Sermon Acts 8:26-40 April
29, 2018 Easter 5B
God’s Word Revealed
Today’s story offers us an example of how taking a risk with someone new leads to
great joy. It is one of those stories that reminds us not to hesitate or
resist those nudges that put us in the face of someone else. It is a story that
takes us by the hand and shows us the way of the power of God to lead, to transform,
and to send.
In the 8th chapter of Acts we learn about the
Ethiopian who left his country to travel to Jerusalem to worship God. I was
curious where Ethiopia was in relation to Jerusalem. I Googled it. And I
supposed if he came from one of the most northern cities, perhaps Mekele,
Ethiopia, he would have traveled 2400 miles to get to Jerusalem. He would have
traveled over land and then by ferry to cross the narrow portion of the Red Sea
and continue on to Jerusalem. We don’t know if it was his first trip or if he
had made the journey several times before. We do know he was a man of wealth
and status. As part of the Queen’s staff, he was able to travel first class in
a chariot. It is also interesting that he was able to take the time necessary to
make a pilgrimage to the land of his faith. There is a long and beautiful
history of the Ethiopian Jews dating back to King Solomon and Queen Sheba. They
are known as the Beta Israel Community.
The Ethiopian man was on his way home, studying the texts of
the prophet Isaiah, when he encountered Philip. It was the power of God that
nudged or perhaps shoved Philip over to the chariot to encounter this man. I’m
sure that there was no other way that Philip would have walked up to a complete
stranger who was a foreigner, another color, and considered an outcast in the
Jewish faith. Philip, being a man of modest income himself, was not in the
habit of walking up to wealthy chariots to talk to rich people. Besides, the
person in the chariot might mistake him for a beggar asking for money.
But, that Spirit
nudge, put him in contact with the chariot. When Philip saw the man reading the
Bible his question wasn’t if he could read, but did he understand the context
of what he was reading. Philip recognized this moment as an opportunity to
share his new faith, his transformed way of understanding God’s Word revealed through Jesus Christ.
The man responded to Philip, “how can anyone understand
anything without guidance?” And, this is one of the key portions of this story.
How
do we understand anything without guidance? We cannot live our lives in
a vacuum. Even if we have been taught everything we think we need for
life-reading, writing, and arithmetic-we are still humans in need of guidance.
All of our life we are in need of guidance. Perhaps, that is what drives us
crazy. We think we will eventually reach an age where we won’t be dependent on
anyone else for anything. Yet, we still need guidance in our lives for our
health, for our financial future, for our life changing decisions, for our retirement,
and even for our end of life choices. We need guidance from people we can
trust. In this story we discover this strong and wealthy Ethiopian recognizes his
need for guidance.
He was searching the Scriptures to seek understanding of God’s
Word to shape his life. How is God’s Word
shaping our life and our thoughts? How do we engage with God’s Word and not
feel intimidated by it? How do we pick a place to start to read it and not get
lost?
There, in the words of the prophet Isaiah, this man was
seeking understanding about God’s salvation as described through the suffering
servant. He wanted to understand what he was reading. He wanted to understand
the God he believed in and worshiped. He wanted to know more.
Do we want to know
more? Are we satisfied with our understand of the God we believe in? What do we
understand about the God’s Word revealed?
God calls us into a life of faith even if we haven’t called
on God. God created us, loves us, claims us, and therefore would not dare
abandon us. God seeks us out through a variety of means; through the voices and
guidance of others. God wants us to gather and learn together. God wants us to
offer ourselves to others as they offer themselves to us. God call us into a life of faith in community.
Perhaps, that is the second most
important part of this story. 1. We
notice the nudges of the Spirit. 2.
We respond by offering guidance within the context of relationship.
Our faith in God is not practiced, sustained, or enhanced by
sitting at home. It is not a faith of individuality. It is a faith of covenant
and community. How we live together is as much a testimony of our faith as
the words that come out of our mouth. The phrase, “Do what I say, not what I do”
would not fly with Jesus. Remember, Jesus said, “As you have done it unto the
least of these you have done it unto me.” We have the chance to practice what
it means to be people of faith guiding one another to understand the Word
revealed in our lives and then share it with others. We have the chance to spend
time together to learn, to grow, to appreciate the precious gifts we have and
how they enhance our journey.
Community is a place where one can safely ask any question they
want. Community is a place where one can look to another and ask them for
guidance. Community is a place where, ‘the priesthood of all believers’ is
practiced. Community is a place where each person is valued for who they are.
Community is a place where no
one has to pretend.
The only barriers to faith are
the human constructed ones.
This wonderful Ethiopian looked at Philip and asked what
obstacles there were to being baptized. What hoops would he have to jump
through to be part of this Jesus group?
He was not welcome in the fullness of the Temple because he
was not considered a complete human being-just as women were not permitted to
enter, or those with disabilities. This man of color and a eunuch put him on
the outside edge of the Temple. All these wonderful people were left on the
fringes of the community of faith and never had a chance to enter through its doors.
Philip doesn’t hesitate. I am always reminded of this story
whenever my denominational robes get in the way of the power of the Spirit.
Philip did not hesitate to respond to this man’s request for baptism.
Our final lesson from this story is that there are no
barriers to God’s Word revealed in Jesus Christ.
There are no barriers to the request for baptism.
There are no barriers to salvation.
God arrives in our lives through the presence of others,
reveals salvation through the blessing of the community, douses us with
baptismal waters, and sends us on our way rejoicing.
Let us take the risk of love. Amen.
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