July
14th, 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.
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