May 10, 2009 Mother's Day Acts 8:26-40 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 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." Happy Mother's Day!  We have before us today some wonderful scripture lessons to think about motherhood and abiding in love. In preparing for the sermon this week, I was reminded of our Suffragan Bishop's sermon, "God loves you more than your momma does." And Mother's Day and Spring are both opportune times to reflect on bearing good fruit. But today, I want discuss our lesson from Acts. It is one of my favorite lessons from the book, and has a several important ideas to communicate to us today. The hero of our story from Acts today, Phillip, first comes on the scene with our patron Saint Stephen in Acts chapter 6. The two of them were part of a group of seven men of good standing, filled with the Spirit and of wisdom who were appointed to care for the widows and the daily distribution of food. Later Phillip, the Evangelist, as he is called, takes the Gospel to Samaria. We remember the story of the Good Samaritan from Luke's Gospel. Samaritans and Jews were not exactly friendly towards each other, so it was a big deal that the Gospel of Christ was being shared with Samarians. Phillip is then called by an angel of the Lord to travel to Gaza where he encounters the Ethiopian eunuch in our story today. Now a Eunuch is a man who has had his sexual organs either crushed or removed. Often Eunuchs were put in charge of important households or in service to high government officials. They were not, however, allowed to enter into the temple. When Phillip encounters this Ethiopian eunuch he is encountering a man who has a different colored skin, a different culture, and a different sexuality. The eunuch is reading the passage Isaiah 53:7-8 and understandably has some questions about its meaning. 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. Phillip took this opportunity to explain that Isaiah had written a prophecy about the Messiah, God's chosen one, and that this person was Jesus. Phillip went on to explain that there was no division in Christ, all were equal in the eyes of God. In Christ, there is nothing to keep you away from the holiest of holies, all are welcome into deep relationship with God through Christ. As they traveled on they came across some water, and so convinced by Phillip's testimony, or curious to test if his race, culture, or sexuality really did not prevent him from being fully immersed in the Christian faith, the eunuch asks, what is to prevent him from being baptized right away. What is significant about Phillips witness is that it is for all people, not just for the Jews, not just for men, not just for people of a certain skin color.  The Gospel is for everyone. Later Christian tradition holds that this Eunuch was the first Christian missionary in Africa. The first message our reading holds for us today is that the Spirit may lead us to places we had not planned, or even not wanted to go. Phillip the evangelist was being led all over Judea, Samaria, Gaza and Caesarea. He went to share the good news of Christ with all kinds of people. We also might be led by the Spirit to places and people we had not planned to visit. This does not always feel like we are being swept away by the Spirit to unfamiliar lands. The Spirit can and does lead us in gentle urgings and short whispers. All of us at times find ourselves in new places talking with new people. We might think we ended up here accidentally talking to someone we just met about God. Trust that the Holy Spirit has appointed you to share the Gospel with all whom you encounter. The second message for us today is that evangelism is about meeting people where they are and being open to the Holy Spirit leading us in conversation. The descriptor "evangelist" has many different connotations for different people. For some it is an extremely negative word. But at its purist and simplest, to be an "evangelist" means to tell other people about Christ. All of us can, and should so this regularly. We do not need to have some fancy, or even a planned speech about sin and salvation. The most effective evangelism comes from us when we simply have conversations with people about where they are in their life. So many of our friends, family, co-workers, fellow students and acquaintances are hungry for some good news about life. Not to mention the multitude of people who we do not yet know but might soon become part of our life. To be led by the Spirit in conversation about Christ is as simple as listening, having compassion on their struggles and sharing about our own relationship with God. The third message that we gather from this passage in Acts is that it certainly helps if we have a solid understanding of Scripture. The more we know about God, the easier it will be for us to share with others who have questions about God. When we spend time with God in reading Scripture, in prayer and in worship, our faith is strengthened and our knowledge of God is increased. We do not need to have a perfect knowledge of God to share with others about God, but the more we know, the more we can share. Like with Phillip, the Holy Spirit can and does lead us to places and people that we may be surprised to find ourselves, and that leading happens for the purpose of sharing the good news of Christ. Each and everyone of us can be an effective evangelist when we are open to allow the Spirit to guide our conversation and to help us listen and be compassionate. The more we know about God and the deeper our faith, the easier it will be to help others learn about and know the God the loves us and gave himself for us.  May we be freed from all burdens, fears and preoccupations that prevent us from following Phillip's example in being an evangelist for Christ. Amen. Eric Liles