Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’ He asked, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.”
NL Daily Devotion for Sunday, May 1, 2022
by Dr. Kimberly Leetch, Clergy Stuff
Main Idea: God’s work is dependent upon many people—some whose stories are well known and others whose stories are not.
Saul’s conversion was a community effort. There were a lot of events and people that needed to converge for Saul to be transformed into Paul. Saul’s role, of course, was to become one of the most hated and feared persecutors the early Christians ever faced. Jesus’ role was to scare the heck out of Paul, make himself known, and strike Paul blind, confused, and terrified.
There’s another who had a critical role in Saul’s conversion—Ananias was a faithful follower who was sent on a dangerous and terrifying mission. While Saul was fasting in shock in Damascus, the Lord sent Ananias to Saul to heal his sight. Ananias was petrified, but his faith gave him courage to go.
Saul’s conversion might not have had near the impact on the world if the community of faith had not accepted him. Would Paul have remained faithful to God if he had been ostracized for his earlier persecutions and left to fend for himself? Doubtful. Paul’s conversion is well known among Christians because his transformation is so radically dramatic. But Ananias’ demonstration of faith was no less transformational. The people who work behind the scenes are every bit as critical to God’s mission as the people whose stories are dramatic and renowned.
Consider how you might celebrate the people whose work is so rarely acknowledged. No one person is responsible for the spread of Christianity or for doing God’s work. It is the work of the community.
