When the Scales Fall
A Short Reflection on Acts 9:1–20
Changing our beliefs can be one of the hardest things we’ll ever do. Saul was utterly convinced he was doing God’s work by hunting down followers of Jesus. It took a blinding light, a voice from heaven, three days of blindness, and the courage of a stranger to crack his certainty wide open.
This story reminds us that God doesn’t always speak in quiet nudges. Sometimes, God breaks through with a vision that turns our world upside down. Saul had to lose his sight to gain insight. When Ananias laid hands on him and called him “Brother,” Saul’s old world fell away. The scales dropped – not just from his eyes, but from his heart.
Ananias had every reason to refuse. He feared Saul’s violence. But he trusted the vision. And Paul – as he would now be known – had every reason to run from his new calling. But he stepped up. He found his voice and used it, proclaiming Jesus as God’s Son in the very synagogues where he once spread fear.
Faith is never static. God keeps moving. Sometimes that movement feels like disorientation, even destruction. But grace shines through the cracks, and new beginnings rise where we least expect.
Remember that God can speak through unexpected experiences, even ones that unsettle or challenge us. And courageous faith means following the call – even when it asks us to risk everything we thought we knew.
Ngā Mihi
Philip
4 May 2025
p.s. Worship leaders: You can buy a complete Order of Service and Sermon based on these readings here: https://philipgarsidebooks.com/products/worship-at-hand-easter-3-4-may-2025