As Memorial Day arrives tomorrow, many of us find ourselves in that space between honoring the past and welcoming summer. Flags wave alongside blooming flowers. Communities prepare for both solemn ceremonies honoring those who gave their lives and the familiar celebrations marking summer’s start. Through these moments, we honor the past while looking forward to new beginnings.
Think about times when big changes happened in your own life. Maybe someone’s death changed how you see the world. Perhaps meeting someone new shifted your life’s direction. Or maybe a sudden insight made everything look different. These personal changes show how quickly who we are and what we care about can transform. Today, as we welcome our friends from Camp Horizon and mark Memorial Day weekend, we’ll explore how Paul’s journey from attacking Christians to becoming their greatest champion teaches us about holding onto our new identity when everything changes.
In our “Resurrection People” series, we’ve seen how Jesus’ followers faced dramatic change with courage and faith. We started with Philip’s unexpected trip to the desert where he met the Ethiopian official. Then we explored how the early church handled its first big conflict at the Jerusalem Council, choosing to welcome everyone rather than stick to old traditions.
Today, we meet Paul at his turning point – a man who changed completely from Christianity’s worst enemy to its greatest supporter. His story shows the ultimate power of resurrection, turning hatred into love. Like those disciples on the Emmaus Road whose eyes suddenly opened to see Jesus, Paul experienced a moment of clarity that forever changed how he understood God. His transformation reminds us that change isn’t just something that happened to people long ago – it happens to us when we meet the risen Christ.
While Paul’s conversion happened two thousand years ago, the same life-changing power works in our world today. One modern story belongs to Bart Millard, whose experience watching his father change would later inspire millions through his music.
When Bart was a child, he feared his father. Arthur Millard Jr., once a high school football star, became abusive after an accident changed him. Bart often missed school because his father’s beatings left him too sore to get dressed for the day.
When Bart was a teenager, everything changed. His father was diagnosed with cancer at age 44. During his four-year battle with the disease, something unexpected happened – Arthur began reading the Bible and developing faith.
“If the gospel could change that guy,” Bart later said, “the gospel could change anybody.”
Bart faced a choice. Could he forgive the father who had hurt him? Could he believe this change was real? As his father grew sicker, their relationship transformed. They talked for hours while Bart cared for him. His father expressed pride in him, supported his music dreams, and even asked, “Can I pray for you?” – a question that shocked Bart and sparked his own faith journey.
When Arthur died in 1991, Bart deeply grieved the father he once feared. “I finally got the dad I wanted,” he said, “and he left.” This experience later inspired Bart to write “I Can Only Imagine,” the song that made his band MercyMe famous.
These stories of transformation – whether modern or ancient – share the same thread: identity fundamentally changed through meeting God’s grace. Paul wrote to churches in Galatia, which is modern day Turkey, around 49-55 CE. For these mixed communities of Jewish and non-Jewish believers, a key question arose: How should non-Jewish followers of Jesus relate to Jewish traditions?
Paul begins by sharing his dramatic transformation story in Galatians 1:13:
“13 You heard about my previous life in Judaism, how severely I harassed God’s church and tried to destroy it.”
Through a direct meeting with Jesus, Paul became Christianity’s strongest supporter. He made it clear that his message came straight from Christ himself, not from other leaders.
Later, Paul confronted Peter when he stopped eating with non-Jewish believers after certain Jewish Christians showed up. This two-faced behavior went against the heart of the gospel—that salvation comes through faith in Christ alone, not by following religious rules.
Throughout these passages, Paul shares the revolutionary idea that our true identity comes from Christ, not from religious practices. In Galatians 2:20, he writes:
“20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the life that I now live in my body, I live by faith, indeed, by the faithfulness of God’s Son, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
This shows the complete identity change that happens through faith. Jesus taught that true religion changes the heart, not just outward actions. At its core, this passage tells us that faith based on grace, not rule-following, defines our relationship with God.
Looking at this passage from a Methodist perspective connects us to our theological roots. Paul’s dramatic conversion and focus on grace over rules perfectly matches what John Wesley taught about how God transforms our lives.
Wesley emphasized God’s prevenient grace—divine love that works in us even before we realize it. Paul’s statement that God “set me apart from birth and called me through his grace” shows this. Just as God was working in Paul’s life long before his Damascus Road experience, Wesley taught that God’s grace prepares our hearts for change.
The clash with Peter over eating together relates to Wesley’s focus on practical holiness. For Wesley, real faith always changes both heart and actions. When Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me,” he expressed what Wesley called “sanctification”—the ongoing process where Christ’s nature gradually becomes our own.
This kind of transformation is different from just changing behavior. Wesley taught that genuine change comes from a new identity in Christ, not from following rules. Like Paul, Wesley saw faith as a journey where we continuously grow toward “perfect love”—a heart fully aligned with God’s heart.
This understanding of transformation speaks directly to our lives today. The same grace that transformed Paul continues to work whenever we face important decisions. Our experiences might not include a blinding light from heaven, but we all face spiritual crossroads that shape who we are. In these moments, we must choose whether to stick with familiar patterns or embrace a new identity in Christ.
Many people face initial commitment decisions—those moments when they consider following Christ or taking significant faith steps. A student at Camp Horizon might feel God’s presence during worship and wonder how to respond. College students might question if their childhood faith can handle new intellectual challenges. Adults returning to church after years away might feel both drawn to and hesitant about deeper involvement.
Long-time believers face recommitment decisions—times when established faith needs renewal. A major loss might leave someone questioning God’s goodness. Career advancement might create tension between financial success and spiritual values. Parents watching children make choices against family values might need to rediscover grace instead of judgment.
In each decision, we face what Paul experienced—dying to our old identity so Christ can live through us. These aren’t just choices about religious activities but about who we fundamentally are.
The good news is that God’s grace makes our transformation possible. Paul didn’t just decide to switch sides—God broke into his life on the Damascus road. Paul writes in Galatians 1:15-16:
“15 But God had set me apart from birth and called me through his grace. He was pleased 16 to reveal his Son to me, so that I might preach about him to the Gentiles. I didn’t immediately consult with any human being.”
Wesley called this “prevenient grace”—God’s love that works ahead of us, drawing us toward God even before we realize it. Like Paul, who thought he was doing right when Christ interrupted his journey, our spiritual hunger itself shows that God is already working in us. Our choices matter, but they always come in response to grace already given.
This same grace stays with us after our commitment moments. When Paul confronted Peter about his two-faced behavior, he did so through Christ living in him, not his own courage. In the same way, the Spirit gives us power beyond our natural abilities when we face pushback for standing firm in our faith.
Even when our commitment wavers—like Peter’s did—God’s grace continues. The story of faith isn’t mainly about our perfect loyalty but about God’s perfect loyalty to us. Paul himself wrote about his struggle with doing what he didn’t want to do. The path forward always remains open through turning back to God.
Your next steps will look different depending on where you are spiritually:
If you’re exploring faith, start with relationships and understanding. Have coffee with a Christian friend to hear about their experience. Read the Gospel of Mark to learn Jesus’ story firsthand—it’s short and moves quickly.
If you’re ready to commit to faith, consider concrete steps like baptism or church membership. I’m happy to talk with you after the service about these meaningful markers on your spiritual journey.
If you’re recommitting to faith after drifting, try intentional spiritual practices to rekindle your relationship with God. Schedule a few hours this week for personal reflection. Find an accountability partner who knows your journey and can provide both encouragement and honest feedback.
Remember, spiritual growth happens through consistent small steps, not just dramatic moments. Like Paul’s journey from his Damascus Road experience through years of ministry, our transformation unfolds gradually. Each move toward God creates momentum for the journey ahead.
Just as Bart Millard saw his father change through grace, and just as Paul changed from persecutor to proclaimer, God continues writing new stories today. Some of you came this morning with questions about your direction or wondering if real change is possible. While everyone’s journey unfolds differently, God’s invitation to transformation is open to you today. The question is simply: Will you take the next step toward becoming who God is calling you to be?
Will you pray with me?
God who transforms even the most unlikely hearts, give us courage to respond to your grace today. Help us let go of old identities so Christ can live more fully through us. Thank you for patiently calling until we answer. Amen.
In crafting today’s sermon, I employed AI assistants like Claude and Apple Intelligence, yet the ultimate responsibility for its content rests with me. These tools offered valuable perspectives, but the most influential sermon preparation hinges on biblical study, theological insight, personal reflection, and divine guidance. I see AI as a supportive aid to enrich the sermon process while ensuring my own voice in proclaiming the Word of God.
Rev. Andrew Conard 