Loving God, you continue to pour out your Holy Spirit, calling us into ministry in the name of Jesus.  Grant us an awareness of your Spirit’s presence and power as we worship together today, and fill us with your love, through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

            Today, we get another glimpse of how the Holy Spirit operates.  Last week, we noted that Stephen had been given many gifts of the Spirit – including wisdom and the working of miracles.  This week, we are introduced to Philip, who, like Stephen, had been set apart as a deacon (Acts 6:5).  Philip also had many gifts of the Spirit – including evangelism and healing in the name of Jesus.

         Over the course of today’s reading from Acts, Philip is given directions by an angel and also by the Holy Spirit, is presented with an opportunity to enter into dialogue about Jesus, is given an invitation to baptize, and is snatched away by the Spirit of the Lord.  As often happens in the Scriptures, we are not given a lot of details as to how these things actually happen.

         For example, did Philip actually hear a voice telling him what to do, or was it like an inner conviction that God was leading him in a certain direction?  Did the angel actually look like an angel, or was it an ordinary person where Philip could sense that the Spirit was speaking through them?  And how exactly does the Spirit of the Lord snatch somebody away?  The same thing used to happen to the prophet Elijah, who would be suddenly snatched away to a different location (1 Ki. 18:12).

         Undoubtedly, there are good reasons that we are not given every detail about some of these things.  What we are given, however, is enough to be able to see what the Holy Spirit was up to in the days of the early church.  In the case of today’s reading, the Spirit seems to be making a point of sharing the good news about Jesus with outsiders.

         It is significant that the man from Ethiopia is not given a name, but is consistently referred to as “the eunuch.”  He is a foreigner, and would most likely be Jewish.  However, in spite of his dedication to worshiping in Jerusalem and reading the Scriptures, he would not have been permitted to worship with the Jewish men (Dt. 23:1).  As a eunuch, circumcision was not possible, and his sexuality would have been… questionable.  After all, is a eunuch a “real man” or not?  Thus, in spite of his position of privilege in the royal court, he is very much an outsider when it comes to a religious community.

         Hence, it is not surprising that the eunuch would be reading Isaiah when Philip runs up to join him.  It is possible that the eunuch can identify with humiliation and justice being denied him (Acts 8:33).  It is also possible that he has read the part of Isaiah that talks about both foreigners and eunuchs being included as God’s people when the day of God’s salvation comes (Is. 56:3-5).  And so, the prophet Isaiah becomes the starting point for a conversation between Philip and the eunuch that leads to Jesus.

         Undoubtedly, this conversation included far more than what we read in Acts.  Otherwise, the eunuch would not have known that baptism might be an appropriate response to faith in Jesus and the salvation that he brings.  And so, he asks, “What is to prevent me from being baptized?” (Acts 8:36) – but there is most likely a question behind the question. What the eunuch really wants to know is if there is a place for somebody like him in the community of believers. The answer is a resounding “yes,” as we know that Philip did baptize him, and this same eunuch became the first to share the good news about Jesus in Ethiopia.

         All of this is made possible because Philip dared to listen to the Holy Spirit and go wherever the Spirit led him.  While there is no doubt that the Holy Spirit continues to be at work among God’s people today, it is hard to imagine a similar story unfolding in the midst of COVID.  Travelling from one country to another?  Sharing the same chariot with a stranger and a foreigner?  Getting close enough to baptize somebody?  It all sounds like the “before” time.

         Still, God continues to call all of us into ministry – whatever that might look like.  Some of us might actually be presented with an opportunity to enter into dialogue with others about Jesus.  Some of us might be called into various professions or lines of work where we are able to use our gifts in order to serve others.  Some of us might even be called to use our gifts as pastors or deacons or professional lay leaders in the church!  And all of us are called to use whatever gifts God has given us in order to share God’s love with all people.

         This call – or vocation – was given to us at our baptism, along with the Holy Spirit, and God continues to challenge all of us to find ways to bring outsiders into community.  For, Jesus lived, died and was raised for all people, bringing us God’s love and salvation.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Easter 4 (NL 3)                                 Acts 8:26-39

April 25, 2021

St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church

Pastor Lynne Hutchison

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