04/14/2013 ~ Third Sunday of Easter ~ Acts 9:1-6, (7-20); Psalm 30; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19 ~ Note: Moved Psalm 23 from 4/212 for Choir Anthem.
Knocked Off a Horse?
“Now, as Saul was traveling along and approaching Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed all around and Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” — Acts 9:3-4.
I have mentioned a number of times that one of my mentors in ministry was the Rev. Carol Anderson, who happened to be one of the first women to be officially ordained in the Episcopal Church. Carol often said among the disciples there are three examples of our relationship with God, three archetypes of how that relationship works out, to be found in the New Testament. Hence there are three examples, three styles we might emulate as our own relationship with God develops.
Carol labeled these archetypes as the Peter type, the Paul type and the John type. She never took my advice and labeled them as Peter, Paul and Mary. She was probably right. (The choir collectively bursts into laughter and the pastor points at them.) The choir got it!
In any case, in reverse order let’s review: John and Paul, the disciple also known as Saul, and then Peter. Now, if you’ve read the stories in the New Testament, John— John never seems to be in doubt about who Jesus was and is and what he needed to do because of who Jesus was and is. Even when, from the cross, the dying Jesus asks John to look after Mary, there is no flack, no push back, as in “You want me to do what?”
In short, John is calm and secure. John knows about life, John knows about the world, John knows about God. Now, if I had to guess, we probably all want to be just like John— never any doubts. But it’s also likely not a one of us thinks we could be anything close to that— so secure, so knowing, so compassionate. Instead, we opt for wanting to be like Paul.
And what was Paul like? Well, when we ask ‘what happened to Paul?’ the traits exhibited in the story of that disciple seem obvious and quite attractive to us.
Clearly Paul got knocked off a horse. Put another way, Paul was headed in one direction— persecuting the people of ‘The Way,’— and winds up going in exactly the opposite direction.
Changing direction is, of course, the real meaning of repentance. To be celar: repentance has nothing to do with being sorry or sad. Repentance is when turns one’s life around, turns one’s life over to God, turns one’s life over to the will of God.
So, that’s archetype number two: get knocked off your horse and come suddenly into some kind of new and clear knowledge, some new way of understanding. And this new knowledge, this new way of understanding is what changes your life forever. You never go back to the old ways. (Slight pause.) As I suggested, I think it’s likely this method is how most of us would like to have things happen— over and done with in one act— quick and simple.
Then there is Peter. If truth be told, most of us want to be like Paul but most of us we are probably more like Peter. Let’s look at two incidents involving Peter to illustrate what the Peter archetype is like.
In one story Peter says Jesus is the Christ. In another Peter denies knowing the Christ. Yes, no, yes, no— that’s Peter. Peter cannot seem to steer a steady, consistent course. Peter is all over the map. And, as I said, I suspect most of us are like Peter in our relationship with God: all over the map. (Slight pause.)
So, now here’s the trick question— Bible trivia, if you will. I suggested we all want to be like Paul and get knocked off our horse. But does Paul ever even get knocked off a horse? (Slight pause.) No. Paul does not get knocked off a horse. (Quote:) “The Rabbi fell to the ground and heard a voice....” No horse is mentioned.
So, from where does the horse come? It comes from Christian Art, mostly art out of the Renaissance era. Mind you, one can assume Paul was riding. But, if that’s the case, if Paul is on a horse, that’s a pretty long fall to the ground.
You see, the phrase ‘being knocked off your horse’ is in that sense quite secular and is a little like the phrase ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ That phrase is not in the Bible, either.
Although ‘God helps those who help themselves’ has been commonly attributed to Benjamin Franklin, it probably originated in ancient Greece. But the sentiment, itself, that God helps those who help themselves, is throughly, throughly, anti-Christian, since it is contrary to the Scriptural message which says the grace of God is available to all.
Similarly, we have this image that Paul gets knocked off a horse and comes suddenly into some new and clear knowledge, some new way of understanding, which changes life forever. You never go back to the old ways when you get knocked off that horse. Was that true of Paul? Was it just that Paul got knocked off a horse, or is there more to it? (Slight pause.)
And these words are from the work know as Acts: “Now, as Saul was traveling along and approaching Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed all around and Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’” (Slight pause.)
When the reading from Acts was introduced it was said Paul’s own account is in some tension with this version. Indeed, based on what Paul says in the letters most scholars believe that any fulness of a public proclamation about Jesus from Paul did not happen for about 14 years. This is when Paul returns to Jerusalem.
So, what happened in that time span— 14 years? (Slight pause.) We do not know. Scholars speculate Paul spends that time studying. In fact, the depth and the integrated theology Paul exhibits and writes on in the Epistles strongly suggests there was time spent in study, in reflection, in prayer and in meditation. (Slight pause.)
So, how does that apply to us? I think we can be knocked off a horse. We can have some kind of conversion experience. And that is wonderful. But it is not enough. It was not enough for Paul.
I want to suggest even if we have a conversion experience, we need to emulate Paul. How? We need to study, to meditate, to reflect, to pray. (Slight pause.)
I was privileged to be at a series of lectures Archbishop Desmond Tutu gave in New York City before he won the Nobel Peace Prize. At one session he was asked how much time he spent each day in study, meditation, reflection and prayer. He said he spent at least two hours a day, except when he was under pressure or had a lot of work to do. Then, he said, he needed to spend four or five hours a day in study, meditation, reflection and prayer.
In short, conversion does not just happen and it’s over and done. Conversion happens every hour of every day. And yes, we all lead busy lives.
But when we repent, we hand our lives over to God that can open up new vistas. This handing our lives over to God, this repentance, means we study, we meditate, we reflect and we pray every day. It means every day in our life with God we grow. And growth?— that is what relationship is really about, is it not? Amen.
04/14/2013
United Church of Christ, First Congregational, Norwich, New York
ENDPIECE: It is the practice of the Pastor to speak after the Closing Hymn, but before the Congregational Response and Benediction. This is an précis of what was said: “This is a quote from the late theologian Henri Nouwen: ‘You don’t think your way into a new kind of living. You live your way into a new kind of thinking.’ So, in a real sense repentance means when it comes to our relationship with God taking action each and every day.”
BENEDICTION; Let us go where God leads us, for surely God leads us to embrace our neighbor with love. Let us follow where Christ has gone, and see the great commandment of loving God and loving neighbor as a watchword. And may the steadfast love of God and the peace of Christ, which surpasses understanding, keep our minds and hearts in the knowledge, companionship and will of the Holy Spirit, this day and forever more. Amen.
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