Episode 3 Life's Journey

The podcast episode explores the theme of encountering God on life's journey, emphasizing unexpected changes and dramatic moments of transformation. It delves into the story of Saul's conversion and the impact of encountering God on the road to Damascus, highlighting the theme of reorientation and grace in life's journey.

Takeaways

• Life's Unexpected Changes
• Encountering God on the Road

Transcript

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Welcome to After Sunday. After the Amen. Join Reverend Rick as he shares the word. Finding peace in the prayer we pray. After Sunday. After the Amen.

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Hello and welcome to After Sunday, After the Amen. It's great to have you with us for episode three. Now, before we go any further, I really hope you've enjoyed that opening jingle. It's one of those things, isn't it? A few seconds of music, but it sets the tone. It creates a rhythm. But before you know it, you're in a different headspace. And actually, that's a bit like life itself. Because sometimes life doesn't just gently drift along. Sometimes it changes. Suddenly, unexpectedly, completely. At one moment everything feels settled and familiar. And the next something shifts. A conversation, an experience, a realization, and you're not quite the same person you were before. And that's exactly where we're heading today. Because this week we're thinking about one of the most dramatic moments of change in the whole of Scripture. The story of Paul on the road to Damascus. Now here's a man who thought he had it all figured out. He was confident in his direction, certain in his beliefs, and then in a moment everything changed. A light, a voice, a pause. And from that moment on, his life took a completely different path. So wherever you're listening today, whether life feels steady, maybe uncertain, or maybe even on the edge of change, this story has something to say. Because sometimes the road we're on isn't the road we'll stay on. So let's take a moment now to hear that story for ourselves. This is a moment that has echoed through history and still speaks into our lives today. So as we listen, maybe picture the scene, the heat of the road, the determination in Saul's steps, and then the interruption he never saw coming. This is the story of a life turned round, of darkness giving way to light, of a man who thought he knew where he was going, discovering a completely different way. So let's hear these words from the Acts of the Apostles, chapter nine. The reading is from the book of Acts, chapter nine, verses one to twenty the conversion of Saul. Meanwhile, Saul, still breathing his frets and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 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. Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? He asked, Who are you, Lord? The reply came I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, but get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do. The men who were travelling with him stood speechless, because they heard the voice but saw no one. 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. For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank. Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision Ananias, he answered, Here I am, Lord. The Lord said to him, Get up and go to the street called Strait, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he was praying, 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. But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil has he done to your saints in Jerusalem? And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name. But the Lord said to him, Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before the Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel. I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name. 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. And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, and after taking some food he regained his strength. For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogue, saying, Here is the Son of God. Now I don't know what comes to mind when you think about going on a pilgrimage. Maybe it's something deeply spiritual. Quiet reflection, ancient paths, moments with God. Or maybe it's slightly more practical. Packing lists. Did I bring enough socks? Why did I pack that but forgot this? And the classic. I'm sure it'll be warm in Greece, which of course means I'll probably prepare for sunshine and end up needing a coat. But pilgrimage at its heart is about journey. Not just the miles we travel, but what happens within us along the way. And our reading today is about a person who is on the way and what happens when God meets them. In Acts, Saul is on a journey, but this isn't a peaceful, reflective walk. He's not strolling through olive groves thinking deep thoughts. He's on a mission, a serious one. He's heading to Damascus with authority to arrest followers of Jesus. He is convinced that he is right, certain, focused and driven. And then everything changes. There is a light a voice and a question. Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It's not just an interruption. It's a complete reorientation of his life. He thought he knew the way, but it turns out he was heading in the wrong direction. And here's what's striking. Saul meets Jesus on the road, not in a temple, not in a moment of prayer, not when he was searching, but when he was completely off track. And I wonder how many of us have had moments like that not always dramatic, no blinding light perhaps, but moments where something shifts a conversation, a realization, a quiet nudge we can't ignore. Moments where God meets us. Not when we've got everything sorted, but when we're just on the way. That moment on the Damascus Road didn't just change Saul's life, it changed the direction of the gospel. Because from that encounter, Saul, now known as Paul, begins a journey that will take him far beyond Damascus, into places that I'll be visiting soon when I go to Greece on pilgrimage. And those places tell the story of what happens when a life is transformed. Now in Philippi, the gospel arrived quietly by a river. A woman named Lydia listens and her heart is opened. There's no fanfare, no crowds, just a simple moment of openness, and the church begins. And it reminds us sometimes God's biggest work begins in the quietest of moments. And then when he visited Thessalonica, things are very different. There's opposition, there's resistance, there's pressure. Following Jesus there isn't easy, and yet a community grows, a community that was strong, resilient and faithful. And it reminds us faith isn't always comfortable. Sometimes following Jesus means standing firm when it would be easier to walk away. And then of course he goes to Corinth. Now that's a busy, complicated, messy place. And the church there, well, not exactly perfect. If you've ever read Paul's letters to the Corinthians, you'll know that. And yet God is still at work. Grace is still moving. Transformation is still happening even in the mess. So from that one moment on the Damascus road we see the gospel begin quietly in Philippi, stand firm under pressure in Thessalonica, and grow even in the mess in Corinth. And here's the thing that same journey hasn't stopped. It hasn't ended in Greece. It's reached us here in our community in this Mistag Valley. Now, as I said, in May I'll be heading to Greece, walking in places where Paul travelled, but I'm very aware I'm not just going to see ancient ruins. I'm stepping into a living story, a story that began with an interruption on a road and continues in every life that is open to being changed. Because pilgrimage isn't just something that you book, it's something God does in you, whether that's in Greece or in my steg, or just in the ordinary rhythm of your week. Because every one of us is on a journey of faith. The question is not are we travelling, but are we open to be changed along the way? And that's where our gospel reading from this past weekend spoke so powerfully. Because if Acts is about the journey, the gospel passage from John is about what sustains us on the journey. Jesus said I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. Now, the crowd of course struggled with this, and to be fair, it's not immediately easy to grasp, but Jesus is saying something profound. You don't just follow me, you are sustained by me. Because the journey of faith can be long, sometimes hard, sometimes confusing, sometimes messy, just like in Corinth. And we need something that keeps us going. And Jesus says I am that nourishment, not just once, but daily, regularly, deeply. Isn't it quite interesting? Saul is struck blind on that road, and for three days he neither eats nor drinks. He's emptied, brought to a place of dependence, and then through Ananaeus he's restored, filled again, given new direction. And in that passage from John, Jesus speaks of being filled, of receiving life through him. It's as if the two readings together are saying sometimes God stops us in our tracks, sometimes God empties us, but always God desires to fill us again. So where does that leave us this week? Maybe you feel like you're on a clear path, confident and purposeful, or maybe a bit unsure of direction, or just going through the motions. Wherever you are, God meets you on the way. So maybe the invitation today is simple to be open to interruption, be willing to change direction, receive the bread that sustains you. As I prepare for my pilgrimage to Greece, I won't be just walking in Paul's footsteps, I'll be walking in a story that began on the Damascus Road and through and flowed through Philippi, Thessalonica and Corinth, and by God's grace has reached us all the way to us here. So the journey isn't over, it's ours to walk. Amen. So let us pray for a moment. Lord Jesus, you meet us on the road. You walk with us, feed us and guide us. So we bring before you our prayers for the world, for others, and for ourselves. So Lord of all journeys, we pray for a world that often feels lost, divided and uncertain. We pray for places of conflict, where people walk in fear rather than hope, for places of hunger where daily bread is not guaranteed, for places of injustice, where voices are silenced and dignity denied. Lord, may your light break in, as it did on the Damascus Road, bringing truth, peace and transformation. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Lord, we pray for the church. All the way from Philippi to here in my stead. Lord Jesus, we thank you for your church across the world, for quiet beginnings like Philippi, where faith grows gently and hearts are opened, for places like Thessalonica, where faith is tested and courage is needed, and for places like Corinth, where life is messy, yet grace is still at work. And for your church here, in this place, in our community, help us to be a people who are open to you, faithful under pressure, and shaped by your grace, even in our imperfections. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Lord of the road, we pray for all who are travelling through life with heavy hearts, for those who feel lost or unsure of direction, for those facing difficult decisions, for those burdened by anxiety, grief, or loneliness. Meet them where they are, walk beside them, turn them gently towards hope, and we pray for those known to us who need to feel your presence today, Lord. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Living bread, you offer yourself as nourishment for the journey. We pray for those who hunger, for those who hunger physically in need of food, of shelter and care, for those who hunger emotionally, longing for love, belonging and peace, and for those who hunger spiritually, searching for meaning, purpose and truth. Feed them, Lord, and use us in small acts of kindness, generosity and welcome to share your provision. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Lord Jesus, as we continue on our journeys of faith, interrupt us when we need it, redirect us when we've gone off course, and strengthen us when the path is hard, and feed us again and again with your presence, with your grace and your life. Help us to recognise you walking beside us this week. Lord in your mercy, hear our prayer. Lord of life and resurrection, we remember those who've completed their earthly journey. We give thanks for their lives, and we entrust them into your eternal care. We pray for those who grieve, walking the difficult road of loss. May they know your comfort, your presence, and the hope of new life in you. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer. Gathering all our prayers together, we offer them to you, Lord Jesus, the one who meets us on the road and feeds us for the journey. Amen. And maybe that's where we leave it today, but not with all the answers, but with a question. Where might God be meeting you on your road? Because the story of Saul becoming poor isn't just history. It's a reminder that no one is beyond change, no one is beyond grace, and no road is beyond redemption. So as you go into the rest of your week, maybe carry that with you. Be open to the interruption. Be open to the nudge. Be open to the possibility that the road might just leave us somewhere. So thank you for joining me for this episode.