“In Human Form” by the Rev. Dr. Tara W. Bulger

Acts 13:1-3, 14:8-18

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger (NI-jer), Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (MAN-uh-en) 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.

In Lystra (LIS-truh) there was a man sitting who could not use his feet and had never walked, for he had been crippled from birth. He listened to Paul as he was speaking. And Paul, looking at him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And the man sprang up and began to walk.

When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian (lick-ay-O-nih-un) language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes (HER-meez), because he was the chief speaker. The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifice.

When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, “Friends, why are you doing this? We are mortals just like you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to follow their own ways; yet he has not left himself without a witness in doing good—giving you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, and filling you with food and your hearts with joy.”

Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

The work of a pastor is said to be an odd and wondrous calling. Wondrous to be called by God and to do the work of loving and caring for people. But odd, such a strange work to do in so many ways.

Take the act of preaching, for instance: I am just enough of an insecure egomaniac to love it when people tell me that my preaching means something to them. I'm not much, but I'm all I think about. However, I also believe that any preaching is the work of the Holy Spirit. I usually say it every week--without the Holy Spirit at work, there is no true preaching. So it would make no sense that I would take credit for what the Holy Spirit has done.

In today's passage from the book of Acts, people are trying to ascribe to Barnabas and Paul the credit for what the Holy Spirit has done.

The book of Acts begins with the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples. The new church is just starting to form. The Word of God begins to spread, and just last week, Peter is shown--again, by the Holy Spirit--that Gentiles are to be welcomed into the church through baptism. And so the Holy Spirit guides the disciples to lay hands and set aside Barnabas and Paul to spread the Gospel.

Until our reading today, when the disciples have shared the Good News, they have shared it in predominantly Jewish communities. The message of Jesus Christ was told in the context of the Jewish tradition. But our reading today finds Barnabas and Paul are sent to Lystra--an entirely Gentile community—a community where the worship of the Roman gods would have been common. And many believed, when they healed the lame man, that surely a god must have come down in the persons of these two men.

Barnabas and Paul are horrified. They have come to share the Good News of Christ, and for anyone to think they could heal on their own without the Holy Spirit is ludicrous and offensive. Ludicrous because these two men know who they are--they are no gods. They are imperfect and sinful. In fact, in just a few chapters, these two men will have a dust-up over the role of another disciple and will split up. They are offended, too, because they came to point the way to Jesus Christ, not at themselves. They know there is only the Triune God, and for others to claim that they are Gods diminishes the role of the Spirit in the miracle that has just occurred.

For anyone who calls on the name of Christ or shares the Word of God, whether as an ordained person or as a believer, we should always point to Jesus Christ. We should become people who give the Spirit credit for any good news we share. Should we work hard to be people who can share the good news? Yes. But it is the Spirit who takes our work and makes it fruitful.

St. Andrews, Scotland, has a golf club, one of the oldest. It is called the Royal and Ancient Golf Clube of St. Andrews. A few years ago, Peter Dawson, the outgoing president, was asked what he wanted his legacy at the club to be. Peter Dawson replied, "We don't do legacies at the Royal and Ancient. To be just honest, I was just renting space and I hope I left it better than I found it."

Paul and Barnabas would say that the Good News of Jesus Christ has changed them, and they are sharing it with others. They have been entrusted with the Good News and want no credit for sharing it; they just want to pass along what they have been given.

And anyone who shares the Good News should feel the same.

Peter Dawson's quote has made me think about what I want my legacy here at First Church to be. Here is what I've landed on. I want to say one day that in my time here, I had a front-row seat to seeing the Holy Spirit at work. What a privilege. What a joy. May we all be able to say the same. Amen.