Philip (and the Spirit) strikes again

Good morning brothers and sisters,
This morning's reading takes us back to Philip and to the founding of the Ethiopian church. It's sort of funny, here in the US we trace our faith back to Scotland and John Knox in the 1600s; in Ethiopia the Ethiopian Orthodox church traces its history to this passage in, say, 33 AD.

The Spirit tells Philip to take a particular road which leads him to an Ethiopian palace official returning home after worshiping in Jerusalem. The man is struggling with a piece of scripture and Philip asks if he wants some help. That offer leads to an opportunity to explain the good news about Jesus, which leads to the man's baptism and eventually to the faith of a nation. I love that scripture is so important to this passage because when we start with reading and seeking to understand scripture together amazing things can happen by the Spirit's power. Frankly, I think the Spirit is going to do exciting things at Laurelton through our deeper engagement with the Bible too.

The other thing I love about this passage is how open both Philip and the eunuch are to the Spirit's leading. The Spirit tells Philip to take a particular road and he goes; she tells him to go talk to a stranger and he goes; she picks him up and puts him down in a completely different town and he gets right back to proclaiming the good news where he is. The eunuch asks a stranger for help and after hearing the gospel sees water and immediately thinks baptism. I pray we would have the grace to seek and follow the Spirit's leading today.

God bless,
Sam

Acts 8:26-40

26Then 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.) 27So 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 28and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

29Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32Now 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. 33In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” 34The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.

36As 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?” 38He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him. 39When 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. 40But 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.