Tonight’s speaker at Vespers at Greenville College was Jarrett Davis.
Jarret has spent the last two summers working at Spring Hill Camps with TST (Team Service Team). In the summer of 2009, they had a girl camper who would not cooperate with them. No matter what they did, they could not get through to her. After two weeks of camp, they had basically given up on her. All of that changed on the last day.
Acts 9:1-19 -
“1 Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusale
m. 3 As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”5 “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.
“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. 6 “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”
7 The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. 8 Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. 9 For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anyth
ing.
10 In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”
“Yes, Lord,” he answered.
11 The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. 12 In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”
13 “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. 14 And he has come here with authority from
the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”
15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”
17 Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. 20 At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. 21 All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” 22 Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews
living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.”
In this reading, both Ananias and the people of Damascus were afraid of Saul because of their first impressions of him. They were unable to see at first that God had changed him.
Back to the story of Spring Hill Camp… On the final night of camp, during a “breaking of the bread” service, the girl broke down and shared what had caused her to be so uncooperative. She had gone to the camp for most of her life and the year before had been her first year in the TST section. She and a close friend had gone that year and done great at the camp. Six months after that camp the friend committed suicide. The girl was being so uncooperative because she was dealing with memories and depression because of her lose.
Because of their first impressions of this girl, they had given up on her. But they then discovered there was much more to her than they saw.
Jarrett left us with a challenge: When you think of someone you think is weird or wouldn’t normally associate with because of what you think of them, get to know them. Don’t get hung up on your first impressions of them.
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