Heroes...

 

“Heroes”

 

Acts 9:1-6, (7-20)
9:1 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

9:2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

9:3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him.

9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

9:5 He asked, "Who are you, Lord?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.

9:6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do."

9:7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one.

9:8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus.

9:9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.

9:10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, "Ananias." He answered, "Here I am, Lord."

9:11 The Lord said to him, "Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying,

9:12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."

9:13 But Ananias answered, "Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem;

9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name."

9:15 But the Lord said to him, "Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel;

9:16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."

9:17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, "Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit."

9:18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,

9:19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus,

9:20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, "He is the Son of God."

 

Who are your heroes in life? Some might say the various “first responders” who show up at accidents or at other times of tragedy to pick up the pieces, often saving lives. Others might lift up those who serve in the military, as they are willing to put their lives on the line for “freedom,” whether that means preserving American freedoms, or those of some other country. Like the first responders, our military is a volunteer effort, meaning those who serve choose to serve, and are not conscripted into service. In the waning wake of a global pandemic, we all certainly should honor those in the medical community who took great risks to care for the stricken, with more than a small number of nurses, physicians, technicians, and aides losing their own lives to COVID-19, especially in the ramp up to the broader pandemic, prior to the availability of drugs and vaccines. I would also chose to honor the medical researchers who advised the world and conjured up life-saving vaccines in record time. Any of these people I have listed would qualify as bonified heroes. 

 

Apart from disasters and epidemics, I have always viewed teachers as heroes. From the time I hit the books as a first-grader (I did not attend preschool or kindergarten), to walking across the stage at East Liberty Presbyterian Church to receive my Doctor of Ministry degree in 1998, I have venerated the ones who taught me so very much. Many of these servants were grossly underpaid and all worked long hours in the classroom, developing curriculum and lesson plans, and grading papers. Like social workers (another large class of heroes!), teachers go into that profession because of a “call” to the work. I don’t know a single teacher who ever said, “I’ll be a teacher—they make lots of money and the work is easy.” If you want to get a contemporary “education” about education, spend time over a beer or a cup of coffee with a current teacher. You will find that the challenges they face have only multiplied. And while their pay has increased, you can judge for yourself as to whether they are adequately compensated when you hear their stories. As for me, my teachers will always be my heroes.

 

Now, when we talk about heroes of the Bible, most of us can cite many who would qualify. Moses, the other prophets such as Elijah and Isaiah, King David, Rahab, the disciples of Jesus, the gospel writers, Paul, Timothy, Phoebe, Dorcas, Lydia, the Marys of the gospels, just to mention a few. I didn’t mention Jesus, as he had a bit of help—just kidding, but he is unique. Today’s Acts passage is the famous story of the Damascus Road conversion of Saul, who would soon be known as the Apostle Paul. Paul has always been one of my heroes, mostly because of his total turnabout after encountering the Risen Christ in this story, and then demonstrating bravery as he fleshed out the gospel ministry to the Gentile world. Paul is probably the main reason most of us are Christians today, thanks to this outreach beyond the Jewish community. Paul’s epistles and their theological teachings became the basis for just about everything we believe, and what the church is. I know many women have been critical for Paul’s apparent chauvinism, but when one realizes the era in which he was writing, and that he actually encourages women’s involvement in the early church—even answering to and working for a wealthy Greek heiress named Phoebe, as she bankrolled several of his missionary journeys—we can go a bit softer on our judgments of his view on women.

 

Honestly, though, the “super hero” who stands out in today’s scripture text is a guy named Ananias. The text just says he was a “disciple in Damascus,” which isn’t much of a biography to go on. God “visits” him in a vision, but it seems like more than just a vision, in that the two of them actually have a brief conversation. When God calls his name, Ananias says the magic words so many other great heroes of the Bible spoke: “Here I am, Lord.” While he must have been a humble, simple man, his response to God’s call is our first sign that he will be asked to take on a heroic task, and that he will “show up” for it, willingly. Is it any wonder that these words have been immortalized in a hymn? One that has become a favorite of many of us today—“Here I Am, Lord”? Without hesitation, our man Ananias responds to the voice of God, “Here I am, Lord.”

 

There’s an old story about a guy who falls off the edge of a cliff and as he is falling, presumably to his death, he manages to snag a branch sticking out of the side of the rock face. As he is hanging by this “thread,” he looks toward heaven as asks, “God, are you up there? Can you help me, God?” Suddenly, the voice of God booms from the clouds overhead, and God says, “Let go of the branch.” The man, too afraid to look down, and not aware that he has actually grabbed a branch that is just a few feet above the ground, inquires again, “Is there anybody ELSE up there?” This humorous story reminds us just a bit of our hero, Ananias.

 

He has answered God’s call with his “present and accounted for” response, and then God fills him in on the nature of the call: 

 

"Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight."

 

Ananias was pretty plugged in to the fledgling Christian community, apparently, and was well aware of the persecution it was facing, especially at the hands of a man named Saul of Tarsus, who had been given broad reign by the chief priests to chase down and arrest (at best) or capitally punish (at worst) Christians throughout the region. Ananias would have been well within his rights and wits to ask, “Is there anybody ELSE up there?” Or maybe, “Is there something ELSE I can do for you, God?” But God persists, filling in Ananias of God’s incredible plans for this newly minted apostle nee evil Pharisee, Saul. From persecutor of Christians extraordinaire, to perhaps the greatest spreader of the gospel ever, no one would ever become a Christian disciple again without coming to know the life and work of Saul or Paul, as he would become known. And his first contact in the new realm of his faith was to be this simple man, Ananias. The text says simply, “God said ‘Go’,” and Ananias “went.” Isn’t it amazing the courage any of us may muster when God says “Go,” and we go? Friends, Ananias is a hero for us all because he is LIKE us all! Woody Allen once said that two-thirds of success is just showing up. Ananias showed up, and here we are today, thanks in large part to the work of the man Ananias prays for to receive his sight.

 

I love the fact that the text tells us Ananias calls him “Brother Saul.” What would you say, if greeting for the first time someone who had the power to snuff out your life with a word? I’m guessing, though, that this was a faithful, genuine “brother” greeting, as Ananias seems to have such a strong faith, as all heroes seem to. He is convinced that the transformation of Saul is legitimate, and he lays hands on Saul, sharing the prophetic words he received in his vision from God. He prays not just for Saul’s sight to be restored, but also that he will be “filled with the Holy Spirit.” If the modern church has a fault, it is that most of us just don’t give the Holy Spirit of God the credit she is due for “bonding” us to Jesus, guiding our steps, illuminating our paths with wisdom, and giving us the power we need to do what we are called to do, not just in the moment, but for the long haul of the life of faith. Even the Pentecostals, who focus more passionately on the work of the Spirit, too often use the Spirit as a kind of “endorsement” or “talisman” of how “deep” their faith is. In fact, the Holy Spirit of God is more like blood in the veins of Christians and the church. Without the agency of the Holy Spirit, we and our church would surely die, or at least our faith would. Ananias knows how essential it is for Saul to “receive the Spirit,” for it is only through the Holy Spirit he will be able to accept and execute the monumental commission he is receiving from the Risen Christ as the “Apostle to the Gentiles.” 

 

The text says that after the healing and empowering prayer by Ananias, Paul “got up and was baptized.” Who baptized Paul? While the text doesn’t say, we are free to assume our hero Ananias did so! One wonders if Ananias survived the era of persecution in the church, and if so, did he, years later, have some “bragging rights” because he baptized the great Apostle Paul. Thank God, God chose a simple, obedient servant like Ananias to be the “first contact” with the post-conversion Saul!

 

At least we know of Ananias, thanks to this Acts account, and can hold him up as an “everyman” hero who helped launch the church. I remember reading a story in a Guidepostdevotional years ago about a humble shoe salesman who had attended a revival at his church one weekend, which convicted him of the need to be a better witness for Christ. The next work day, he prayed to God and promised to witness for Christ to the next customer who came into the store. He was most dismayed when it was a young teen looking for a new pair of sneakers. Never one to “connect” well with young people, nonetheless, he kept his promise and shared his faith, encouraging the young man to recommit his life to Christ and return to his church, from which he had been estranged. We don’t know the name of that shoe salesman, but the young man was Billy Graham. 

 

Simple heroes of the gospel are all around us. Who are your heroes of your faith? When I am saying prayers of gratitude to God, I pretty regularly rehearse for God’s benefit the list of “simple heroes” who have deeply touched my life. Why, just today, I wrote a letter to the members of the school board of the high school I attended (graduating from there 50 years ago this year!), encouraging them to name the recently renovated football complex after one of my teachers, the late Duane L. “Pat” Patterson. He had been hired as football coach and physical education teacher during my sojourn there, and was a strong influence on me. I was more “bookworm” than athlete while in school, and was not very careful with my physical health. “Coach Pat,” as we knew him, encouraged us to make physical fitness part of our lives, and in my senior year, that message finally kicked in. I began a weight-lifting and distance running regimen, dropped 40 pounds, and adopted a life-long discipline of caring more for my physical well-being. I ran into “Coach Pat” while out running the Summer after my graduation, and he fawned over me and how “fit” I looked. He offered even more words of encouragement. “Coach Pat” died in March after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. 

 

So, today is a day to be grateful for all of the “Ananiases” of the world—yours and mine! But let us not forget the one memorialized forever in the pages of Holy Writ—the one who was “Coach Pat” for the Apostle Paul! Amen.