“STAR OF THE DAY WHO WILL IT BE?”

ACTS 9:1-20

9:1  Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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."

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,

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."

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

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

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;

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

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."

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

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

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

Star of the day who will it be.  Your vote may hold the key.

It’s up to you.  Tell us who will be star of the day.

Do you remember those words?  You used to hear them sung every week at the end of a local television show called “Community Auditions.”  I used to watch the show every Sunday morning when I got home from church.  It was a talent show that was hosted by Dave Maynard.  Each week you watched people sing and dance and do their magic tricks.  Then when the show was over you called a special number and voted for your “Star of the Day.”

Today, of course Ruth Gallot is our “Star of the Day.”  She’s the one who will be receiving our affirmation, applause and words of appreciation.  Ruth would be the first to agree though that there are really many stars who need to be recognized today.  That’s because Ruth didn’t get here all by herself. Over the years there were many people who shared their gifts with her and in doing that became an important part of her journey to ordained ministry in the United Church of Christ. 

People like her mother who undoubtedly taught her when she was a little girl how to say her prayers before she went to bed at night.  Or maybe there was a special Sunday School teacher who told her how the tomb was empty on that first Easter morning.  Or a youth minister who planted the seeds of her call many years ago without even knowing it.  Let’s also not forget the good people in this Body of Christ who surrounded her with love and in doing that showed her what it means to be a family of faith. Or the good people in North Reading who encouraged Ruth when she was a student minister to claim the gifts that God gave her to teach and preach and administer the sacraments.  There’s also the young couple Ruth met late one night when she was doing her clinical pastoral education at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  Some of you already know the story.  So, you know how they looked at her with sadness in their eyes one night and asked her to baptize their baby when it was born prematurely and they weren’t pretty sure it wasn’t going to live. That incredibly powerful and poignant moment helped Ruth understand what it means as a minister to be an instrument of God’s grace.

The point is simple. Over the years many people shared their gifts with Ruth and in doing that became an important part of her journey to this sacred moment.  I think it’s also safe to say that there are a few more stars waiting for her down the road. Some of them are probably waiting for her right now at the Longmeadow Church in Auburn, New Hampshire.  One of the gifts you’ll need to share with Ruth is the gift of patience. You’ll need to be patient as she gets comfortable with the whole idea of having that R-E-V in front of her name. 

You see minister are human.  Ministers do make mistakes.  In fact I guarantee you that every minister can remember a moment when he or she felt the same way a young minister felt shortly after he arrived at his first church.  It all started when he received a phone call from the local funeral director asking him to do a graveside funeral at the local cemetery.  The young minister was glad to help out.   Unfortunately, because he was new to the community he got hopelessly lost on his way to the cemetery.  By the time he got there he was 45 minutes late. The funeral director and the family were long gone. The only ones there were a couple of workmen who were eating their lunch.  The young minister felt terrible but decided it was his duty to go ahead and say the appropriate prayers. So, he walked over to the hole in the ground and did his best too look pastoral and professional. He opened his book and read the liturgy in a loud and clear voice. Then he started to walk back to his car.  That’s when one of the workers turned to the other one and said, “That was nice, but do you think we should tell him that it’s really just the septic tank.”

Every minister makes mistakes which is why there are times when they need the gift of patience from the people in the pews. So even though Ruth is our star of the day, it would be a mistake to underestimate or fail to appreciate the gifts that God has given to the people in the pews. That’s why I think the story that tells us what happened to Paul on the road to Damascus is so important.  Some people say that Paul became a Christian when he saw that blinding flash of light. Some people say that Paul became a Christian when he heard that voice from the heavens say to him, “Saul, Saul why do you persecute me?”

That certainly was a transcendent moment for Paul, but I don’t believe that’s when he became a Christian. I believe it actually happened a few days later when he was given an incredible gift from a simple man with a big heart.  The man’s name was Ananias.  Now, if you think what happened to Paul on the road to Damascus was a little stressful what Ananias had to do was even more stressful. 

You see shortly after Paul, blind and bewildered as he was, staggered into Damascus Ananias was told to go and pay him a visit. That’s right. The Lord told Ananias to go and visit this hate filled man who had come to Damascus to prosecute and persecute people like Ananias.  Now it should come as no surprise that Ananias wasn’t too thrilled when he heard what the Lord wanted him to do.  “Lord,” he said, “I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem...”  That’s what Ananias said.  What he probably wanted to say was, “You can’t be serious Lord.  You want me to do what?”

Ananias had his doubts but he did what the Lord wanted him to do. He went to Paul and not only did he heal this man who despised him but also he did something else. He did something else that almost gives you chills. You see when Ananias saw Paul it would have been very easy for him to snicker and sneer.  It would have been very easy for Ananias to scowl and scold Paul.  It would have been easy for Ananias to smile and say to him, “Good. It serves you right for being such a mean spirited stinker.” Instead of doing that though Ananias looked at this man who came to Damascus as his enemy and called him, “Brother Saul.”  “Brother Saul,” he said, “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."

I can’t even begin to image the effect those words must have had on Paul. Can you?  Brother Saul.  With those words Ananias forgave Paul and embraced him as a friend. It was an incredible grace filled moment that swept away the hatred in Paul’s heart.  I believe that the simple gift that Ananias gave to Paul that day is what made him a Christian. The seeds were planted on the way to Damascus when Paul saw that flash of light and heard that voice thunder from the heavens.  The deal was sealed though when Ananias walked into that room and with love in his heart said to him, “Brother Saul.”

Most of the time people focus on the cosmic flash and bang that Paul experienced on his way to Damascus.  Now there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you don’t forget Ananias; as long as you don’t forget that simple man who gave Paul that simple gift and in doing that literally changed the course of history.

Ruth may be the star of today, but let’s not forget the every day people like Ananias who shared their gifts with her and in doing that helped her get here.  I know that Ruth values those gifts. It’s the reason why she wanted those words read today from Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians. It’s a passage that proclaims very emphatically that we have all been given gifts and those gifts have been given “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ…”

So, today a day to celebrate Ruth’s ordination to the Christian ministry, but it’s also a day to ask yourself a simple question. What your gifts are and more importantly how you’re using them to make the love of Christ real. 

Many years ago when I was taking classes up on the Hill Gabe Fackre was one of the professors who taught systematic theology.  In his book The Christian Story he points out that we are all called to be ministers and that the Body of Christ needs both the ministers in the pulpit and the ministers in the pews.  Without the ministers in the pulpit the church runs the risk of suffering from amnesia. Without the ministers in the pew the church runs the risk of suffering from anemia. . 

So, I’ll ask the question again. What are your gifts and how are you using them to make the love of Christ real?  As you ponder that question remember Ananias. Remember Ananias because the gifts aren’t always flashy. In fact, sometimes it’s the simple gifts that are the most important; the most powerful.

If you have any doubts about that, let me share with you one of my favorite stories. Some of the members of my congregation might groan because they’ve heard the story several times. It’s a wonderful story though that helps you understand what ministry is really all about. The story is about a little girl who was late getting home from school one day.  Her mother wasn’t too pleased when she finally walked into the kitchen.  “Young lady,” the mother said sternly.  “I thought I told you to come home right after school today.”  The little girl apologized by said she had a good reason for being late. “On my way home from school,” she said, “I saw another little girl who was crying because her doll was broken.”  The mother nodded her head with pride.  “Oh,” she said. “That was very nice of you.  You stopped to help her fix her doll.”  “No,” the little girl replied.  “I stopped to help her cry.”

More often than not it’s the simple gifts that are the most important. “Brother Saul,” that’s all it took to melt away the hatred in Paul’s heart. It was a simple gift that came from a simple everyday man by the name of Ananias.  It was a simple gift that came from someone who was probably a lot like you.  Amen.

Dr. Richard A. Hughes

June 18, 2006 –

Sermon preached at the ordination of Ruth Gallot to the Christian ministry