Thursday, April 5, 2007
Lent Bible Reading Challenge Day 39
Paul's Conversion
In a transformative flash of light filled with prophetic words, Saul becomes Paul, the persecuter becomes the persecuted one, the ennemy becomes friend, the power of God is not only
talked about but experienced. Saul had been the chief persecuter of the early Christian church community...encouraging mobs to murder the Christian Stephen and seeking to empower and 
enable a faith-based genocidal purging of this church community. On his way to Damascus, Syria he encounters not the ones he's been persecuting, but rather the Risen One that they serve, claim as Lord, and proclaim. The word "conversion" in the Bible (written in Greek) means to turn around 180 degrees, to suddenly head in the opposite direction, to make a radical U-turn in the way we live, the way we love, and our world-view. The passage ends with the words "his eyes were opened but he couldn't see." I find myself wondering this morning as I reflect on the story - how are my eyes opened and yet not seeing? How are our eyes open in our faith communities to the world around us, to how we live in community, to the identity and heart of God's passion for creation, and yet not seeing? How do we - do I - need to be transformed in a road-of-Damascus-conversion way?
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