In our scripture readings for the Third Sunday of Easter, Saul of Tarsus is on the warpath to Damascus, preparing to bring any Jesus-followers he finds there, back to Jerusalem in chains. But with the help of Ananias, and then Barnabas, Jesus gives Saul a second chance, an opportunity to change direction in life, and become a Jesus-follower himself. And with the help of Peter, Jesus gives Aeneas and Tabitha second chances for the same reason, for the purposes of building faith in the people around them.....
Back when I was in high school and university, I used to work at a paint store Thursday and Friday evenings and all day Saturdays. And early one Sunday afternoon, I got an unexpected call from my manager, which was weird, because we were closed Sundays, like many stores in the1980's. The manager was at the store with a young couple....and the police. The young couple had wandered into the store, and when they realised no one was there, in the high trust society of the 1980's, they did NOT empty the till and help themselves to 100 gallons of paint, they called the police, and the police called my manager. And my manager called me because it was MY responsibility to lock the front door when I left on Saturday! SINCE nothing was missing, the police did not have any questions for me, like, who are my accomplices in robbing the store I left open. But they might have had questions about my manager's sanity in employing someone as irresponsible as myself. Was this a fire-able offence? Absolutely! Imagine how embarrassed my manager must have been, on a Sunday he should not have had to worry about the store, much less be there. But my manager was gracious, and I was given the thing that comes with emotions hard to describe with words – I was given....a second chance....
Ever since the Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, heard the testimony of the deacon Stephen, and watched over the coats of the elders who stoned Stephen, Saul has been a zealot for the destruction of the Way – the Christian life. And after dragging a number of Christians from their homes into prison in Jerusalem, Saul wants to make a road trip to Damascus. And his reputation precedes him. Ananias prays to the Lord, “I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem.” Saul's coming to Damascus, strikes fear in the early church there, and steals from its supply of hope for survival.
And in the early churches of Lydda and Sharon and Joppa, the initial enthusiasm for belonging to the Way, the excitement of Jesus' resurrection, was starting to fade. Yes, the churches were still growing, but slowly, at the pace of long discussions and worldly apathy. And, tragic circumstances had occurred - the beloved and devoted disciple Tabitha had died, impacting morale.
We do not have a Saul of Tarsus coming to town to drag us off to prison, thankfully! But that does not mean the church is not under attack. On March 25th, the House of Commons passed bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, which, if it passes in the Senate, will affect Section 319, subsection 2 in the Criminal Code, which reads: “Every one who, by communicating statements, other than in private conversation, wilfully promotes hatred against any identifiable group is guilty of an indictable offence and is liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.” Specifically, among other things, Bill C-9 will REPEAL clause 319(3b), the Scripture defense, which states: “No person shall be convicted of an offence under subsection (2) if, in good faith, the person expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text.” In summary, if Bill C-9 passes in the Senate, people in Canada who communicate passages of Scripture that can be interpreted as promoting hatred against any identifiable group, can be dragged off to Jerusalem in chains for two years. The big question will be, WHO gets to interpret the Scripture? You already know the most likely answer – the identifiable group.
And to assert that there is an enthusiasm for becoming a Christian in our society – that would be a stretch. While there does seem to be a growth trend in some denominations, most people have heard the Jesus story already, and our culture has inoculated them against it. Thanks to the media, someone following the Way to its utmost is now called “radicalised,” and in some jurisdictions, praying out loud in public will attract police officers. Our supply of hope for the survival of the church is being stolen from, and morale is not great....
Jesus intercepts Saul of Tarsus on the road to Damascus. He makes himself known to Saul through a bright light from heaven, and a period of blind helplessness. Jesus breaks Saul's routine, and gives him a reason to change the trajectory of his life. He gives Saul...a second chance. And Jesus uses his disciple Ananias to remove the scales from Saul's eyes, and his disciple Barnabas later, to figuratively remove the scales from the apostles' eyes to show the total conversion accomplished in Saul. Saul immediately becomes a target for assassination, because his testimony has the power of the second chance.
And Jesus sends his disciple Peter to the town of Lydda, and then to the town of Joppa, to give Aeneas a second chance at usefulness, and Tabitha a second chance at life itself. The results of these miracles are the same. With the powerful testimony of the second chance, many, many people come to faith in the Lord.
At some point in time, many of us have found ourselves acting as if faith in the Lord was at least unimportant, if not, a bad thing. And at some point in time, Jesus gave us a second chance, making himself known to us, likely through the efforts of one or more of his disciples. May we use the powerful emotion of that second chance to help our morale, as we wait to see what the second chance for our church will look like. And may we be open to help Jesus in whatever way is necessary, to deliver a second chance to others.
Gracious God, we thank you for sending your son Jesus to die on the cross, to give us a second chance for eternal life with you. Keep the joy of the resurrection strong in our lives, in Jesus name, amen.