Conversation is food for the soul. The Gospel message is not shared by beating people over the head with it. It is shared through one on one conversations, one on one dialogue, which nurtures and feeds the soul.
August 22, 2021
The Ethiopian Eunuch
Acts 8: 26-40
Pastor Heather McColl
Acts 8: 26-40
Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. Now the passage of the scripture that he was reading was this:
“Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he does not open his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.”
The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?”He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip[c] baptized him. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
The Ethiopian Eunuch Acts 8: 26-40
We continue with our worship series “Faces of Our Faith” with The Ethiopian Eunuch Acts 8: 26-40.
“How can I, unless there is someone to guide me?” This is the question the Ethiopian Eunuch asks of Philip. This is the question which leads not to debate but rather to connection and transformation. This is the question which reminds us as people of faith that no one ever came to know Jesus by beating them over the head with the Bible. This question reminds us as people of faith that we are called to walk along beside each other, sometimes being the one who is guiding and other times being the one who is guided. This question reminds us as a community of faith we are called to share with one another, to create relationships with one another, that we are to show the world that there is a different way to engage each other. The Ethiopian Eunuch’s question reminds us that as people of faith, discipleship is not about me and Jesus while excluding everyone else. Rather discipleship, being servants of the Lord, being disciples of Christ is about cultivating environments where all are welcome, where all can come together as the Body of Christ, where all are seen as Beloved Children of God.
“In this text we meet a eunuch who is a court official of the Queen of Ethiopia. [When we first meet him, we discover he is surrounded by opulence in the comforts of his chariot, but within this space he is wrestling and confused. His eyes wander through the theological quandaries of Isaiah—the prophecy, the metaphor, the language, the words, the letters, the punctuation—and he invites Philip to join him in this questioning space. What does it all mean? He asks Philip questions and Philip answers them, but the point of clarity comes when the landscape shifts. Instantly, the eunuch moves from questioning to a sense of awe, excitement, wonder, and maybe even a bit certainty.”
Transformation happens for the Ethiopian Eunuch because Philip made space for the questions, Understanding happens because Philip made space for the conversation. New life happens because Philip made space for the holy to make a connection.
As we look at our text, we don’t know a lot about the Ethiopian Eunuch and that’s the whole point. He could be anyone and everyone. “All of the ambiguity that this character radiates has an effect…. The Ethiopian Eunuch does not conform to the rules set by standard boundaries.” He represents a different way to be, to engage each other, to respect each other, to see each other.
The Ethiopian Eunuch “reminds us that the good news will not travel to the ends of the earth primarily because of focus groups, strategic plans, and demographic analyses. It will not bring anyone to Christ if we tell them that our way is the only way. The Good News will not help bring about the Kingdom of God here on Earth if we as people of faith act in ways which are counter to the values of grace and love.
What the Ethiopian Eunuch’s story shows us is that good News will travel, will change lives, will bring about transformation because individuals will gladly share it with others. They recognize that it speaks to them no matter who they are or how others measure them. The good news will cultivate connection and relationship with others because at its very core, it acknowledges everyone’s worth and dignity. The power and promise of the good news is that it thwarts the prejudices that religions and societies keep falling into.”
Or let me say it this way…Every single one of us, sitting here and watching online, are here because at some point, someone took the time to guide us in our faith. This person showed us kindness. This person showed us grace. This person came along beside us and showed that there is a different way to be, a way which is not based on power and might but rather based on love and grace. We also know that every single one of us, sitting here and watching online, are here because at some point, someone engaged us in conversations which feed our soul, because someone created space for our questions, for our theological quandaries, for the holy to make a connection.
Because of that person, because of the conversations which fed our souls, we began our journey to becoming the person God created and called us to be.
And now it is our turn. Like Philip, for a time such as this, we are being called to show what it means to live out our faith, to guide each other along our faith journeys, to create space for the questions. For a time such as this, as people of faith we are being called to create space for the holy to make connections.
I can remember a mentor in faith, turning to me at a time when he was experiencing great loss. He turned to me and asked the question: how can people make it if they don’t have a community supporting them?
The answer is they don’t. Life is filled with too many ups and downs to make it through on our own. We need a community of people, walking beside us, loving us, helping us become the person God created us to be.
The beauty of this text is that Philip took time to engage the Ethiopian Eunuch as a person, as a Beloved Child of God. Philip could have easily ignored him. He could have easily said the Ethiopian was on the margins and was not worthy of his time or notice. But the Spirit had different ideas. It changed the narrative and created space for connection. It created space for relationships. It created space for transformation.
This week, the Ethiopian Eunuch’s question of “how can I if there is no one to guide me” kept popping up in real life examples. On Tuesday night, Mary and I held sign up night for Cub Scouts. 14 new scouts signed up! It was amazing and terrifying all at the same time. But I kept thinking as adults kept volunteering to be leaders, how will these kids know how truly special they are if there is no one to guide them?
And later in the week, I was talking to someone and we both mentioned the power of a meal, the power of sitting down at a table and creating space for conversion. As we talked I kept thinking how will people know what it means to engage in conversations which feed our souls if no one is there to guide them?
Please don’t take this to mean that I think I have all the answers or that if people would just follow me, everything would work out. What I am saying is that I am noticing a deep craving for connection among people. For someone, anyone to take the time and notice them, to see them, to engage them as Beloved Children of God.
As Midway Christian Church, this is what we do best. And for a time such as this, this gift is needed more than ever before. So may we continue to embrace conversations that feed our soul while inviting the holy to make space for connections so that all may know that there is always someone there walking beside them, guiding them in the ways of love and grace.
Amen.
See also: Theology Tuesday for Sunday, August 22, 2021 – The Ethiopian Eunuch Acts 8: 26-40
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