Acts 9.1-20; John 21.1-19
We have all been angry at some point in our lives. But have you ever been angry about an injustice? Something you feel incensed by? Some change in society or personal circumstances - a sense of wrong being done to another person or group of people? I am sure that between us we could make a list of things - the plight of asylum seekers, and refugees, the appalling treatment of women in Afghanistan, Gaza, Ukraine, Trump, the rise of Reform - now I am becoming political. But have you ever been so angry that you have got to do something about it? Your anger propels you into action and the action becomes a passion, that drives you, takes over your life, completely consumes you and becomes your sole reason for living. Everything, everything you do is for the cause. Saul was like that.)
Saul was a very angry young man. He was very devout, and he thought that God’s people should be holy, ready for God to rescue them. He had trained to teach people all about the holiness of God, and he was prepared to do whatever it took to stamp out distractions. He was very much like extremist Muslim suicide bombers today – setting off bombs while shouting ‘Alahu akbar!’ which means ‘God is the greatest’. He thought that Jesus was a serious distraction, claiming to be God’s son. For Saul, that was deeply offensive, and his followers needed shutting down before anyone else was influenced. So he was on the warpath, chasing down anyone who believed in Jesus, and throwing them in prison. (His sense of righteousness became hatred towards the followers of Jesus).
But as we heard in our Bible reading, God changed this angry hatred into love – in one dramatic moment. I’ve got a word game for us to play as we think about what it must have been like for Saul. Can you help me change HATE into LOVE, just one letter at a time?
What has to happen inside us for our feelings to go from hatred to love? We have to be prepared to change, not just what we are doing, but how we feel. Can you suggest any ways that we calm down? Maybe deep breathing, deliberately relaxing, and talking instead of yelling? Do we need God’s help, just like Saul did? If we allow God into our minds and bodies, he can remind us that we are loved, and that we do not need to hurt anyone. He can help us turn the energy of anger into something helpful instead of something destructive.
What God did for Saul was to change the way he saw and understood things. He changed Saul’s perspective, so his life made sense in a whole new way. I have some pictures for you to look at – share them around and look carefully.
Now turn them upside down. What happens?
That’s a hint of what happened to Saul – as he became Paul. His whole world got re-written. Suddenly he realised that all the scriptures that he had learnt pointed to the holiness of Jesus, not the whole Jewish nation. Everything that he thought he knew made sense in a new and different way. He didn’t give up his Jewish faith to become a Christian – he realised that Jesus fulfilled all the Bible passages he already knew.So Paul finished his journey a new person, even with a new name. For most of us, our encounter with Jesus is less dramatic – but he changes all of us none the less. That is a process that goes on all our lives. Paul writes about his own struggles, and he looks forward to the day when he gets to heaven and God’s work in him is complete. Today, in particular, I wonder if God wants to change our perspective, our understanding of what he is doing?
I wonder if like me, you want to yell at God, and say ‘What are you doing ... about stuff in the world, or in our own lives?’ Why are you not answering our prayers? Why do bad people flourish, and good people suffer? How comes things go on getting worse? Where are you, God?
If we are ready to listen, then God shows himself to us like he showed himself to Paul. But we have to be prepared to let him change our whole view of the world! It’s no good yelling at God and then refusing to see the things he is showing us! Maybe it’s just the little things he wants us to notice, like how good it feels to be hugged, or how beautiful the sunset is. Maybe it’s something big, like using our anger to push us into making a difference. Whatever it is, we can be sure that God wants us to trust him, and to know that he is in charge. Through our feelings, he can change us just as he changed Paul – and like Paul, send us out to be his people in his wonderful world.