Unbinding Our Lives
Acts 9:1-19
February 9/10, 2008

Do you know anybody who has a dramatic conversion story? Do you have a family member or friend who suddenly “saw the light,” had a vision, or had a close encounter of the spiritual kind? Perhaps you have a dramatic tale to tell of your own? I confess that I have had some feelings of jealousy about people who have had these kinds of turn-your-life-around experiences.As most of you know, I am a preacher’s kid, I grew up in the church, attended Sunday School, went to youth group. I grew up sitting on the lap of Jesus. It’s all I have ever known; it’s natural—part of my DNA. You’ve probably heard the song: “I wandered so aimless, life filled with sin; “I wouldn’t let my dear Savior in!” “Then Jesus came like a stranger in the night!” “Praise the Lord, I saw the light!” But I can’t identify with that song. I haven’t had one of those before and after experiences.

I don’t have any statistics about our church family, but I would guess that most of us would fall into this second category. Our faith has been with us all our lives. We can’t remember the first time we knew God loved us. We can’t recall the first time we heard about Jesus. We’ve always known about baby Jesus in the manger. The fragrance of Easter lilies isn’t just in the florist shop—it’s the holy aroma of Easter morning. For some of us, it is difficult to articulate what we’ve always been, what we’ve always known.

Now, which faith story is “better”—the dramatic conversion or the life-long journey? Obviously, neither one is “better.” They are just different paths to the same loving, grace-full God. During the next several weeks, we are going to have opportunities to share our stories. From now until Easter, we will be participating in an all-church study called “Unbinding Your Heart.” Dr. Gary Straub and I will co-present a series each Sunday morning at 10 a.m. in Chalice Hall. It is my hope and prayer that a number of things will happen. First, that we will become more comfortable sharing our faith stories! Second, that we will show a sense of mutual respect and gratitude for the stories of other people—even though their language, experiences, traditions, and theological ideas may be different than ours. And I hope and pray that as we talk with each other we will become closer to each other and to God.

WE HAVE HEARD A DRAMATIC CONVERSION STORY FROM THE BIBLE TODAY. In this story, Saul does not start out as a fan of Jesus! He thinks Jesus’ followers are a herd of heretics that need to be run out of town—or worse! But after Jesus appears to Saul, everything changes! And then, when Ananias puts his hands on Saul’s eyes, a whole new world opens for Paul. Suddenly, Paul sees grace. He sees freedom. He sees forgiveness. He sees people who need the Good News. Paul’s new faith in Christ sends his life in a fresh, new direction. Instead of being an enemy of Jesus, he is transformed into an ambassador for Jesus. This is the kind of person that McCain and Clinton and Obama want on their campaign teams! Folks who are fired up! People who have caught the vision! Paul tells anybody who will listen—and some who won’t—about the gospel. He is a new person! And he ends up writing most of our New Testament. Paul knows what a difference it makes to follow Jesus!

BUT IT IS NOT NECESSARILY SO CLEAR FOR THOSE OF US WHO GREW UP IN THE CHURCH. Asking us what difference being a Christian makes in our lives is like asking us what it means to us to be able to eat three meals a day. Christian faith is that natural to us. Trying to talk about it is difficult. We think that we need a story like Paul’s—a riveting “I was lost, but now I’m found” kind of tale to tell. Something you’d see on Oprah or Dr. Phil’s show! Some people describe this spiritual condition as the “Paul Problem.”
Since we don’t have a moving message, we convince ourselves that we don’t have a faith story at all!
So we do the exact opposite of what folks should do when they have Good News to share! We don’t say anything.

And it’s not just a problem for people in the pews—it’s a problem for pastors in the pulpits! In Unbinding Your Heart, Martha Grace Reese writes about a group of pastors she took on a retreat. She asked them what difference being a Christian made to them. She says it was extremely, painfully quiet for a l-o-n-g time. Just silence for a very l-o-n-g time. Finally, someone mumbled, “Because it makes me a better person?” Surely there’s more we can say than that! But putting words to our faith is hard for many of us.

I would like to invite you to share in a little exercise with me—just use your imagination for a few moments—close your eyes if it helps. Imagine that you do not go to church—ever. Imagine that you do not know any hymns or Christian songs. Imagine that you do not know any Scripture…even the simplest Bible stories. Imagine that you are not sure if God hears you when you pray. Imagine that you don’t know who to call to pray for you. Imagine that you don’t know how God feels about you. What if you didn’t have a church family? What if you didn’t even know that God exists? Imagine.

Now, if I were to ask you, “What does being a Christian mean to you?” would you have some places to begin to tell your story? If you have felt that your spiritual life has been a little dry, could you talk about these kinds of things? (Begin filling empty pitcher…) “I find comfort and support from my church family.” “I feel a purpose in my life.” “I get direction from the Bible.” “I don’t ever feel alone.” “I have hope that everything will turn out alright someday.” “I feel like I am a part of God’s work in the world.” Thinking and praying about these kinds of things can fill us to the point where we are overflowing! We become more motivated to become God’s messengers. We discover that we DO have a story to tell—and that our faith DOES make a difference!

THERE ARE A WHOLE LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND US WHO ARE DWELLING IN DARKNESS RIGHT NOW. There are souls like Saul, who had just lost his eyesight. He had been sitting in total darkness for three days. He is so distraught he can’t eat or drink. Meanwhile, Jesus is working on a guy named Ananias—and this may be the person in the story with whom we most identify! Ananias is a reluctant evangelist if there ever was one! He has every right to be. Saul is the last person he would ever tell about Jesus. Christians are running scared because “Saul is breathing threats against them.” Ananias has no desire to be added to his “martyr list!” Saul is an unlikely candidate for evangelism.

So were the prostitutes that loitered near First Church in Florida. A friend of mine tells this story about that church family. Most people in the congregation were upper-middle class. They were cradle Christians, been there all their lives. They were not happy that the neighborhood was changing. They were really not happy about the prostitution that was creeping into their parking lot. They grumbled about the cigarette butts by the church steps. They worried about the “bad P.R.” the church was getting. It never would have occurred to anyone that the women hanging out on the corners were candidates for evangelism. Candidates for jail—yes —but not candidates for evangelism!

And yet, one day, a faithful church member, a retired school teacher, left choir practice on a Wednesday. She saw one of the prostitutes, leaning against a lamppost, close to her parked Camry—singing. She felt nudged by the Spirit. She felt compelled to talk to this woman in the pink leather hot pants. She said, “Hi. My name is Mary. I was just singing with my choir in there. You have a beautiful voice.” The woman mumbled, “Yeah, I love singin’. I’m Sheena.” “Sheena, you ought to be singing for the Lord; you want to come to sing with me in my choir?” That sweet church member almost fainted as she heard the words come out of her mouth! And she almost fainted again when Sheena said, “Yes.” She showed up the next Wednesday for choir practice. Mary took her in. And Sheena did have a beautiful voice.

With the encouragement of the church, with tutoring from Mary, her dear new, retired schoolteacher friend, Sheena got her GED. She went to college. She finished medical school. Now, that former prostitute runs a medical clinic—out of her church! What motivated Mary to talk to Sheena? What possessed her to go into that prostitute’s personal darkness and walk with her into the light?

Maybe it is what motivated Ananias to talk to Saul? Jesus tells him to go. Look at the verse, Acts 9:15—Jesus tells him to go. And he does. He gets to be the hands of God that heal someone’s pain. He gets to be the light that shines on Saul’s dim path. He gets to do something for God that only he can do. He gets to be a part of God’s redemption of the world. Unbind your hearts! Unbind your lives! If you have a “Paul Problem,” God has an “Ananias Answer!” There is no extraordinary story needed. All you need is an ordinary willingness to pray…to listen… And to see what God can do through you.