CONVERTED
‘April 16, 19890
“8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Worship Services S
John=M: Buchanan

Fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago __

as ...and. suddenly a. ‘light froa heaven: flashed vand...a \ voice.
And he said ‘who are. you,: Lord?! And he said, 'y am Jesus;...rise
and enter: the city..." ee oe Acts 9: 3 6. (RSV),

The. ‘topic this morning is” conversion, “abd 1 “suppose there. is. no
subject that makes us. ‘more: ‘uncomfortable. Jimmy Dean used. to. tell a
wonderful story about an evangelistic, fire and brimstone preacher

“back hills of Tennessee. He was on a kind of. ‘roll, bearing down. heavily « on

the sinfulness of his listeners. and God's demanding love. And, as is the —
case with that style of pulpit delivery, his listeners. were responding
helping him out, cheering him. on. | "Amen. Tell” it brother. Praise’ the ,

Lord..." He was turning his. attack to the. moral implications of the
Gospel, ‘how. strong drink was the work of the devil. _ “amen, tell it. oS
brother," ‘and tobacco, snuff, pipes... ‘and suddenly ae voice from. the. ‘back
pew: "Now you've stopped preachin' and gone to meddlin."

The topic doas: make. us ‘uncomfortable because of its propensity. to...
meddle in. our. affairs. “Our deepest | beliefs are. private, | privileged, and |
besides, there is an attitudinal -presumptuousness: on the. part. of the newly:
converted toward those they regard as not yet converted that. is. very. simply
uncharitable, un- ~Christlike. :

We are offended, rightly, by the attitude exhibited by. the. newly
reborn — that the rest of us are. living. in darkness. and ignorance. 1. find |
it particularly irritating when a person: who- has spent a lifetime in the |
church, nurtured. by loving parents, taught. by. ‘Sunday School - teachers, | the.
recipient: of ‘the church's ministry, announces one day at the age of. twenty-
five that he/she has found the Lord. and become a Christian . =.as if.
everything before was. sub- ~Christian, if not pagan. 1 have problens, with
the theology. and the psychology Of that. :

And of course, for. many. of. us there is a direct relationship between
conversion.-and:the heavy- -handed pleadings of. the. new born again.
evangelicals.

=. * Before’ the day. of televangelism there were traveling: evangelists -

child evangelists; the name. itself: makes us recoil, ‘those of ws: who know
about the developmental sensitivities of. children: and believe. the religious
task is. one -of nurturing, loving and accepting. But they were called child

“evangelists and their goal was to persuade children to. be converted... They
came to town with the theological equivalent. of a traveling medicine show,
setting up a tent, or working out of. the back of a station wagon at. Summer
Vacation Bible-school; and they were very,. very good. -Magic. tricks: were (a

_ favorite Jead in, and puppets, with music sung and played, and then the

= part I: loved: best. ;

The lights would go out except. for a-few. coloured spotlights’ on va
flannel board, and with sweet music on the electronic organ he told the
story of Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus to persecute. Christians. He
put. the cloth figures up on that beard as. the story proceeded: — cocky,
arrogant, mean Saul, so sure of himself, so cruel: and contemptible — on his
way. to break: up families and to tear mothers and fathers: away: from their
children for believing in. Jesus, Then the blinding light, Jesus speaking
to him and Saul falling down, blind, helpless and weak. Good old Ananias
is there, just in the nick of time to get him indoors, a little nervous
about Saul's unsavory reputation; and Paul regaining his sight.-and- turning
into the mightiest warrior Jesus ever had: fighting on his side. The
pictures of Paul left no doubt that we were seeing something new. and
spectacular: Saul, now Paul was taller, cleaner- shaven, stood straighter
and smiled. And then - lights still out, organ playing sweetly — the
evangelist would turn to the gathered assembly and suggest that what:

happened to Saul can happen to anyone if we just ask for it, listen for the
voice: everyone can become new and good and strong and whole. In the
darkness, with the organ still playing: “if. you can hear Jesus calling your
hame, just raise your hand and if you will just come forward and kneel here
in the front. The small hands sneaked up in the darkness and the children
came, not sure whether to be happy or terrified, not knowing what to
expect, hoping their friends wouldn't catch wind of it, and if they did,
hoping they'd be as accepting as Jesus was supposed to. be.:

—

The topic makes us uncomfortable,. and meaning no disrespect, there
are good enough reasons for our discomfort... Although, if 1 had. to choose
between the exploitation of children practiced by the old tent evangelists
and that practiced by American toy manufacturers who bludgeon our children
with commercials and violent cartoons, I'll take my chances with the
evangelist: : : :

Nonetheless, the topic makes Presbyterians nervous. In his classic
Chicago, City on the Make, Nelson Algren describes Dwight Lb. Moody,
“going about the streets straight-arming people with the simple and
terrible question, ‘Are you a Christian? [p. 18]

And that was before the travesty of televangelism;: which magnifies a
thousand times over the mild manipulations of the old traveling
evangelists. It was said of Billy Sunday that when he preached you could
feel-‘the flames of hell licking around the wooden legs. of your. folding
chair. And if you have ever taken the time to watch a carefully
orchestrated “and choreographed televangelism show you know you: are watching
something new and powerful and enormously. influential. ce oe

4/16/89

ae a

around. Galilee came to be known as Church.

apparently. There was a bright light ‘and a voice and he. was. blin ed

So it makes. good. Presbyterians 1 nervous and for very good. reason. And
yet, if it is. about anything, the Gospel of Jesus Christ | dis about change,
transformation of ‘society and also of. the. individual. At As. about Raking a
decision and then diving it out. : : 2 ae

There aren't many things about ‘which Christians agree, but about. thie

‘we-are virtually of one mind: - that: human nature . ‘can stand some

improvement, some change for the good; that natural human nature is” |
inclined to mess things up thoroughly. _

It's Ss not that. we haven! t tried to see it the. other. way, ive. ‘that 2

human nature is basically good. We can still become romantic. about the.
notion of. the noble. savage, untouched. by. civilization, the. natural - human

up.

S ‘The simple fact | seems. ‘to be ‘that human beings are , programmed for :
selfishness; inclined to see the world. from our: wn rsp ith -
ourselves at the center. We want to be god, it appears, and when we get _
together. in tribes, clans, nations, cultures, our: self- -centeredness, grows” S
in quantum leaps and we find it easy to ce ourselves that :
destined ‘to rule and the others are our inferiors. : eS

“Sin is what. we used to” call” it and still. do, this inherent. cae
selfishness, this inclination of the human soul to "curve | in upon ‘itself, ee
in Luther! '§_ memorable. image. We live for ourselves, unless We: put.
something ise in the: center of our being, unless we place God. ‘there,
accept the Lordship « of Jesus Christ. >

That is what conversion ie

And, 80, det! Ss gO back and ook again at ‘one of our. ‘original a.

of the _ synagogue. in those. places, gradually ‘Separated
feeling was not. often positive. ‘Tempers flared — :
you have. -blasphemed God — insulted Yahweh:" When possible’ he synogogue _

persuaded Rome..to help root out: the church. Of course, among. those self-
appointed prosecutors was” a young. zealot named Saul of: Tarsus, ‘strong, _ oe

energetic, | passionately committed to his. own faith. - Saul is. on the way- ee
Damascus. a one-— man "committee on subversive. activity) eager. to. identify — =
and destroy the young heretical movement. called church. It As on. the road” oe
that it happens.

“Flannery. O'Connor ‘quipped. that she “peckoned the Lord ‘new. “that he
only. way to make a. Christian out of that one was: to. knock. him off. his Boe:
horse." [see William Willimon, Interpretations, The Acts: of the Apostles,

p. 73)

Something 1 like that is exactly. what happened. to. young. Saul. or tarsus

rendered speechless, although the people. with hin seem not. to have noticed

4/16/89

being who is by nature Just, honest, selfless, but. the notion doesn‘ t hold. 8

much; $0 berhaps we shouldn' t take the lights and voices too ey: In
any. event the result is that an enemy of Jesus becomes “an apostle;
persecutor | of the. church, once the initial shock fades, becomes. “ae beathes

~ with a new Latinized name — Paul. And next to his Lord, it:is simply not
Pporible to. imagine the: history of the Western world without him.

“Notice. the personal nature. of the experience. Saul! S$ life. is “being

Ss turned around, but other: people: with him are essentially unaffected.

Notice that the experience is both conversion = and ‘also : :
commissioning: that Saul is changed. from enemy. to friend far. the purpose
of: “serving his Lord. That -is, the experience is not simply for his own
spiritual | edification and’ gratification, ‘but in order to: launch him into a
_isUme’o of extraordinary purposefulness: and. intentionality. coe

“Notice that the result of the experience was to render him sightless:
and ‘speechless, helpless actually, newly modest, ao “know-it-all” become ‘a
learner: and how. unlike most. of: the newly converted people I have known,
who. suddenly know all the answers.

OU Norise that this” experience sets Paul on a new journey, that. becoming
2 Christian for him is. a ‘process, not an. event. :

What. happened to Saul of ‘Tarsus: hae, din one way or. another, _happened
te. a. tot of people in’ ‘history.

William James. wrote a. classic in ‘4902 called The. Varities of
Religious Experience in which he suggested. that some > people come ‘to their.

= religious insights in:one, great moment of revelation. “And others. ‘come: to

‘their religious insights along the way of a life— long pilgrimage.
Conversion can be either, . event: or. process, ‘apparently.

= Rollo. May, writing about Carl Jung's analysis of the unconscious in.
our » psychological make— -Up | observes that. "the. more we are. unconsciously
smitten with doubts: about. an idea; the more dogmatically we fight for it in

our” ‘conscious arguments. This. is why persons. as different as St. ‘Paul and

‘the alcoholic. in ‘the’ Bowery £0. ‘through such radical conversions.’ [The
‘Gourage to Create, Be G2) :

=. "Unfortunately there | was nobody. there to debrief St. Paul, so we don't
know: for sure, but. it is not™ unreasonable. to. imagine that on occasion the
thought | occurred to him. that the. Jesus. he was “convinced. was. God's. enemy, —
just” might be God's son..: that: these very people he was. expos ing. and
arresting were actually right.

- He had,: after all, the Acts of Apostles reports earlier, watched an

' angry -mob_ ‘stone Stephen to. death, had held their. coats, asa ‘matter of.
fact: “stood there watching as young Stephen, a contemporary. of his, died
for Jesus.. had heard Stephen's haunting last words = “Lord ‘Jesus, receive
my spirit - ~ do not hold this sin against them." [Acts 7:59-- 60]

“So perhaps there was ‘something going on. in Saul! s-omind, as he walked

along. toward Damascus. Perhaps it was not ‘sudden at all. It has happened
_Tepeatedly but not always jnstantaneously. and: not always: with clarity.

4/16/89

; architecture, ugly music. and bad: poetry" and: call

journey. up. till. then. it. was | ‘not. =SO much that. a door opened as. that L-

Dwight Moody was So vague about. what he. believed that. he. was. turned. :
down the first time he tried to join a. church and then one day, as. he- wrote :
later, "I. walked out upon Boston: Commons. and: heard. the. birds. singing. in the”
trees, I thought they were all singing a song to me.. . it seemed to. ‘me that)
I was in love with all creation."* ee

Soren: Kierkegaard wrote in his: diary, =~. 10: 30 a. m. , May 19, 1881 -

“There is an indescribable joy."*

of. Ss. Eliot. péars: his witness as. in “Ash Wednesday, ‘the: poem, a. man

turns and turns on a winding. Stairway. %€

“And C. S. ‘Lewis wrote a book ‘about h "journey: ‘from atheism, to faith
Christianity; how "Christianity was. mainly. associated for. Me. with ugly —

it. Surprised: by Joy. * :
| *[See. ‘Hugh T. ‘Kerr. and John MM, ‘Mulder, Conversions] He Q

‘Frederick Buechner, _ in his. autobiographic: | book, The Sacred. Journey,

tells. how. as. a young man, he was. intrigued | with. the intellectual | sharpness. __

of the preaching of. George. Buttrick vat Madison. ‘Avenue Presbyterian. Church ©
in New York and how once he heard Buttrick talk. ‘about. Jesus. Christ. being

“crowned king in: the: heart of believers among. confession. and tears: and ‘great

laughter. - Buechner writes:

; “Te was ‘the phrase: 'great. laughter! that. did it, dia “whatever” its
that IT believe must have been : hidden An the doing: al the. years. cof. mye

suddenly found that a ‘door had been: open all along which I. had. only” just.
stumbled: upon.. [The Sacred Journey. De 1107 =.

“What. is it = this” process. we! ve, ‘been. discussing?
confronting, encountering people sin Jesus” Christ. . -It is God, gheosine,
bearing in on, sometimes: making things uncomfortable. for individual men and
women. -It's a God, of. holy. love | forcing the. decision. and | An: the: ‘proces Be
offering the gift of full life to People: who. are’ choosing to live: dust halt

a life. : : : : ee &

oe It is. also: struggle, “doubt, “argument. It is. ‘resigtance, “out. of” :
simple human inertia because change. isnot something ‘any of us. weleomes, or:
because we know: intuitively that the topic is about ultimate things and if
we ever let ourselves begin to deal with ity actually allowed a little of.
the light and voice to penetrate, we might find: that. our. relationships, our.
priorities, how: we. spent our time. ‘and money and how. we. voted, might | all be ms
changed. = : Les : : : oe :

Conversion is the process of. change that. | happens: to: you andst me when
we.-al.low ‘God's | love into: our. lives. Ss ee es

For ‘most of. us” that” is. not going. to be! a. once- “and: for- all shattering :
experience. Not everybody. has. a Damascus Road experience. eet vis: ‘not aoe
model - for. everyone. For most of us. “it. is going. to. be. a process:. :

4/16/89

“The fact of the. matter is ‘that the life. of faith is a growing, a
- becoming ~ regardless OF where it begins. HEE oe cae

We are Christians and we are » becoming: Christians.
We are saved and we are in the process of being Saved.
We are converted and we are converting. |

=: veelte isa process, for most of us, and it will continue every day
of: Our lives. Pe Le

: It is ‘always a commissioning. For some. of us it means: stopping dead
ine our tracks, turning around and going another direction. For: same of.us
it means a new: ‘vocation, © cashing in; - packing: Up: and going back. to school.

oo a broker becomes. Slereviersin, an ad ‘executive becomes | a- social worker ‘and

it works | the other way. -too., “a minister signs up for an ‘M.B-A. For some
“it means: radical, vocational. change: but. for all of us this conversion
business. ds a. ‘commissioning to service: "Do you. love me. Peter?" Jesus
asked in one of the Bible's most dramatic conversion “accounts: And- Peter,
with: Ancreasing desperation answers, "You | know Lord that r Jove you." And
Jens says) Feed) my eheeb. oes oe

: “The way you are converted - is not simply by enjoying an ‘emotional

experience, however sweet “it: might. be, nor is it -by finally. figuring out :
how the. source. ‘of all being inhabits humanity in. a tightly reasoned : fee
: doctrine “Of incarnation. It is by feeding. sheep... The evidence always ‘in : ;
every. age” “As: ‘that: children: tutored, hungry, fed, homeless Sheltered,

unlovely | Joved: Be :

“Ine a: | good little book. about “creativity, Rollo May describes the
- experience of artistic. preak through in terms Chat sounded Co, me° remarkably
like” Helle lous. conversion. . ee :

oswhat. occurs | in this” breakthrough is. not. simply: growth: it is much-
=more: ‘dynamic. “Tt is:not a mere: expansion ‘of ‘awareness; dt is rather a kind
of battle. A dynamic. struggle goes on within a person between what he or
shey consciously thinks: on the: one hand: and,--on the other, some. insight,

= some. ‘perspective that is struggling to be born. The insight is then born
with) anatety, ‘Built, bute also - Joy. and gratification.” “[op.- cit., “pe 62,

. 63} =: : : oe

aT think. everyone of. us Knows a little bit: about” that = about the

: dynamic: struggle that= goes” on inside us ‘between. what we think we know. for 2
“sure and. a new insight struggling to life. We know, I think, about the _
Painful birth Struggle of the: self that. goes on every day of our. lives.

“Tive seen it. Anyone who. has ever talked’to another human. being

: about the meaning of his or her life, about dissatisfaction, frustration,
aspirations, hopes, new goals, new possibilities, knows about the pain and

- passion of a new. birth. I've been moved by it; “when. people IT: Know change
their lives; change jobs, © change attitudes.”

et,

-“Itis a: process; this business of being: converted to = Jesus* Christ.

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And it is God's project. God initiates it, knocks a few people down now

and then, but:-is. always confronting, encounter ing.

Tt began for some in the darkness of a church service; when we
sneaked a hand up in the air and hoped no one noticed — only to discover
over. the years that someone did notice, someone who has kept at it; has
kept ‘confronting :us. :

And for some it was accompanied by bright lights and voices and for.
many, many others of us, it is accompanied by quiet hours of doubt,
struggle, reflection, hope. and sometimes love, laughter and: high; holy joy;

Sometimes it*is a road to:some Damascus and sometimes it-is Michigan
Avenue, or LaSalle Street, or® I- -94, :

The promise to which I gladly bear withess. is that the Lord Christ
will continue to pursue’ you,. will never: pive up, wild. continue to encounter
us, and that daily we will be given the responsibility, the privilege, of
making our:.decision:

The. promise is that the. Lord Christ will find. you and call your name
in’a voice you may not immediately recognize... “and. that the mean ing and
purpose of your life is somehow. dependent on: your response:

“Saul, Saul... Who are you Lord? I am Jesus.’

Amen.