Appointed Scripture Readings: Acts 9:1-22 Psalm 87 Galatians 1:11-24 St. Matthew 19:27-30
Prayer of the Day
Almighty God, You turned the heart of him who persecuted the Church and by his preaching caused the light of the Gospel to shine throughout the world. Grant us ever to rejoice in the saving light of Your Gospel and, following the example of the apostle Paul, to spread it to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
About the Day: St. Paul’s life-changing experience on the road to Damascus is related three times in the Book of Acts (9:1-9; 22:6-11; 26:12-18). As an archenemy of Christians, Saul of Tarsus set out for Damascus to arrest and bring believers to Jerusalem for trial. While on the way, he saw a blinding light and heard the words: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul asked, “Who are You, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” In Damascus, where Saul was brought after being blinded, a disciple named Ananias was directed by the Lord in a vision to go to Saul to restore his sight: “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine to carry My name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel” (Acts 9:15). After receiving his sight, Saul was baptized and went on to become known as Paul, the great apostle.(Source for the above: The Treasury of Daily Prayer)
Reflection on the Feast Day: Saul of Tarsus persecuted the Church as a Pharisee. Saul boasted in his own self-righteous works. It seems to me that the Church is initially persecuted by the church What self-chosen works persecutes the Church today? All forms of sexual thoughts and acts outside of marriage between a man and a woman. All forms of greed. All forms of anti-Nicene heresies. The list can go on and has grown tragically long within the Church. And Saul, after his conversion, Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles saw such in Roman Empire and within his own congregations where he had preached the saving Gospel. Today we wonder: why doesn’t the Church grow? How can we make it grow? We have the answer: the Church will not grow with the doctrinal and moral rot we allowed into the Church. We have become decadent. Solution? Repent and return to the Lord your God, Who sent His Son to Saul of Tarsus and the Jews, and the nations, that is the Gentiles. St. Paul was Apostle to the Gentiles.
Some fifty years ago, on my vicarage in a well-to-do north side Chicago suburb, the congregation had a great honor. The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) was having their global meeting in Chicago. It was arranged the President of the LWF was to preach at Vespers at my vicarage congregation. The President was a Lutheran pastor in Kenya. In his broken English he preached that he was thankful that in age of colonialism and imperialism missionaries and pastors preached and taught the Gospel of Christ in Africa, very thankful; but the Pastor said, I look around at your country and see its problems, its immorality, and I begin to think that the day will come that the Church in Kenya, “…will be sending missionaries to your country”. The all-white congregation did not like that sermon. I think that time has come for a new evangelization. We need missionaries and evangelist to our decadent country in which everyone thinks they know what Christianity is. We also need catechists who can teach sound Lutheran doctrine. We need more Christian schools not beholding to the age. We need to know that only in Christ’s death and resurrection we, like Saul of Tarsus, can have conversion from all our perversions, all the breaking and smashing of the 10 Commandments. We need to be saved. Lord, have mercy. Lord, save Your people.
Concordia and Koinonia 
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