I Wasn't Heading There, But. . .

"I Wasn't Heading There, But. . . "
a condensed version of the sermon delivered by Rev. Kirk Moore on Sunday, April 22, 2007 at Union Congregational Church in Somonauk, Illinois.

PODCAST of "I Wasn't Heading There, But. . ."

This morning's scripture reading is:
Acts 9:1-6

Blinded By the Light

Who sings that song?
What do the lyrics say right after that?
What is that song about? Is it about Paul?

OK – here’s a music trivia lesson. "Blinded by the Light" was written and recorded by Bruce Springsteen in 1973. It wasn’t a hit. Manfred Mann’s Earth Band turned it into a hit in 1977.

The lyrics in question – originally "cut loose like a deuce" (referring to a "little deuce coupe") were slightly changed in Manfred Mann’s Earth Band’s version to "revved up like a deuce."

I think the song is about Springsteen’s experiences up on stage in New Jersey when he was a young, struggling musician. The people in it are people he knew in the bars. The light could be the spotlight on him – blinding him from seeing the people in the audience. It may have a symbolic meaning relating to Saul’s conversion, but I think that it's really about the light on the stage or the "lights" in one’s eyes as they are trying to be a star.

So why did I bring it up? Just because. We’ve got this light theme going on today and I figured that at least a few of you were already thinking of the song. So to keep everyone from "tuning out" to continue to ponder the song or to spend time appreciating the symmetry of talking about Manfred Mann’s Earth Band on Earth Day Sunday, I thought I’d bring it up. But now it’s time for an abrupt transition.

Turning points . . .

Moses had the burning bush. John Wesley’s heart was "strangely warmed" at Aldersgate. The composer of the classic hymn – Amazing Grace, John Newton’s, long journey to become an abolitionist instead of a slave trader began with a prayer during a rough storm while he was on the slave ship Greyhound.

And in our Bible reading today from Acts 9:1-6, Saul was knocked on his backside when he encountered the risen Christ while he was on the road to Damascus.

Saul was on a mission. He was out to stop any who belonged to "The Way" – an early name to describe those who followed Jesus – from preaching about a "messiah" who could not possibly be the real one. Over the years and very recently, there had been too many who tried to crown themselves as the one, and none of the supposed messiahs turned out to be anything more than pretenders. Saul devoted his life to the scriptures. He was driven to follow God and to keep those who would confuse others from undermining God’s law. His encounter with Jesus changed him. He was blinded and was cared for and then vouched for by Ananias. He began to preach about Jesus with as much enthusiasm as he had preached against Jesus before.

Did you know that Saul was a student of the Rabbi Gamiliel? Do you remember that name? Last week he was the progressive rabbi that reasoned with the others to keep them from killing Peter and the other apostles. He must have influenced Saul along the way – planting a seed that grew up quickly when Saul encountered the risen Christ in the road to Damascus.

Let me clear a little something up. I’ve been talking about Saul all this time. He does have another name, too. Saul and Paul in the New Testament are the same person. Saul isn’t his "bad name" while Paul is his "good name." Saul is his Hebrew name. Paul is his Greek name. Paul’s ministry was almost exclusively to the Gentiles – so he is known by, and went by, his Greek name in all his missionary work.

Well then, Paul, Moses, John Wesley and John Newton have some dramatic and maybe even radical transformation stories about how they came to really follow God.

Do you have a radical transformation story?

Have you ever thought about it? Is there a time you can look to that either changed you right away or started you on the journey toward serving God? If you do – think about whether you’d ever be willing to share it.

If you don’t, or if you can’t think of anything radically transforming in your life, does that make God’s transforming work in your life any less marvelous?

I think that God’s transformation of any of us from what we were or are into what we will be is never less miraculous or important than God’s transformation of any other person. Sure – the dramatic and radical transformation stories are really interesting to hear and they are inspiring. But God’s transforming work is real in all our lives. God’s transforming work is real in our church.

I also think the key part of all of God’s transformational work in our lives is that it is God who does the transforming – in God’s time and in God’s way. Moses’ experience was pretty quick. Wesley’s was slower, but still pretty dramatic as he realized that God’s love and grace were sufficient instead of his good works. John Newton’s journey lasted decades. Paul’s new direction began almost immediately.

God’s transformational work in our lives may be very dramatic and times. Most often we probably don’t even notice any change. But God’s transformation is always going on. For some of us, change takes a long time. For others it takes relatively little time. For all of us, God’s transformational work continues.

Does it feel lie God’s changing you? Does all this talk about "transforming" feel like the way things are in Church? Are we noticing and experiencing God’s transformational work in our own lives as well as in the life of the Church? Does God’s transformation feel like church? I think it does. I think we’re noticing what God is doing right now.

But what are we to do with all this? If God’s doing all the work, what do we need to do? Should we just sit back and enjoy the ride? God’s going to change us no matter what?

I don’t think that’s what God desires. God’s love and grace are sufficient, yes – yet God’s call for us to study, to seek justice, to love God and to love one another opens us up to experience God’s transformation as God does it. We get to notice what’s happening and soak it in as we experience it.

What is God’s transformational work in your life? What is in the life of the church? How can we know for sure?

I don’t know the answer to that one. I think that asking God for continued guidance and asking God to help us to understand what God is doing in changing us opens us up to God’s open arms and God’s understanding. I think we get to continually seek God and to seek to understand where God is guiding and how and what God is transforming.

So this week, spend time in prayer. Ask for Gods guidance and understanding. Ask that God will help you to notice God’s transformational work in your life. Ask for the same as it relates to this congregation – Union Congregational Church. And then . . . notice. See what God is doing. See if it’s what you thought was going on. Or see if it’s something unexpected. Maybe you’ve thought God was doing something in one direction but it’s really something different. Maybe, like Paul, you and we – all of us will be open to God’s possibilities and think something like,’ I wasn’t heading there, but. . . "