Sermon – Jesus Interrupts Saul Energy

(I preached this sermon at Christ Lutheran Church in Harrisburg, PA on Sunday April 19, 2026. The sermon is based on Acts 9:1-19. You can also listen to the audio at this link.)

There is a kind of faith in the world right now that should make us uneasy.

It is loud.
It is certain.
It claims God is on its side.

And it is doing harm.

You can see it in the headlines just from this past week.

Political leaders wrapping themselves in the image of Jesus while mocking the very teachings of Jesus.
Sacred language being used to justify cruelty.
Scripture twisted to bless violence.
Power defended at all costs and called righteousness.

This is not new.

This is Saul.

Before the road to Damascus.
Before the scales fall from his eyes.
Before he becomes the one who proclaims good news to the nations.

He is a man convinced he is right.
So convinced that he is willing to harm others in the name of God.

He was present at the killing of Stephen.
In our reading today, we hear that he is breathing threats.
That he is hunting people down.

And he believes he is faithful.

That is what makes him dangerous.

Because when harm is wrapped in the language of faith, it becomes harder to see.
When power speaks the name of God, it becomes easier to justify.
When people believe they are defending God, they stop listening to God.

And so Jesus interrupts him.

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Not why are you persecuting my followers.
Not why are you causing trouble for the church.

Why are you persecuting me?

Jesus so closely identifies with those who are being harmed that to wound them is to wound him.

So if we want to find Jesus in this story, we do not start with Saul.

We start with the people Saul is chasing.

We start with the ones who are afraid.
The ones who are vulnerable.
The ones who are pushed aside.

That is where Jesus is.

And if we want to ask where Saul is in the world today, we do not have to look very far.

Anytime faith is used to control instead of to serve.
Anytime the name of Jesus is used to exclude instead of to welcome.
Anytime harm is justified because the cause feels righteous.

That is Saul energy.

It can live out there in public.
It can also live in here. In us.

Because certainty can take root in anyone.

And then comes the moment that changes everything.

Saul is knocked to the ground.
He loses his sight.
The one who thought he could see clearly now cannot see at all.

For three days he sits in darkness.
No food.
No water.

It is a kind of death.

The death of the person he thought he was.
The death of his certainty.
The death of his understanding of God.

And this is the part we resist.

We want transformation without loss.
We want new life without letting anything go.
We want resurrection without the cross.

But the story will not let us skip over this.

Something has to die.

In Saul’s case, it is the version of faith that allowed him to harm others while believing he was serving God.

So the question is not only what happened to Saul.

The question is what in us needs to fall away.

Where are we holding on to something that keeps us from seeing clearly?

Where are we resisting the very change that could lead to life?

Because Jesus is still encountering people.

Still interrupting.
Still asking hard questions.

And those encounters are not always comfortable.

Saul does not come out of that darkness on his own.

God sends Ananias.

And Ananias knows exactly who Saul is.

He knows the damage.
He knows the fear.
He knows the risk.

And still, he goes.

He lays his hands on Saul and calls him brother.

And in that moment, Saul begins to see again.

Which tells us something important.

Transformation is not a solo journey.

Even Saul, who will travel across the Mediterranean Sea and regions of the Roman Empire, start communities, write letters that shape the church, does not begin alone.

He needs someone to help him see.

We need that too.

We need people who will tell us the truth when we cannot see it.
We need people who will stay when it would be easier to walk away.
We need people who trust that God is not finished with us.

And we are called to be that kind of presence for others.

And here is where this story comes close to home.

Because encounters with Jesus are not limited to blinding lights and voices from heaven.

They happen every day.  Right here.

One of the nurses at the medical outreach clinic said something that has stayed with me.
She said she loves being there because she knows these are the people Jesus was talking about.

That is not abstract theology.

That is recognition.

We encounter Jesus in this neighborhood and in this church.

We encounter Jesus every time someone comes in and we have to use Narcan.
We encounter Jesus in every person sitting in a dental chair, hoping the pain will finally stop.
We encounter Jesus in the one who does not know how the rent will get paid.
We encounter Jesus in the immigrant who is carrying fear that does not go away.
We encounter Jesus in the stories that get shared when someone finally feels heard.
We encounter Jesus in worship when people show up as they are, with questions, with doubt, with hurt, with joy, with everything they carry.

This is where Jesus is.

Not aligned with power that harms.
Not when faith is used a weapon.

Not in memes using Jesus or fake scripture verses to bless war. 

Jesus is among the people who are most often overlooked. 

St. John Chrysostom, who died in 407, emphasized that the true church is found where the poor are, once saying that “if you cannot find Christ in the beggar at the church door, you will not find him in the chalice” meaning the eucharist.  

Likewise, Fr. Joseph J Krupp, a Catholic priest was asked this question – “Father, if there is a schism in the church, how will we know who is right?”  His answer was simple – Follow the poor.  Look to see who is offering love and care for the marginalized.  That’s where Christ is. 

Which means if we want to follow Jesus, we have to pay attention to where he is showing up.

Saul’s story is not just about a dramatic conversion.

It is about what happens when Jesus refuses to let someone continue down a path that brings harm.

It is about what happens when blindness gives way to sight.

It is about what happens when a life is turned in a new direction.

And it is about how that change continues.

Because the good news in this story is not just that Saul changes.

It is that Jesus does not give up on him.

Jesus confronts him.

Jesus leads him through the darkness.

Jesus sends people to walk with him.

And Jesus brings him into a new life.

That same movement is still happening.

Right here and right now.  Thanks be to God.