TWO MORE POEMS

Lectionary passage: Galatians 1:23-24 - . . . ²³they only heard it said, ‘The one who formerly was persecuting us is now proclaiming the faith he once tried to destroy.’ ²⁴And they glorified God because of me.

"AND THEY GLORIFIED GOD BECAUSE OF ME!"

The faith that Paul was zealously once trying to destroy
he now was preaching boldly with conviction and with joy.
So that he could tell the Galatians those he formerly
had persecuted now “are praising God because of me.”
“Because of me” was not a boast of Paul’s own preaching skill;
they praised the Lord because Paul had been transformed by God’s will.

    "BECAUSE OF ME”

         "Because of me” in no way means
         “Because of what I’ve done.”
          It means “because I’ve been transformed
          by grace, in Christ, God’s Son.”