For All the Saints
“Of this Gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me…”
Ephesians 3:7-8
Paul's ministry came from God, rather than from his design. He could not and would not have chosen his exact path. Yet, God had a purpose in calling Paul, which changed countless lives.
Paul was a Pharisee and participated in the
persecution of Jesus's early
disciples in and surrounding
Jerusalem. One day, Paul was traveling on the road to
Damascus looking for Christians to capture and bring to Jerusalem. At midday, a light brighter than the sun shone around him and those with him, causing everyone to fall. God spoke to Paul and called him to be an apostle and a follower of Christ, equipping him with all that he needed for the ministry.
Paul did not feel entitled to the position of apostle. He called himself "the very least of all the saints," because of his life before conversion when he persecuted the church of Christ as Saul of Tarsus. Despite his past, Paul noted that he was specifically appointed by God. He did not ask for his calling but received it by grace through faith. His calling was to minister to Gentiles (non–Jews) about the Gospel of Christ.
We have just celebrated All Saints Day, a day when we celebrate the works and lives of Paul and all the saints, and in Church, we sang the hymn with the closing words:
“The world is bright with the joyous saints
who love to do Jesus’ will.
You can meet them in school, or in lanes, or at sea,
in church, or in trains, or in shops, or at tea;
for the saints of God are just folk like me,
and I mean to be one too.” (“The Hymnal,” #293)
You have been called to walk with the saints of God. And become one like them too.
