In his classic play "Hamlet," William Shakespeare portrays the Prince of Denmark as a man haunted by grief and caught in the vice-grip of anxiety, anger and his desire for revenge. Hamlet’s father has been murdered, his mother has betrayed him and he perceives conspiracy in the shadows all around him. Knowing that something ought to be done, but wondering whether he is up to it or even if he wants to go on living, in Act 3, Scene 1, Hamlet speaks these famous and familiar words:

"To be, or not to be: that is the question; whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune, or to take arms against a sea of troubles, and by opposing end them. To die: to sleep; no more; and by sleep to say we end the heartache, and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, ‘tis a consummation devoutly to be wish’d.’"

"To be or not to be?" That was Hamlet’s question.

Long before that play was written, there was another man caught in conflict and faced with a decision. His name was Saul and like Hamlet, he was seething with anger and anxiety which led him toward Damascus to try to stop and stamp out the growing Christian community there.

But on the road, according to the Book of Acts, chapter 9, Saul was knocked down by a light from heaven and heard a voice saying Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It was the voice of the risen Christ, and blinded by the light, with his eyes shrouded in darkness, Saul had to face the question which would eventually re-define and transform his life: "To see or not to see?" That was Saul’s question, and all these centuries later, so it still is today, for you and for me.

We call that event in Acts, chapter 9 "The Road to Damascus Conversion." It may sound like heresy, but I don’t believe that Saul was actually converted on that road. Surely, something sudden and dramatic did happen to him. And yet, if we look at the story carefully, Luke, who wrote the Book of Acts, tells us that Saul was taken to a house in Damascus where he waited in blindness for three days until a Christian named Ananias came to visit him.

Reading between the lines, my hunch is that Saul was confused and overwhelmed by his encounter with the Lord. I see him in my mind’s eye - sitting there in the darkness, wondering what on earth that blinding light from heaven had to do with him?

And then came Ananias, saying Brother Saul, it was the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road...He has sent me that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.

"To See or Not to See?" That was Saul’s question. Would he be able to let go of the anxiety and anger that had dominated his life for so long? "To See or Not to See?" Was Saul ready to pledge his loyalty to the One whom he had resisted with such fierce tenacity? "To See or Not to See?" Could Saul embrace a faith that he fought against and firmly believed was wrong?

To See or Not to See?" That was Saul’s question, and when Ananias interpreted to him what had happened on the road to Damascus, Saul decided to finally give in. Immediately, the Bible says, scales fell from his eyes, he regained his sight and was baptized.

Now the reason for re-telling that story today is to say that Saul’s conversion was more than likely a process of coming to know and to follow Jesus rather than a sudden, dramatic moment on the road to Damascus.

Saul the Persecutor did not become Paul the Apostle of Christ overnight. It took time for his life to change and he required help from others, like his Christian brother Ananias, to gain confidence in the faith. Paul’s anxiety was not conquered instantly, for it was years before he could write to the Philippians Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication...let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Moreover, his anger was not quickly assuaged. It wasn’t until later in his life that Paul sent a letter to the Ephesians, saying Do not let the sun go down on your anger...let all bitterness and wrath and anger...be put away from you, and be kind to one another, tenderhearted and forgiving, as God in Christ has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:26, 31-32)

The point is this: Paul became a Christian through a process of conversion. Step by step in his journey of faith, Jesus Christ took hold of him and opened his eyes to see life in a radically different way.

Over time, in fact, a life time, Paul’s anxiety was transformed into trust, his anger was healed by forgiveness and love and before he died, his once despairing eyes were opened to the hope and glory of eternity.

"To See or Not to See?" That was Paul’s question, and all these centuries later, so it still is today for you and for me.

As we embrace our theme for this new church year, "A Vision to Guide Us," the reality is that some of us are looking at life through the eyes of anxiety and worry and fear. Erma Bombeck, rest her soul, told us that it happens at an early age. So listen to an article she wrote entitled "Confessions of a child entering school for the first time who, according to adults, ‘has nothing to worry about.’"

"My name is Donald and I don’t know anything.

I have new underwear, a new sweater, a loose tooth and I didn’t sleep last night. I am worried.

What if the school bus jerks after I get on and I lose my balance and my pants rip and everyone laughs?

What if a bell rings and everyone goes into a door and a man yells, ‘Where do you belong?’ and I don’t know?

What if the trays in the cafeteria are too tall for me to reach?

What if the thermos lid on my soup is on too tight and when I try to open it, it breaks?

What if my loose tooth wants to come out when we’re supposed to have our heads down and be quiet?

What if I splash water on my name tag and my name disappears and no one will know who I am?

What if they send us out to play and all the swings are taken?

What if I mispronounce my last name everyone laughs?

What if I spend the whole day without a friend?

What if the wind blows all the important papers out of my hands that I’m supposed to take home?

(And) what if the windows in the bus steam up and I won’t be able to tell when I get to my stop?

I’m just a little kid but maybe I’m smarter than I think I am. At least I know better than to tell a 5-year-old with a loose tooth who has never been out of the year by himself before that he has ‘nothing to worry about.’"

Well, Erma Bombeck was right, and our anxiety can increase as we grow older.

Here’s a teenager, sitting at home, waiting for the phone to ring. The dance is next week, no one has called and invited her to go, and she’s anxious, worried, that she’ll be left out and laughed at.

Here’s a high school senior, who’s made application to five colleges, and has his hopes pinned on one school in particular. But as the days pass, no acceptance letter has come and he’s anxious, fearful, feeling that his whole life hangs in the balance.

Here’s a young woman, just completing her first year on the job. It’s time for the annual review and she’s anxious, worried, that they won’t keep her on at the company.

Here’s a man, finally finishing his career, sitting at the testimonial dinner, wearing the engraved gold watch they have just given him with his wife smiling proudly. But deep down, he is afraid, wondering "What am I going to do with myself now"?

And here’s an older couple, whose children have grown up and moved away. They don’t need the big house anymore and they are talking about a retirement home. She says "It’s time we made the move. It’s for the best." And he answers "But what if no one comes to see us there? What then?" You see, they are anxious and worried about living out their days in loneliness.

If that is where you are today, looking at life through the eyes of anxiety, worry and fear, then ask Jesus Christ to help you see with the eyes of faith and trust and He will come alongside you with a vision to guide you.

It happened to Martin Luther King, Jr., during the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. Taylor Branch, in his book Parting of the Waters, tells us the story: In the midst of the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott, after having been thrown in jail and then receiving a phone call threatening his life and his family, Dr. King "buried his face in his hands at the kitchen table and admitted to himself that he was afraid, that he had nothing left, that the people would falter if they looked to him for strength...his doubts spilled out in prayer as he said "I’ve come to the point where I can’t face it alone."

And as he spoke those words, the fears suddenly began to melt away. Martin Luther King, Jr. became intensely aware of an "inner voice" telling him to do what he thought was right...and that brought him a shudder of relief and the courage he needed to face anything. (From Parting the Waters by Taylor Branch, page 162, Simon and Schuster, 1988)

If you have come here today, looking for that kind of faith, trust and courage, then Jesus Christ is ready to give it to you. How do we know that is true? Listen again to what the Apostle Paul wrote: Have no anxiety about anything, but in everything, with prayer and supplication, let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. That is a promise we can count on!

And that leads us to one final thought before we’re through. Some of us have come here today, looking at life through the eyes of anger, bitterness and resentment. In a moment of heated argument, things were said which could not be taken back. A marriage ended in divorce. A friendship was broken by betrayal. The pain is deep and has never been healed and the walls which divide you from someone you once were close to are as high as the Bank of America building.

If that is where you are today, then Jesus Christ has come among us to say Forgive one another as I have forgiven you. Love one another as I have loved you. Life is too short and people are too precious to miss the grace, healing and reconciling power which He offers to us, right here and right now.

So let the Lord help you see those who have hurt you with the eyes of forgiveness. May the Lord enable those whom you have hurt to look at you again with the eyes of love.

And let us ask the Lord to give all of us a vision of reconciliation which will break down the barriers and build the bridges to right relationships with one another and with Him.

Helen Keller, who was mute, deaf, and blind but who saw life through the eyes of faith, one said this: "The greatest infirmity is to have sight, but no vision." Let us pray that God will give us a vision to guide us so that our eyes will be opened to the faith and hope and love which He holds in store for us. "To See or Not to See?" That’s the question which the Lord sets before all of us today.

In the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.