Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch

How Can I, Without Some Help?

Posted on by Betsy

Name something that is easier to do with help. My mind goes to things like setting up tables and chairs, wallpapering a room, opening a pickle jar, or washing the car. Our grandmothers used to say that “many hands make light work,” and it is true. Not only can you work faster and more efficiently with help, but you will also probably enjoy having company for the task. Well, except for wallpapering. There is no way for two people to enjoy wallpapering.

Then there is another kind of help which is essential because you are completely incapable of doing the thing yourself. I am grateful for lawyers, financial advisors, and car repairmen for the work they have done for me in areas where I am completely unequipped. Not to mention wallpaper hangers.

In our lectionary passage today, we see a beautiful example of help coming along at just the right time. Take note of Philip’s approach to a stranger as he obediently listens to the leading of the Holy Spirit:

Acts 8 (Common English Bible)

26-28 Later God’s angel spoke to Philip: “At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.

29-30 The Spirit told Philip, “Climb into the chariot.” Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”

The image of Philip happily running alongside the chariot of a very important diplomat is a charming picture to me. I love the innocence of that moment. It’s somewhat akin to a new puppy running out the front door to greet you when you come home from work.

31-33 He answered, “How can I without some help?” and invited Philip into the chariot with him.

Here is the message for us today. How can the unknowing people around us understand the impact of the gift of salvation if nobody happily comes alongside of them to explain it? How can new believers understand if nobody explains things?

The passage he was reading was this:

As a sheep led to slaughter,
    and quiet as a lamb being sheared,
He was silent, saying nothing.
    He was mocked and put down, never got a fair trial.
But who now can count his kin
    since he’s been taken from the earth?

34-35 The eunuch said, “Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?” Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.

How many times do you think you’ve had that same chance to preach Jesus to someone but missed it? Sometimes we are tired, distracted, or too busy to realize someone needs help understanding and we miss being Philip to someone.

And then it gets better:

36-39 As they continued down the road, they came to a stream of water. The eunuch said, “Here’s water. Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the chariot to stop. They both went down to the water, and Philip baptized him on the spot. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of God suddenly took Philip off, and that was the last the eunuch saw of him. But he didn’t mind. He had what he’d come for and went on down the road as happy as he could be.

The offer of help, the preaching moment it provided, and the companionship they established resulted in Philip baptizing the man on the spot. And after Philip was taken away, the man went down the road “as happy as he could be”.

Listen, here’s the thing. There is a child in your neighborhood who doesn’t understand. There is a teenager in your church who needs your help to sort things out. There are people in the homeless shelters and the addiction centers who would benefit from your companionship. Everyone, at some point, just needs a helper to come alongside and offer their assistance. You might even know someone who needs some wallpapering done. Are you willing?

Be a Philip to someone today.

Isaiah’s Fountain by Kathy Schumacher

The Long and Winding Road

Posted on by Betsy

The three-mile road that leads to my home in Colington Harbour is under construction. It is a winding and dangerous two-lane road, and we are finally going to have it widened. Apparently, some of the more extreme curves will be taken out, making it safer for travel. I keep telling myself that this is good news as I sit in stopped traffic as we maneuver around large teams of construction workers. The good news is it will only take two years!

Lord, have mercy.

I was thinking about this as I sat there the other day and I remembered a time not too long ago when the road was almost guaranteed to be empty. When we all went under stay-at-home orders at the beginning of the pandemic, it would not be unusual for me to get all the way from my house to the church in Kitty Hawk on Sunday morning (to preach via Facebook live to a cell phone on a tripod in an empty sanctuary) without passing a single car. Now THAT was weird. The desolation of the road made me feel a desolation in my soul. 

One of my favorite post-apocalyptic movies is “Omega Man.” It is the story of a vaccine scientist named Dr. Robert Neville, who is the last human survivor of a germ-war pandemic that has wiped out humanity. There are other survivors, no longer human, who have turned into violent anti-technology and anti-science mutant-predators. They hunt Neville at night using primitive weapons. Neville eventually finds a small group of two adults and a few children who somehow have a natural immunity. But in the beginning of the movie, he has lived in his generator-powered apartment for three years without seeing a single human being.

The opening scenes are absolutely haunting. Filmed in 1971, the director took shots of Los Angeles’ empty business district from a helicopter early on a Sunday morning, inserted still shots where people had been erased from the film, and cut to empty back-lot scenes to create a shocking vision of a post-apocalyptic city. 

The phrase “desolate road” caught my attention in today’s reading. I have come to realize after decades of bible study that it is often in these overlooked details that the story takes on life. Take a look:

Acts 8 (The Message)

26-28 Later God’s angel spoke to Philip: “At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.

Thus the scene is set. A member of the queen’s court, a busy man indeed, has been to the buzzing city of Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. He has been looking for something. He was wealthy enough to be riding in a chariot. He is a man versed in the Hebrew writings, and is reading Isaiah. This wealthy, educated, privileged man is traveling back from the Temple to his palace along a desolate road, and THAT is where he finds what he had been looking for.

29-30 The Spirit told Philip, “Climb into the chariot.” Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”

31-33 He answered, “How can I without some help?” and invited Philip into the chariot with him. 

I love the weird friendliness of this exchange. Was it normal to invite some random guy running beside your chariot to jump in and chat? Or do you suppose the Holy Spirit had something to do with it? Surely Philip had been led there by the Holy Spirit, but we get the sense that the eunuch was also being led in this exchange.

The passage he was reading was this:

As a sheep led to slaughter,
    and quiet as a lamb being sheared,
He was silent, saying nothing.
    He was mocked and put down, never got a fair trial.
But who now can count his kin
    since he’s been taken from the earth?

34-35 The eunuch said, “Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?” Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.

And so on this desolate road, we see a beautiful example of something Methodists call “prevenient grace.” Prevenient grace is the grace that goes before us, wooing us to God before we are aware of our need for him, or have any idea how to find him. Prevenient grace led Philip to the desolate road. Prevenient grace opened the eunuch’s mind and heart to receive him there. And as soon as the moment was right, Philip preached Jesus to him.

Such beauty can be born from desolation! And oh, how we needed to hear that this morning as we look down the empty roads of life. Are you traveling a desolate road? You aren’t alone.

Jesus is already on this road, having come before you. You can take heart that no matter what illness, tragedy, death, or terrible situation you are facing, you travel with the angels who have been sent to guide you. By God’s grace, you will get through it. Thanks be to God.

Desolate Glacier

Be Teachable

Posted on by Betsy

Are you teachable? Do you have a spirit of openness to new ideas, concepts, or opinions? People tend to close that part of their personality off as they advance in years. Long-held notions cement themselves with an iron grip and it is hard to loosen an idea or ideology in some folks.

Years ago I taught a year-long bible study called Disciple. It is a comprehensive Methodist study of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation that is well known and respected. Imagine my surprise when a retired Methodist pastor in my congregation deep into his 90’s signed up to be a student. I was just a little intimidated! He set my mind at ease on the first day when I heard him tell the rest of the class that he loved learning new things. Besides, he explained, he was “now studying for his finals.” He was an absolute delight in class and we all learned so much from him…and he would say he learned a lot from us as well.

This fellow was teachable. He understood the power of the Holy Spirt that comes into a particular moment with a particular scripture and breathes new life into it for the usefulness of the reader. But the reader has to remain teachable for this to work.

John Wesley, as explained by Albert C. Outler, seemed to follow a four-part strategy for understanding God: scripture, tradition, reason, and experience. It is the “experience” part where teachability is key. This is where the current context of your situation interacts with the instruction of the Holy Spirit to bring meaning and understanding to scripture in a new way. For example, until you have lost a loved one, Psalm 23 will not mean the same thing to you as it will the first time you hear it read after their death. The experience of the Holy Spirit illuminating that scripture in your grief brings you into a new and deeper place in your relationship with God.

In our passage in Acts today, we see a lovely encounter between Philip and a very unusual man. This man is a Hebrew, a eunuch, the treasurer for a Queen, and an Ethiopian. Luke spares no detail! We can see him riding in a regal chariot as he is returning from his pilgrimage to Jerusalem. He is a dedicated believer, following the dictates of his religious practice. And he is teachable:

Acts 8 (The Message)

26-28 Later God’s angel spoke to Philip: “At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.

29-30 The Spirit told Philip, “Climb into the chariot.” Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”

31-33 He answered, “How can I without some help?” and invited Philip into the chariot with him. The passage he was reading was this:

As a sheep led to slaughter,
    and quiet as a lamb being sheared,
He was silent, saying nothing.
    He was mocked and put down, never got a fair trial.
But who now can count his kin
    since he’s been taken from the earth?

When the eunuch asks Philip how he could understand Isaiah without some help, he is throwing the door wide open to a new interpretation, a revelation, and an unknown insight into God’s word. Philip immediately grabs the opportunity to teach Jesus to him, and by the end of the encounter, the eunuch is baptized. His entire life changes in that teachable moment.

34-35 The eunuch said, “Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?” Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.

36-39 As they continued down the road, they came to a stream of water. The eunuch said, “Here’s water. Why can’t I be baptized?” He ordered the chariot to stop. They both went down to the water, and Philip baptized him on the spot. When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of God suddenly took Philip off, and that was the last the eunuch saw of him. But he didn’t mind. He had what he’d come for and went on down the road as happy as he could be.

Because he was teachable, his life would never be the same. Imagine the impact this had on the court. Imagine what happened in Ethiopia when he returned and told people what happened. Imagine the pure joy of that moment!

Where is God trying to teach you something? Are you resisting? Where is he giving instruction in the context of THIS moment and inviting you to change, grow, be better, and understand him more fully?

We won’t know until we open ourselves up to being taught. Open the eyes of our hearts, Lord! We want to see you.

New Day by Michelle Robertson

Desolate Roads

Posted on by Betsy

Of all of the eerie things this pandemic has brought, the images of desolate roads rank high at the top for me. There are still a lot of cars here on the Outer Banks, as apparently everyone has to go to Lowe’s every. single. day. But the stay-at-home order has definitely reduced traffic. Several times early on a Sunday morning I have waited at a red light to turn onto the bypass and not a single car has gone through the intersection. That never happens. But have you seen pictures of London, New York, or Las Vegas? City centers like those are truly desolate. The scenes of empty roads are disturbing.

One of my favorite post-apocalyptic movies is “Omega Man.” It is the story of a vaccine scientist named Dr. Robert Neville, who is the last human survivor of a germ-war pandemic that has wiped out humanity. There are other survivors, no longer human, who have turned into violent anti-technology and anti-science mutant-predators. They hunt Neville at night using primitive weapons. Neville eventually finds a small group of two adults and a few children who somehow have a natural immunity. But in the beginning of the movie, he has lived in his generator-powered apartment for three years without seeing a single human being.

The opening scenes are absolutely haunting. Filmed in 1971, the director took shots of Los Angeles’ empty business district from a helicopter early on a Sunday morning, inserted still shots where people had been erased from the film, and cut to empty back-lot scenes to create a shocking vision of a post-apocalyptic city.

The image of a desolate road caught my attention in today’s reading. I have come to realize after decades of bible study that it is often in these overlooked details that the story takes on life. Take a look:

Acts 8 (The Message)

26-28 Later God’s angel spoke to Philip: “At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza.” He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian eunuch coming down the road. The eunuch had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians. He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah.

Thus the scene is set. A member of the queen’s court, a busy man indeed, has been to the buzzing city of Jerusalem on a pilgrimage. He has been looking for something. He was wealthy enough to be riding in a chariot. He is a man versed in the Hebrew writings, and is reading Isaiah. This wealthy, educated, privileged man is traveling back from the Temple to his palace along a desolate road, and THAT is where he finds what he had been looking for.

29-30 The Spirit told Philip, “Climb into the chariot.” Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, “Do you understand what you’re reading?”

31-33 He answered, “How can I without some help?” and invited Philip into the chariot with him.

I love the weird friendliness of this exchange. Was it normal to invite some random guy running beside your chariot to jump in and chat? Or do you suppose the Holy Spirit had something to do with it? Surely Philip had been led there by the Holy Spirit, but we get the sense that the eunuch was also being led in this exchange.

The passage he was reading was this:

As a sheep led to slaughter,
    and quiet as a lamb being sheared,
He was silent, saying nothing.
    He was mocked and put down, never got a fair trial.
But who now can count his kin
    since he’s been taken from the earth?

34-35 The eunuch said, “Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?” Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.

And so on this desolate road, we see a beautiful example of something Methodists call “prevenient grace.” Prevenient grace is the grace that goes before us, wooing us to God before we are aware of our need for him, or have any idea how to find him. Prevenient grace led Philip to the desolate road. Prevenient grace opened the eunuch’s mind and heart to receive him there. And as soon as the moment was right, Philip preached Jesus to him.

Such beauty can be born from desolation! And oh, how we needed to hear that this morning as we look down the empty road. Are you finding Jesus on this desolate road we are traveling?

Jesus is already on this road, having come before us. If we can begin to think of this pandemic as a journey to a pilgrimage rather than a terror to endure, how much better our hearts will be in the end! Because this WILL end.

And guess what? We are one day closer. So go and preach Jesus to someone.

Desolate Road by Kathy Schumacher