Spirit, that we might hear and answer your call, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Saul thought that his eyesight was just fine (thank you very much).  He had studied the Torah from his youth, and knew all about God’s laws and what God required.  He could see what was happening with these followers of Jesus – these uneducated people who were leading others astray.  They were, after all, trying to convince people that this Jesus, who had been crucified, was really the promised Messiah, and even the Son of God!

         As far as Saul was concerned, these people had no idea what they were talking about.  He knew that God’s curse was upon anybody who died from being hung on a tree (Dt. 21:22-23), and he knew that the high priest, and most of the religious leaders in Jerusalem, had seen how dangerous this Jesus was.  And so, Saul was doing everything he could to put a stop to this false teaching – including bringing those “who belonged to the Way” back to Jerusalem to be punished by the high priest (Acts 9:2).

         What Saul could not see, however, is that he had become blind to what God was doing.  He was not fighting for God, as he had thought, but against God.  He was so sure that he was right that it would take a blinding light and a voice from heaven to convince him otherwise.  And so, that is exactly what God does.  Saul is literally blind for three days, and has to rely on others to lead him around.

         It should be noted that God does not generally go around blinding people in order to get their attention.  Others – like Ananias – are a little more open to God’s direction.  A vision and a conversation are enough to get Ananias to fulfill God’s mission for him.  But what about us?  What would it take for God to get our attention?

         We are, after all, called to be engaged in God’s mission in the world.  We are called to share God’s love with all people, using whatever opportunities God puts in front of us.  In fact, sometimes we might even be called to share God’s love with a specific person, just as Ananias was called to minister to Saul.  However, none of this happens unless we are open to listening and following where the Holy Spirit leads.

         Sometimes – as in the case of Ananias – we are asked to do something that pushes our comfort zone and possibly even scares us.  You may have noticed how Ananias checked his signals before proceeding.  “Are you sure, Lord?  Surely you know how this man has persecuted all those who believe in you!  How do I know that he won’t have me arrested on sight?”  Ananias wants to know that he didn’t get his wires crossed somehow and receive the wrong message.

         Saul, too, certainly could have been scared.  God was asking him to do a complete 180 and go in an entirely new direction.  God was asking him to preach the good news of Jesus Christ – the same one whom he had been persecuting and even chasing from town to town.  It is no wonder that Saul needs a few days of fasting and prayer and blindness in order to wrap his mind around what had happened and what was going to come next.

         We noted earlier that God does not make a habit of striking people blind in order to get their attention.  Throughout the Scriptures, God is actually quite creative when it comes to getting people to listen.  Moses sees the burning bush.  Isaiah sees a vision in the Temple.  Mary is visited by an angel.  Peter sees the miraculous catch of fish.  David is visited by the prophet Samuel.  Joseph receives messages from God in his dreams.  And some, like Ananias, have a vision while they are praying.

         These days, some have actually heard God’s call in the midst of a whirlwind.  Some have heard the call of the Spirit in an inner voice.  Some have encountered God in dreams.  Some have heard God’s call in the midst of a worship service.  Some have been convinced while reading the Bible that a particular story, or passage, or verse, is intended for them.  And some, while praying, have heard messages from the Holy Spirit.

         Ultimately, very few ever see a blinding light and hear a voice from heaven – although we might recommend this approach for some.  Whatever our own experience may have been, the risen Jesus continues to show up among us and to send us out to share God’s love.  At the same time, as we are reminded in today’s reading, the risen Jesus identifies very closely with those who are suffering and with those who are persecuted for their faith.  Wherever his followers suffer, Jesus is there.

         May we, too, know that Jesus is not only with us, but empowers us through the Holy Spirit to share his abundant life and love with all those around us.  For Christ is risen!  He is risen indeed!  Alleluia!  Amen.

Easter 3 (NL 4)                                 Acts 9:1-19a

May 1, 2022

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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