Farewell Tour

July 14^th, 2019        “Farewell Tour”        Rev. Heather Jepsen

Summer Sermon Series: The Amazing Adventures of Paul

Acts 20-21:36

         Today we continue our summer sermon series “The Amazing Adventures of Paul.”  We have spent the whole summer following Paul on his journey through the Book of Acts.  From his early conversion experience to his deep and abiding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, from his near-death experience to miracles in his name, the story of Paul has been nothing short of amazing.  Today the adventures continue as Paul begins to turn his face toward Jerusalem where he will experience hardship and suffering.

         (Read Acts 20:1-12)

         Things have quieted down in Ephesus and Paul returns to the road.  The author of Acts gives an account of his journeys and his traveling companions.  Paul returns to Troas and meets with the Christian community there.  I want to point out that they are meeting on the first day of the week, Sunday, to break bread, and we can see here the formation of early Christian tradition. 

         Paul won’t be staying long and we have a bit of comedy here as he preaches long into the night.  The author tells us that the hour is late, the room is stuffy, and one young man Eutychus (which is translated lucky) is sitting in a window sill.  As Paul “talked still longer” the young man falls asleep and falls out of the window, dying when he hits the ground three stories below.  If people fall asleep when Paul preaches, I can’t feel bad if you doze off during my sermons! 

         The group is saddened by the death of the young man but Paul declares that he yet lives, and taking the young man in his arms he brings him back to the group.  Not to be stopped by a mere death in the congregation, Paul preaches on until the sun comes up.  Talk about a long worship service!  Instead of going out to lunch these folks are going out to breakfast the next day!

         (Read Acts 20:13-38)

         This is a rather long section but it is important to our narrative.  Paul has a goal to be in Jerusalem by Pentecost and so he is keeping to a strict travel itinerary.  He stops in Miletus and asks the leaders of the Ephesian church to come over and meet him for a while.  The Lord has made clear to Paul that he must suffer for the sake of the gospel, and Paul realizes that this has become his farewell tour.  In light of this, he wants to give a final message to the leaders of the church of Ephesus.

         He tells them that he won’t be back, and he offers the new church leaders advice for carrying on the ministry in his absence.  Like a manual for new ministers, Paul doles out warnings and inspiration.  He warns the church to be wary of those that may cause disruption both from within and from outside of the community.  The Pastors are told to watch not only over the community but also over themselves.  A good church leader is alert to threats from within and without.  Paul encourages the community to hold strong to the faith, and the message of grace that will build them up and keep them strong.  Gone are the days of Paul coming into town and smashing the place up.  Here we have a seasoned church leader, carefully laying the ground work for a ministry that will last beyond his lifetime.

         (Read Acts 21:1-16)

         The farewell tour continues and Paul is not the only one who knows that suffering lies in his future.  As the group travels along they stop in Tyre for a few days and the disciples there warn Paul not to travel on to Jerusalem.  Through the Holy Spirit they have sensed the danger that lies ahead and they urge Paul not to continue.

         In Caesarea the group stays in the home of Philip.  Here too, Paul is approached with a warning.  The prophet Agabus comes all the way from Judea to make clear to Paul the suffering that is on the horizon.  Taking Paul’s own belt, he ties his hands and feet to demonstrate the way that Paul will be bound by the authorities in Jerusalem. 

         The community fears for Paul’s life and they urge him to abandon his plan to go to Jerusalem, but Paul is undeterred.  He declares that not only is he willing to suffer for the gospel, he is willing to die in Jerusalem if that is necessary.  The community is stunned to silence, and can only stand alongside Paul in his declaration that the Lord’s will be done.

         (Read Acts 21:17-26)

         The group arrives in Jerusalem and is welcomed warmly by James and the others.  Paul is told about some unrest in the community.  Some believers feel that Paul is leading the community astray by not encouraging the Gentiles to fully appreciate the Jewish traditions.  In order to prove he is still a loyal Jew, Paul joins with others at the temple for the Nazarite rights of purification.  This way he makes clear that he understands his mission not to be starting a new religion, but rather he is one proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah within the Jewish tradition.

         (Read Acts 21:27-36)

         Now, the moment that everyone fears comes to pass.  The Jews stir up the crowds against Paul using the false claim that he has brought a Gentile friend into the temple.  No Gentiles are allowed within the temple and the punishment for such a crime is death.  The mob seizes Paul and drags him outside of the temple, slamming the doors shut.  They intend to kill Paul, and his blood would defile the holy space so it is important to keep the violence outside the temple with the doorways blocked. 

         The lynch mob which is trying to kill Paul on the spot attracts the attention of the local authorities who rush into the fray and arrest Paul.  He is bound hand and foot, fulfilling the prophecy that Agabus had spoken.  The mob is so violent in their desire to kill Paul that he has to be physically carried out of the place by the soldiers.  As he is carried along to the prison barracks the crowd follows shouting, “Away with him” which means “kill him”!

         Last week we talked about the high cost of discipleship, and that following where God leads will lead to hardship in the pocketbook and in our personal lives.  Throughout our reading for today Paul makes it clear that he is willing to suffer in his desire to bring the word of the Lord to the people of God.

         If you were here for our first Sunday of the sermon series, you may remember Paul’s call story, way back in Acts chapter 9.  In that story, God says that “I myself will show Paul how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”  It is clear now that God has done this and that Paul knows his future will be one of suffering.  Despite multiple warnings from within the faith community, Paul journeys on to Jerusalem to face the violence that awaits him there.

         In many ways the writer of Acts has fashioned Paul’s journey after the journey of Jesus Christ.  Paul has set his face toward Jerusalem, so to speak, and on his farewell tour he does his best to prepare the community for his departure.  Unlike Jesus, Paul’s suffering is not redemptive.  Rather, Paul seeks to live the life that Jesus taught, taking up his cross for the sake of the gospel.

         Throughout today’s reading we are given signs of the early church.  The story in Acts is not just about the amazing adventures of Paul, it is also about the birth of the Christian community.  In our readings for today we find a community that is beginning to separate from its Jewish roots.  They have their own regular meeting day, Sunday, the first day of the week.  And they have their own shared practice, the breaking of bread.  The community gathers for preaching and for prayer, and among their members some are lifted up for leadership, encouraged to serve the church with their whole hearts and lives.  In today’s reading we begin to see ourselves.

         And like the many people of faith who will come after him, Paul willingly faces suffering.  This is not suffering for suffering’s sake; Paul does not intend to make himself a martyr to be worshipped.  Rather, this is a willingness to follow God.  Throughout this sermon series we have marveled at Paul’s deep and abiding faith.  Nothing will deter him from the path that God has laid before him, and if that path leads into danger and violence, so be it.  Paul’s ultimate loyalty lies with the God he serves, and with his Lord Jesus Christ.

         Today as we gather around the communion table we see echoes of Paul’s farewell tour.  Here too, we meet on Sunday and we break the bread.  Here too, we preach the word, worship the Lord Jesus, and offer God our prayers in community.  We remember the story of our Lord’s suffering on the cross, and we find meaning in the suffering in our own lives.  We know that God does not will our suffering, and we also know that we follow a God who goes into suffering before us.  God is everywhere we are, be it in relative comfort and peace, or be it bound in the chains of this life.  It is clear in our reading today that the church Paul is planting is our very own church, our very own faith.  And Paul will give everything to make this church a reality.

         And so we leave Paul for today.  His story is reaching its climax and in the next few weeks he will give his defense to both Jews and Greeks, to the common man and the ruling elite.  Come back next week to find out what happens to our faithful leader as we continue “The Amazing Adventures of Paul.”  Amen.