Weekly Sermon

"Helping Hands"

Philippians 2:1-11; Acts 13:1-3

The Reverend Anne Benefield Geneva Presbyterian Church

September 29, 2002 Acts 13:1-3

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen a member of the court of Herod the ruler, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off. Prayer: Lord, open our hearts and minds by the power of your Holy Spirit, that as the scriptures are read and your Word is proclaimed, we may hear with joy what you say to us today. Amen. In this chapter, we begin the second large section of Acts, which covers the mission of Paul. When Paul was converted on the road to Damascus he was told that he would be an instrument carrying the name of Christ to gentiles and kings and he would suffer for the sake of Christ (9:15-16). It has been 12 to 13 years since his conversion. Now the prophecy made to Paul is confirmed and fulfilled. William Willimon, chaplain of the Duke University Chapel, writes in his commentary on Acts: "The unit begins in a way that we have come to expect in Acts-nothing begins without the initiation of the Holy Spirit. Barnabas and Saul are 'set apart' for a new stage of mission. As usual, they are not 'free agents' moving at their own initiative. This new step in outreach has been declared by the Spirit and confirmed by the church through fasting, praying, and laying-on-of-hands. The spirit and the community work together to set apart some Christians for leadership. "Then begins a breathless itinerary which includes…far-sounding places…indicating the universal scope of this new stage in the mission. Now the evangelists take long journeys upon ships to far away islands as the gospel continues to spread. (It is estimated on the basis of the accounts in Acts that Paul traveled over ten thousand miles)." [William Willimon, Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching: Acts, (Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1988), p.122-123] Paul was probably the most famous convert and missionary ever. His journey changed the course of history. Given his fame, it is interesting to look at how and when his historical first mission trip began. Paul's missionary trips had a humble beginning told in the first three verses of Acts 13. The first thing to notice is the group of believers together, worshiping the Lord in Antioch where the believers were first called "Christians." They are a diverse group. There is Barnabas, whose name means "encourager." For great things to happen, you need encouraging people. We have Paul, who as a faithful Jew persecuted the Christians until his own conversion. We have Simeon who is called Niger, which possibly means he was black. Some believe this is Simon of Cyrene who carried Jesus' cross. We have Lucius about whom we know nothing. Finally, we have Manaen, who is believed to have grown up in the court of Herod the Great and been a playmate with Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee during Jesus' lifetime. These are men from different places and social classes, but they are united in their worship of the Lord. During the time they are worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Spirit speaks. This story demonstrates an important principle of our Presbyterian tradition. We believe that when an individual is called by God, the call is confirmed by a group of believers. For example, you can't be ordained as a Presbyterian pastor unless you are called by a congregation. We believe the Holy Spirit works in groups to confirm God's will. Earlier this year, the Geneva Press of the Presbyterian Church (USA) published a beautiful book of personal faith stories. They are stories of ordinary people doing extraordinary things. One story is about a young woman named Heather who was raised in a good family. She was a senior in college and engaged to a boy at another college. One evening she went to a party with friends. She wasn't used to drinking and so she was especially vulnerable when someone put something in her drink that made her pass out. In the morning, she woke up next to a strange boy with no memory of the night before. Later, she found she was pregnant. She was degraded and ashamed. She talked to her fiancé, Jeremy, who said he loved her no matter what she decided to do. Next, she called home. At first, her parents didn't react well, but quickly they realized she was right when she told them she needed their love and support. They made a family decision that she would have an abortion. "Then, unexpectedly, five different friends called Heather, including a friend who had been adopted. They asked her to reconsider. 'I believe that God speaks to us through people, so I knew that I needed to stop and pray about it. Knowing that only God creates life, I chose, through prayer, to have the baby." Through her pastor, she located a childless couple who adopted her child… "Heather completed her college education, married Jeremy, and moved to Atlanta where she is director of junior high ministries at Peachtree Presbyterian Church." [Dirk Wierenga, Presbyterians: A Spiritual Journey, (Louisville: Geneva Press, 2000), p. 48-49] It's interesting that five friends called Heather and there were five believers gathered in Antioch. There isn't any magic in the number, but it is a reassuring affirmation. The next thing to notice is that the Holy Spirit speaks. The speaking probably wasn't in words, but somehow the leading was clear enough that all who were gathered knew what to do. I'm convinced that at least part of the time we don't hear the Spirit calling because we don't sit still long enough. I'm very conscious of Johnny squirming in the pew on Sunday morning, but what about us adults? I squirm a lot, too, especially when I should be praying. The early church devoted time to worshiping, fasting, and praying-to waiting upon the Lord. In The Cathedral Within, Bill Shore tells the story of Mara Manus: "At age twenty-six, Mara Manus was the youngest female vice president for production in the history of Universal Pictures. She was also the first to fall off a horse and break her back in three places. The month she spent in bed and in a mobile cast proved to be a turning point. Not because it led to some sudden epiphany, but because it gave her the one thing that had been absent from her life: time to think. "Introspection is a dangerous drug. Under its influence, Mara left a lucrative studio career that began at Stanford University and the British Film Institute and culminated in supervising the development and production of movies for Warner Brothers and Universal with everyone from Chevy Chase to John Hughes. As she thought about her future and talked with friends who worked in human services, she was struck by the passion they felt for their work and that she lacked for hers. After she got back on her feet, she began mentoring school kids. She felt 'more connected' than she ever had before and realized, 'I gotta pay attention to this.'" Mara Manus says, 'The enlightenment point for me was: One day I was scheduled to go to a meeting, and I realized that I already knew everyone who was going to be there and everything that was going to be said. I knew exactly how everything would turn out, and it seemed like a huge waste of time…' [Bill Shore, The Cathedral Within: Transforming Your Life by Giving Something Back, (New York: Random House Trade Paperbacks, 1999), p. 233-235] Eventually, Mara Manus left her job at Warner Brothers and became the director of Chrysalis, a nonprofit organization that helps economically disadvantaged and homeless individuals become self-supporting through employment opportunities-all because she broke her back which gave her some quiet time to think. So often, we wonder why the Lord doesn't speak to us. At least in my case, I think that is because I don't set aside enough time to be still. There is one more thing in this passage about which I want to talk. The believers laid hands on Barnabas and Paul. Placing their hands on them made visible God's call and blessing upon them. The laying on of hands is powerful. Years ago, I saw the movie The Last Emperor. In China, the emperor was considered so holy that even as a child he could only be touched by a few designated people. One of the most powerful scenes in the movie was when the servants would bring out a huge swath of silk. The child emperor stood on one side and the servants and other children of the court stood on the others side. They in a game, all the children would tickle and touch the youth emperor through the fabric. The touching brought ecstasy to the child. Touch is powerful. Joseph Campbell told Bill Moyers that when the hero starts on a path, invisible hands come out to help. I'm convinced that is true. A little while ago, we ordained and installed Linda Hanson and installed Bev Davis to be deacons. I believe that for each of them there was time before they received the call when they wondered if they were meant to be doing something more at Geneva. On their own, they wondered, prayed, questioned as they worshiped the Lord. Then, the Spirit spoke to each. The voice of the Spirit was heard, maybe in your words or in mine. They knew that they were called to be deacons. Their call was confirmed by the nominating committee and later the whole congregation, which affirmed the call in a congregational meeting. All of that is history. Today, we began a new part of our journey together. Today, we prayed over them and we laid hands on them. Today, we send them on to their ministry as deacons. That is probably a scary thought in some ways, but remember, we didn't send them empty handed. We sent them with our hands to help them. No matter what they need in their ministry, we are here to lend them a helping hand. Amen.