On January 25 the church commemorates the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle. Most Christians are familiar with the bare bones of his story. He was a Pharisaic Jew, well-educated, a Roman citizen and a zealous defender of his Jewish faith. Acts 7 tells of how those who were stoning Stephen, the first Christian martyr, placed their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul
Saul procured permission from the Jewish hierarchy to arrest Christians and bring them to Jerusalem for trial. While pursuing this mission on a trip to Damascus he had an encounter with the risen Christ and became one of the great champions of the Christian faith. Saul of Tarsus became known as the Christian Apostle Paul after that. Over the next twenty-plus years he engaged in missionary journeys, established local churches and wrote letters that would become Christian scripture. He wrote more individual books of the New Testament than any other author. He was martyred in Rome in about 56 A.D.
So on this day the church remembers how a great opponent of the church became one of its great apologists. It gives thanks for the several congregations that he founded and nurtured. It also recognizes the enormous literary contribution he made to the New Testament.
Paul is an example of how even the staunchest adversary of the faith can become an exemplary believer under the grace of God.
The peace of the Lord be with you.
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