Reading: Acts 9: 1-6 (7-10)
9 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.” Reflection When the kids were small and they would work themselves into a rage or outburst, I would relegate them to the bottom stair for a Time Out. Away went the offending source of rage, until tempers cooled, and logic was restored. Off went the TV game that had frustrated, until tears dried. Siblings would be separated, hopefully before they got to the stage of “breathing threats and murder.” The Time Out wasn’t so much a punishment as an enforced break to let their minds naturally clear. Often, after five minutes or so, we could speak calmly about a resolution to the videogame puzzle or a willingness to consider a brother’s perspective. Saul needed a time out, for sure. In fact, a punishment may have been more expected and hoped for, at least by those persecuted. But Jesus knows what Saul needs. Three days without sight, depending on others, hearing the voice of God and contemplating His call, will ultimately lead Saul into discipleship as the mighty and resolved evangelist for Christ, Paul. Thank God. –Heather Wolf Prayer Abba, thank you for the time outs you provide. May I take the moments you offer for peace and contemplation willingly. May they restore my reasoning and refresh my soul, leaving me calm and ready to answer your call. Amen. Our devotions are based on this Sunday’s Revised Common Lectionary (RCL). The RCL is a three-year cycle of readings telling the story of our Christian faith and corresponding to the season church calendar. On any given Sunday, we are hearing and praying and examining the same Scripture with millions of Christians around the world. In our current Year C, the Old Testament readings progress through the Prophets and have the theme of the day that it is connected to the Gospel reading. The Psalm, a song the congregation sings in response to the Old Testament reading, most often corresponds to the theme of the Hebrew Lessons and/or that of the Gospel Lesson. The lesson from the Epistles or from Acts typifies the church’s focus on the meaning of Christ for today. The Gospel lesson is connected to the season of the Church Year. This year, our gospel readings are from Luke, who writes that Jesus is the universal Savior and the perfect Son of Man. The current season of Easter brings the liturgical and biblical past into the present.
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