One of the most satisfying moments in literature occurs at the end of Charles Dickens’ novella, A Christmas Carol. Ebenezer Scrooge, starts the story as a misanthropic greedy miser, but after being faced with a vision of his own death, unloved and unmourned, he turns his life around. Scrooge totally changes, and becomes kind, generous, and loving. The transformation is real, and heart-felt. Similarly, one of the greatest turnarounds in Christian history happens with St Paul. Saul of Tarsus, as he was originally known, was a zealous Pharisee, and was keen to persecute the followers of Christ. And yet Paul becomes a great evangelist, devoting his life to telling people about Jesus. His is a profound change of heart, which speaks to us of God’s ability to mould our characters and lives; to reconcile, and to heal.

St Paul first appears in the Acts of the Apostles holding people’s clothes as they are stoning Stephen the Deacon to death. There is a discomfort in even mentioning this because we are naturally squeamish about the idea of imposing capital punishment for blasphemy. We are Christians who believe that life is sacred, and a gift from God. Not so our tentmaker from Tarsus! At this stage of his life, Saul is angry, and zealous, fanatical and single-minded in his devotion to God and the Jewish law. He wants to stamp out the Church, once and for all!

This angry man is travelling to Damascus, keen to rid the world of the scourge of Christianity, when something amazing happens. Saul sees a bright light, and falls to the ground, and then he hears a voice, saying:

‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

‘Saul, Saul, pam yr wyt yn fy erlid I?’ (Acts 9:5)

Saul then realises that Jesus is talking to him. For a moment, I would like to concentrate on Our Lord’s Words. Christ does not say: ‘Why are you persecuting my Church?’, or ‘Why are you persecuting my followers?’ Instead He asks Saul, ‘Why are you persecuting ME?’ God the Son talks directly to the greatest persecutor of the Church. Our Lord takes things personally. The Church is the Body of Christ. We are His Body, He loves us, and cares for us. Therefore, God takes an enemy of the Church and transforms him into its true friend. We put our trust in a God who changes things, and the Conversion of St Paul is one of the most dramatic and consequential reversals in Christian history. 

At the heart of this event is the operation of sanctifying grace; the unmerited kindness of God, which has the power to make things Holy. We receive it through our Baptism, when we are washed clean, and born again to new life in Christ. Through his direct experience of Christ, along with the love of the Christian community (represented by Ananias of Damascus), Paul is restored. 

After his conversion Paul goes to the synagogues and to tell his fellow Jews that:

‘Jesus is the Son of God.’ (Acts 9:20)

This causes profound confusion. People are surprised that the same man who came to Damascus to arrest Christians, and have them tried for blasphemy, appears to have joined the very religious movement which he was persecuting. Not only this, but this pharisee is now busy telling everyone about Jesus. In the Gospel, Our Lord tells his disciples to go out and proclaim the Good News. This is exactly what St Paul is doing, and what he will carry on doing for the rest of his life. 

On foot, and by boat, Paul will travel thousands of miles around the Mediterranean Sea proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ and founding communities of believers. He also writes many letters to support the fledgling Church. Thanks to Paul’s dedication and devotion, the message of salvation has been announced throughout the world. At the heart of the Good News is the promise that there is nothing God cannot do, if we let Him. If we cooperate with the Divine, so that His will is done, on earth, as it is in Heaven. If we repent of our sins, and turn back to Our Loving Father, and believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. If we are nourished by Word and Sacrament. If we pray, and are supported by a community of prayer, which we call the Church. Then God can, and will, transform us, to bear witness to Him, and to make His Kingdom a reality here and now. 

God can, and will, heal our wounds, restore our relationships, and give us the strength we need to be a loving community. If the Almighty can turn an enemy and persecutor of the Church into its greatest evangelist and missionary, what can He do with us? None of us are beyond redemption and conversion. God can, and will, use us to make the world a better place. Paul did not earn the right of salvation, and neither do we. God offers us salvation in and through Christ out of love. We can choose to accept His love, and to allow Our Heavenly Father to be at work in us. We can let God transform us bit by bit into His likeness. The more we co-operate, the more Our God and Saviour can be at work in and through us; proclaiming the truth of His Kingdom, and helping to reach those in need of His love.

So, my brothers and sisters in Christ, let us commit ourselves to follow the example of St Paul. Let us open both ourselves and our lives to Jesus, and allow Him to transform us. With joy, let us proclaim His Kingdom, giving glory to God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, Duw Dad, Duw y Mab a Duw yr Ysbryd Glân. To whom be ascribed all might, majesty, glory, dominion and power, now, and forever.