Friends, in this season after Easter, we are focusing on stories from the early church….the church has always emphasized spreading the message of Jesus. This morning we focus on a story from the early church when an unexpected person became one of the earliest converts to Christianity.
You may recall, last week we read the story of how the Apostles appointed the first seven Deacons of the church. The Deacons were faithful believers who were appointed to administer the resources of the church among the members. Stephen, the Deacon we focused on last Sunday, was the first martyr of the Christian church. This Sunday, we focus on another Deacon: Philip.
After Stephen’s death, many Christians moved out of Jerusalem for their safety. Philip ministered to Christians who lived in Samaria.
Listen now to the word of God as read part of PHilip’s story as it is written in the Acts of the Apostles, chapter 8, verses twenty-six through thirty-nine:
Scripture Lesson Acts 8:26-39
26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
27 So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a] eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of the Kandake (which means “queen of the Ethiopians”). This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,
28 and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the Book of Isaiah the prophet.
29 The Spirit told Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near it.”
30 Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man reading Isaiah the prophet. “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip asked.
31 “How can I,” he said, “unless someone explains it to me?” So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.
32 This is the passage of Scripture the eunuch was reading:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before its shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33
In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth.”[b]
34 The eunuch asked Philip, “Tell me, please, who is the prophet talking about, himself or someone else?”
35 Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.
36 As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?”
[37] [c] 38 And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.
39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away, and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.
Here ends this reading of the word of God for the people of God, thanks be to God. Amen.
Let us pray…
Sermon Ethiopian Eunuch Baptized
Unfortunately, the writer of the Acts of the Apostles did not tell us the name of the man from Ethiopia….we know where he lived. We know he was an important member of staff for the Queen of Ethiopia. We know he was in charge of her treasury, so he was good with numbers and good with money. We know he was a religious man – he travelled all the way to Jerusalem to worship God. And, we know his status as a Eunuch – he was a sexual minority. But, we don’t know his name.
In the ancient world, men were castrated for various reasons. Sometimes, men were castrated to punish them. But, they often were castrated because they had specialized roles in the government – Ethiopia was ruled by a Queen. Male servants and government officials surrounded her. They were castrated and made into eunuchs so they would not be perceived as a threat to the queen.
The laws of Israel were rigid. Castrated men were not allowed to worship in the Temple. The man from Ethiopia came to Jerusaelm to worship at the Temple, but we don’t know how he was received. Was he welcomed, or was he prevented from worshipping God in the place Jewish people believed was the Holiest of Holy places?
He was on his way home when he met Philip. In the first century, when people read scrolls, they read them aloud, even if they were reading by themselves. Philip heard the man reading a scripture from Isaiah and he struck up a conversation with the Ethiopian man. The man invited Philip to sit in his chariot and discuss scripture. Philip took the opportunity to proselytise to the man and tell him the story of JEsus, the story of the Good News. The man wanted to know if anything would prevent him from being baptized right there and then….this was a loaded question. The man’s status as a eunuch created many obstacles for him to practice Judaism. But, Philip saw no issues….baptism is available for all believers. So, Philip baptised the man from Ethiopia. The man carried on with his journey, praising God as he went.
Christianity has a long tradition in Ethiopia. This man, who happened to be a Eunuch, was the first Ethiopian Christian. By the 4th century, the King of Ethiopia converted to Christianity and Christianity was the official religion of the people of Ethiopia for hundreds of years. Sixty-eight percent of the current residents of Ethiopia are Christians.
The story of the man from Ethiopia is significant for many reasons. The Christian church was in its infancy when he became a Christian. The Christian church was not yet a separate religion from Judaism. But it was evolving. The man from Ethiopia was the first convert who was not from the land of Israel. He was the first African Christian. He was probably the first black Christian. And, he was the first Chrisitan who was obviously a sexual minority.
Christianity is available for all people. Young and Old….Rich and Poor…red and yellow and black and white….people from Israel, people from Europe, people from Africa, people from Asia, people from Australia, people from South America, people from North America….people who believed their whole lives and people who had an encounter with the Holy Spirit yesterday….people who are heterosexual and people who are transgendered and people who are lesbians and people who are gay and people who are asexual.
Some Christians are uncomfortable when they meet Christians who don’t look like them. Some Christians are uncomfortable when they meet Christians who don’t worship like them. Some Christians are uncomfortable when they meet Chrsitans who aren’t the same sexual orientation as them.
But, even if we are uncomfortable, we have to remember we do this because of our faith in God. And God asks us to risk being uncomfortable to do what is right. Practicing Christianity is not always easy or pleasant or comfortable. God asks us to take risks. God asks us to face discomfort. God asks us to be vulnerable because God wants us to work with our fellow Christians to make our world better.
People who are different, who are perceived as different, are always at risk. The majority is not always kind to minorities. Jesus taught over and over again that it is our work to support and care for people who are different, who are vulnerable.
When Jesus proclaimed his mission on earth, he read a quote from Isaiah, the very scroll the man from Ethiopia was reading. Jesus said: ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.” We are called to model our actions and our lives on the work of Jesus, to also help the poor, the brokenhearted, the imprisoned, the people who have physical disabilities, and people who are oppressed because of their sexual orientations, their immigration status, their health, their intellectual abilities, or the other things that make them different.
Let us be brave like Philip. Let us not allow anything to stop us from spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. And, let us remember that our faith is for all people….no matter who they are.
Amen.