From Rev’d Vicky Falvey – revvickyfalvey@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

The following is taken from the Parish Newsletter for Sunday 25th January 2026.

Embracing the Transformation: God’s Call for Everyone

Reflection on Galatians 1:11–16a

In Galatians 1:11–16a, the apostle Paul offers a deeply personal testimony of how God’s call broke into his life in a way he neither expected nor deserved. Paul is clear: the gospel he proclaims is not something he inherited, earned, or reasoned his way into. It came by revelation—by God’s gracious initiative. This passage invites us to reflect on a profound truth at the heart of our faith: God comes for everyone. No one is excluded from the call, regardless of their past, their reputation, or their resistance.

Paul does not soften his story. He reminds the Galatians that he once persecuted the church violently and tried to destroy it. By all human standards, Paul would have been the last person we would expect God to choose. His résumé worked against him. His zeal was misdirected.

Yet it is precisely into this life—marked by hostility and harm—that God speaks a new word. “But when God, who had set me apart before I was born and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me…” Everything changes with that “but when God.”

This is the heart of the gospel: God’s call is rooted not in our worthiness but in God’s grace. Paul’s transformation was not the result of self-improvement or moral correction; it was the result of an encounter. God did not wait for Paul to clean himself up, to understand everything correctly, or to make amends first. God came for him as he was—and loved him too much to leave him that way.

For the church today, this message is both comforting and challenging. It comforts us because it assures us that our failures, doubts, wounds, and even our sins do not disqualify us from God’s call. There is no story too broken, no past too tangled, no identity too complicated for God’s grace to reach. God is still revealing Christ to people in unexpected places and unlikely lives.

At the same time, this passage challenges us to embrace transformation—not just as a personal experience, but as a communal posture. If God calls those we might least expect, are we willing to welcome those same people? If God is in the business of transforming persecutors into proclaimers, are we open to being transformed ourselves—especially when it disrupts our assumptions or stretches our comfort?

Paul’s story reminds us that the call of God is not only about being included; it is about being changed. To encounter Christ is to be reoriented—to have our lives turned outward toward love, humility, and service. As we reflect on Galatians 1, may we see that God’s Kingdom is inclusive to all. And may we, like Paul, have the courage to embrace the transformation that His grace makes possible.

Rev’d Vicky

Updated 25th January 2026