Texts: Acts 9:1-20 John 21:1-19

Ann Ferrell Lewis First Presbyterian Church April 22, 2007

Open Eves. Open Heart

It's been a difficult week hasn't it? As a nation, we've struggled to comprehend how a young man troubled by mental illness could launch such a violent assault on a college campus. We're pained by the enormity of grief as so many innocent lives have been lost, and yet the news reminds us that we as a nation are not alone in our grief. There are neighborhoods in Iraq where violent assaults have become so frequent, that there are few persons who have not felt the loss personally. There are those in Darfur who live in constant fear that their lives may come to a violent end all too soon. But the news from Blacksburg, Virginia was troubling to us, because this violence was not in the context of war, or racial strife - this violence took place in the idyllic setting of a college campus, where students are pursuing their dreams and just beginning to develop as future leaders in science, business, and education. Our grief is compounded because of the troubling question of could this tragedy have been prevented? If only the troubled young man could have gotten the long term psychiatric care he needed - if he could have understood the concern of others as genuine care - if he could have learned how to express his internal pain apart from violence.

And in the wake oflearning ofthis national tragedy, we have learned that our good friend, Lois Brown, is no longer with us. Yes, there are things to be thankful for ­ her suffering did not last long, she did not wind up in a nursing home, she had an opportunity to be with her family members before she passed away. But although she struggled with the limitations of a disease that placed her in a wheelchair, you and I know that Lois still had a lot more living that she would have liked to do, even at 80 years young. She had dreams of getting some more of her humorous writings published; she enjoyed having her young granddaughter, Claire, come and spend occasional weekends with her in her home; each week she looked forward to hosting a small group in her home; she enjoyed any occasion to play pinochle with good friends; and whenever we needed her, she was eager to volunteer here at the church. Lois, who had attended this church for her entire life, served on the staff as the church secretary, and was ordained as a deacon, seems to have been woven into the very fabric of this congregation. and now we have the grief that comes with losing a good friend. As Charlie and I were thinking about Lois' sense of humor, we remembered how in her home, Lois enjoyed marking the change of seasons by dressing a stuffed goose in assorted seasonal costumes. Wouldn't she have had great fun, knowing about the live goose here at the church, spending day after day, patiently trying to hatch a golf ball? How Lois would have enjoyed writing about that! How greatly we will miss Lois!

In the face of the grief we feel as a nation, and a congregation - we hear today the stories of Peter - and of Paul. Peter - who in the shadow of the violence of the cross, did

questions him three times, "Do you love me?," he repeatedly affirms his commitment to

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Jesus - "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you," and from that point on, no cross or threat of violence will keep Peter from following Jesus. He is the father of the church. And Paul- or should I say Saul? - who as a Pharisee, has made it his personal mission to remove the threat of Christian followers by seeking them out for persecution and imprisonment - but when the voice of Christ speaks to him with a blinding light, he turns around to become the greatest promoter of the Christian faith.

What causes someone like Peter to find the courage to follow Jesus? What causes someone like Paul to broadcast the good news of Christ's gospel to the world? What causes a community rocked by grief, like Blacksburg, to respond to tragedy with a profoundly observed spirit oflove and hope? What enables grieving hearts to sing as we will this afternoon when we remember Lois? Who turns mourning into dancing? It is the resurrected Christ. Nothing more, nothing less. The resurrected Christ has the power to open our eyes to a new reality, to open our hearts to a new way ofliving. Today's scripture lessons remind us of the power of Christ to change lives.

Saul did not know it - but he was blind long before the bright light brought him to his knees. He was in the dark about who Jesus was - his eyes were closed to the reality of Jesus power - his mind was closed to the idea that he could be the Messiah - and his heart was closed to anyone who thought otherwise. To Saul, those who followed Jesus were troublemakers, they threatened the purity of the faith - and because of the importance of his faith, Saul was determined to work to put an end to this errant movement - the people who called themselves "The Way." And so Saul got warrants to arrest those he knew associated themselves with this man, Jesus. And if some of these followers of Jesus ended up beaten, or stoned to death in the process, so much the better. When they were in Saul's clutches, if they weren't murdered, they would be bound and dragged off to prison in Jerusalem. Among the Christians, Saul developed a reputation as someone to steer clear of But Jesus did not steer clear of Saul.

The light is so bright that Saul falls to the ground. Those traveling with Saul on the road do not see the light, but they hear the powerful voice, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?" And ironically, it is the brightness of the light that now physically blinds Saul. In his blindness, Saul is stripped of every facet of the power he once wielded. He can not even walk on his own, but must be led like a little child, into Damascus. His experience is completely traumatizing. He does not eat. He does not drink. He only has a desire to pray. Stripped of his vision, Saul must adjust to a new way of interacting with the world. He can no longer rely upon his own sight - now he needs to trust others. In the confusion of a darkened world, Saul is given a new way of understanding - a new way of seeing. He begins to see with his spirit before he ever sees with his eyes.

Across town, there is another man who is about to have his eyes opened ­ Ananias - a faithful disciple of Jesus. When Ananias has a vision, and hears his name being called, he knows who is calling, and with assurance, he responds, "Here I am, Lord." But Ananias is startled by what he is told to do. He knows about this man Saul, how violent he has been toward the followers of Jesus - but now he is being told that Saul is the chosen instrument to bring the name of Jesus to the world - to Gentiles and

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Jews, to kings and slaves - it was enough to make Ananias' head spin. How was it that the Lord was choosing Saul to carry the name of Jesus? It would not be much different than us hearing that a modern day terrorist had now joined the Billy Graham Crusade. Saul was about as likely to carry the gospel into the world as a goose is to hatch a golf ball. But Ananias could not deny the vision - and the voice that was sending him to Saul - and he obediently went to see Saul. What Ananias did took courage - and faith - but it also took an ability to move beyond his preconceived understandings, to be set free from his prejudices and his fears, to be willing to embrace the possibility that Saul just may be the chosen instrument of Christ - to believe it enough that Ananias obediently went to the place Saul was staying. Because Ananias' eyes were open, Saul's eyes were opened. When Ananias entered the house and explained to Saul why he had come, the cloak of darkness was removed like scales falling from Saul's eyes. Saul had a new ability to see what he had been blind to before - and now he was eager to follow Jesus. Saul became a follower of The Way. He was baptized right away, and receiving the Holy Spirit, he went directly into the synagogues teaching the very thing that used to prompt him to violence against others - that Jesus was truly the Son of God. Those who recognized him as the notorious persecutor of Christians, shook their heads in disbelief Soon Saul was so great a threat to the Jews that they would plot to kill him. But Saul escaped and went on to become the first missionary of the gospel. He persevered in taking Christ to the world at great personal risk and suffering - yet he remained faithful to Jesus - even while he suffered shipwrecks, arrests, imprisonment - he continued to express joy and gratitude to Jesus.

The resurrected Jesus has the same power to transform lives today. But all too often we remain blind to Christ. We do not see his light, we do not hear his voice. So, today, I invite you to close your eyes. You do not have to close your eyes, I'm closing mine, so I will not see what you are doing, but if you are comfortable enough to close your eyes, I urge you to do so. As your world becomes dark, let us also observe silence. In the silence let us ask God to peel away those things from our minds that preoccupy our thoughts. Let us ask God to set us free from those fears and prejudices that prevent us from living as Christ's disciples. Let us ask God to remove from our sight those goals and dreams that are not God's goals. Let us ask God to open our hearts to embrace Christ's presence. Let us invite Christ to speak to us in this time of silence - and let us listen for his voice.

As you open your eyes, I invite you to look at your own hands. Think of your hands as they once looked, when you were a small child. Remember them as they were ­ free of wrinkles, of age spots, and freckles, remember how smooth they once were, and give thanks for being made in the image of God. Look at your hands now. Note how they have changed. How have they become this way? What do your hands show? Where is there evidence of growth, of aging, of work, scars of accidents? Try and see your hands as God might see them. If your hands have done something for which you need forgiveness, allow God to forgive them. Envision the kinds of things God would want your hands to do. Now let your eyes roam to your left or your right and look at your neighbor's hands. Try and see their hands as God might see them. Recognize the good things those hands have done, the work they have accomplished, the games they

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have played, the things they have built, the people they have helped. Ask God to bless those hands. Now reach out and take the hands of your neighbor as we pray together:

Open our eyes, Lord, open our minds, open our hands, Lord, open our hearts.

Take away those things that blind us from seeing you, from hearing you, from following you. Where there are walls that prevent us from loving others, break them down. Where there is fear and prejudice, restore to us your peace. Where there is sorrow and grief, bring us your comfort. Give us the courage to leave behind the ashes and sackcloths and dress ourselves in the gladness of new life. Let the resurrected Jesus come to live in our hearts - to take our days of mourning and turn them into dancing. Change our hearts, 0 God, make us ever new. Change our hearts, 0 God, may we be like you. Amen.