More Than Just Words

Acts 9:1-20; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:15-19

A few years ago the big rage among five to ten year old boys were little plastic toys known as "transformers." These ingenious little gizmos looked like any average robot-like alien creature. But with a little bit of practice small fingers could transform them, with a pull, twist, flip, and a click, into a car or tank or flying-killer-attack-weapon. wheels and wings and guns were cleverly hidden inside the robot bodies of these toys, giving them their dual identity. Fascinated by the toy's ability to change before their very eyes, kids made these "transformers" enormously popular. Indeed, we are all fascinated by stories of wondrous changes that can take place before our very eyes.

Related to this, you may remember last summer's Arnold Schwarzenegger's movie -- "Terminator 2", or T-2 as it came to be known -- the sequel to the first Terminator movie. All the characters from the original futuristic, sci-fi, run-for-your-life movie were there, but with one important difference. Schwarzenegger's character, the "terminator," had been transformed -- or in this case re-programmed -- into a kind of guardian angel for the ever pursued woman and child. Other equally death-dealing villains awaited the characters. But the "good guys" were aided by the protection and guidance of their former enemy. The Schwarzenegger-droid had threateningly vowed "I'll be back" at the conclusion of the first "terminator" movie. His promise is fulfilled in this second movie, but in a totally unexpected manner. He returns as a "good guy."

These two contemporary examples illustrate what it must have been like for Paul and Ananias, and for Simon Peter and the other disciples, to experience the transforming grace and forgiveness of Christ. If there ever was a "terminator"-like character in the Bible, it had to be Saul of Tarsus. Saul had enthusiastically earned his way onto the church's "greatest enemies" list. And, so you can understand how in our lesson from the book of Acts, when Ananias heard that Saul was headed for Damascus, he expected nothing less than the worst -- a nightmare, a horror, a holocaust.

Yet, both men were transformed from the inside-out. Saul, through his encounter with the living Christ on the road, spun 180 degrees in his life's direction. The bitter well of hatred from which he had been drawing his reason for living was suddenly sweetened by Christ's touch. He was changed into an eternal spring of love and dedication. And, what's more: Ananias' fear and loathing of this man was also changed by Christ's words into openness and acceptance of a true "brother" in the faith.

The Bible tells us to cast our anxieties on god because God cares for us. More often we carry our anxieties around with us because we are afraid of what God will do to us if we let God have them.

There is the story of two Japanese monks who were travelling down a muddy road through a terrible rain storm, making it difficult for anyone to walk. Around a bend in the road, they met a lovely girl in a flowing silk kimono, unable to cross an intersection. One mon, Tanzan, immediately took the girl in his arms and carried her through the mud and only more secure ground.

The monks continued their hike, but the other monk, Ekido, spoke not a word until they reached their temple lodging that night. Then, when he could keep quiet no longer, he said, "We monks never go near females, most particularly not young and pretty ones." And then Ekido added, "It is dangerous, it is tempting fate to do what you did." "Why did you do it?" he asked.

"I left the girl there," replied the other monk, Tanzan, in a quiet voice. "Are you still carrying her?"

In our gospel lesson, Simon Peter, filled with guilt and convinced of his failure, sees the face of the risen Christ and

expects the worst -- judgment, accusation, termination. But Jesus' welcoming words and soothing actions dissipate Peter's guilt and transform it into faith and love. Instead of the judgment he feared, Peter found himself entrusted with a new mission and a unique authority. The disciple who could not even stand up for his Lord on the night he was imprisoned, is now called on to watch over all members of the faith, guiding them and guarding them into the future.

Part of what children found so entrancing about the little toy "transformers" is that the robot-aliens usually changed from being body-shaped creatures into some kind of vehicle. Their transformation was usually into some weapon-like-transport -- a tank, a plane, a car -- which was capable of doing all sorts of things they could not perform in their original form. Christ's transforming love empowers us in the same way. We become vehicles for that love, and like Saul, we too are charged with "carrying" Christ-the-Good-News out into the world. Under the power of Christ's love, Saul becomes the apostle Paul, perhaps the single most influential figure in the history of the church. Simon Peter became a vehicle to move the church itself into the future, safeguarding its integrity and welfare.

We all can become transformers, like Simon Peter did. Sometimes we don't think that we have it in us. We may think that the work of transforming persons, of sharing Christ's love is something left for the minister of the church to do. But, believe me, each of us can be a transformer doing the job we do.

Former President Jimmy Carter in a speech before a seminary gathering once explained how he, a politician, was able to do the Lord's work of feeding the hungry, housing the homeless, and alleviating human suffering and misery. He explained that it was in order to do this kind of ministry that he felt called to enter politics.

It seems that Carter's call to go into the political arena came as a result of a 1962 revival at Plains Baptist Church. An evangelist from Columbus, Georgia, came to preach both the morning and evening services. During the revival Carter confessed to the evangelist that he was feeling called to run for state senator. At that time the Georgia political establishment was threatening to close down the whole Georgia public school system if one white child had to sit next to one black child.

The evangelist said to Carter, "I don't think it is really a good idea for a Sunday School teacher and a Baptist deacon to risk compromising himself by getting into the dirty arena of politics." Carter's answer was and is a classic:

"How would you like to have a church with 75,000 members?"

"What do you mean?" the evangelist asked.

"I believe that I can serve human needs and be a minister of compassion and justice to my district as much as you can with your congregation."

Indeed, God can take us, right where we are and use us to make a difference in the world. Through Christ we are trans formed, no longer afraid, no longer terminators, but originators, co-creators with God, bringing light into the world.

Amen.