Sermon: The Call

Galatians 1:11-24

I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up.  I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.  For you have heard of my previous way of life in Judaism, how intensely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.  I was advancing in Judaism beyond many Jews of my own age, and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.  But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to see those who were apostles before I was, but I went immediately into Arabia and later returned to Damascus.  Then after three years, I went up to Jerusalem to get acquainted with Peter and stayed with him fifteen days.  I saw none of the other apostles – only James, the Lord’s brother.  I assure you before God that what I am writing you is no lie. Later I went to Syria and Cilicia.  I was personally unknown to the churches of Judea that are in Christ.  They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”  And they praised God because of me.

Prayer: Oh Lord, uphold me, that I may uplift thee.

                To understand why this passage in particular is such an important part of Paul’s ministry, we must go back in his history a little bit.  We first meet Paul in the book of Acts, in chapter 7.  Here, he is known as Saul.  He is a devout Jew, with no love for Christians.  In fact, in this Galatians passage, he calls himself “zealous.”  That’s a strong word, “zealous.”  It means he had such a strong devotion to Judaism that he would do anything to further its cause.  It’s extreme, even fanatical.  Saul was not a fun guy for Christians to be around.

                When he first appears, it is just after the apostle Stephen has been preaching to the Sanhedrin.  The people of the town are enraged because Stephen has called them names and accused them of murdering the Christ.  This is inflammatory to the point of death, as Stephen is stoned for his words.  And standing on the outside of the crowd is Saul, giving his approval of Stephen’s death.

                A few verses later, Saul begins to ravage the church.  He puts Christians, men and women alike, in prison, simply for being Christian.  He goes into their homes and physically drags them out. 

                Our next encounter with Saul is where the story changes.  After going to the high priest and asking for permission to arrest Christians in the temple, he sets off for Damascus.  It is on this journey that he is struck blind by the Lord, chosen to be the messenger of Christ to all the Gentiles. 

                Just like that, in the blink of an eye, God changed Saul.  God chose Saul.  He spends the rest of Acts traveling around with other apostles, preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, sure in his calling as a messenger of the Lord.

                This man, who was once a zealous persecutor of Christians, is now the one we call Paul.  He planted the churches in Galatia, in Corinth, in Thessalonica, among others.  He guided them through the same persecution he once inflicted upon them.  His life was changed by the calling of God.

                And so we come back to the beginning of his letter to the church in Galatia.  He says, “God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles…” 

                God knew Paul, even before he was born.  Paul hearkens back to Jeremiah, where God says, “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.”  This is powerful language.  It says that even before he was Paul, before he was a persecutor of Christians, even before he was born, God was preparing the way for him to be the one who evangelized in God’s name and for God’s people. 

                I’m guessing no one who knew Saul expected this.  In fact, when he shows up in Damascus, he is roundly rejected by the apostles at first, because they knew what he had done.  They were none too keen to invite this person in.  And with good reason.  After the death of Stephen, the apostles were right to be leery. 

                But then God spoke.  God told Ananias to go and bring Saul’s sight back, saying, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel."  After hearing that, the apostles couldn’t deny Saul (Paul) a place among their ranks. 

                Paul did great works in the name of Jesus for the remainder of his life.  Again, he planted many churches, visited them as often as he could, and when he couldn’t, he would write to them.  His dedication to the people of God, in the name of God, was astounding.  Particularly for a man with such a dark past.

                The beauty of the story of Paul is that it will never be irrelevant, because we all have a similar story to tell.  Paul’s humanity, which led him to do evil things, also gave him a much richer, broader understanding of the plight of the people.  This is the reflection of God at work in the world, through the most unexpected people.  So when you start thinking you are not worthy, think again.

                If there was ever anyone who was not worthy to be called by God, it was Saul.  But God called him, and made him an instrument of God’s word.  He became a living example of God’s grace in the world. 

                There’s a saying that I cling to, regarding the call from God.  It goes, “God doesn’t call the prepared.  God prepares the called.”  I don’t know where it comes from, but I have had to repeat it to myself many times over the years.  Because, who am I that God might be calling me?  If God knew some of the things I’ve done…  I’m pretty sure I’ve broken seven or eight of the commandments.  And I’ve done all kinds of things other things.  And haven’t we all?  When was the last time you skipped church and did work on the Sabbath?  When was the last time you said, “Oh my God”?  And haven’t you at least once or twice thought your parents were complete fools? 

                You see?  None of us is worthy.  If it were up to us, none of us would ever be called.  If, left to our own devices, we were expected to prove to God that our piety is worthy of God’s admiration, then we break the second commandment – You shall not make for yourself an idol.  It can’t be done.

                And yet, God still calls us.  God knows our transgressions, our sins.  And in spite of that, God calls us to, like Paul, spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. 

                And when God calls, we must answer.  Everyone who has ever tried to say no to God has failed.  Remember Jonah?  He said no to God.  And then he got swallowed by a giant fish.  Even Moses said no to God, but he led God’s people out of Egypt.

                In fact, Moses said no to God and gave some really compelling reasons why he shouldn’t be the one to do it.  He said he was unworthy, he said the people wouldn’t believe him.  He even resorted to citing his poor speech…all of these as reasons God should call someone else.  But God persisted, and gave him an answer for every objection.  God prepared Moses.

                God prepared Jonah, and Abraham, and Jeremiah…and Paul.

                So then, I have to believe that God will also prepare us.

                When we step out into the big, scary world, on our shaky feet, unsure if we’ll be able to do what God asks of us, we just have to remember Paul. 

                He was rejected by many people, and we will be too.

                He was persecuted by authorities and other religions, and we will be too.

                He was put on trial, and we will be too.

                But as we journey, God is constantly preparing us to do God’s work, to preach to God’s people, and to stand up against injustice.

                And along the way, we’ll make mistakes.  We will stumble and fall, and we will be sure that we can’t carry on.  But we must always remember that we are human, and we are prone to mistakes.  God knows this about us; God created us this way, and still calls us to this work.  So as we travel this road of discipleship, remember that your baptism is sufficient for your calling.

                You do not need to be an eloquent speaker.  You do not need to have all the energy in the world.  You do not need to have the Bible memorized.  You simply need to know that you have been baptized into the one holy, apostolic Church, and God has called you to be a messenger.

                For Paul, it was planting and growing churches.  For me, it is ministry.  For you it may be outreach to the homeless, it may be reading to children, it may be leading a discipleship group.  Whatever it is, go and do it boldly and with the confidence that God has called you and is constantly preparing you. 

                No matter what lies in the past, God has called you for such a time as this.  And your past may be the exact reason God is calling you.  Because we hear from Paul, “They only heard the report: “The man who formerly persecuted us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”  And they praised God because of me.”

Amen.