Eastertide
April 24, 2018
Scripture Reading: Acts 8:26-40
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. —Acts 8:34-40
A theology class I attended had a requirement that each participant writes his or her own creed. What did we believe? It was a challenging and interesting experience. One well worth doing. Who is the man Jesus Christ and what does he mean to me? Son of God, God Incarnate, Messiah, loaded word steeped in religious tradition and meaning role off our tongues. Our scripture today simply says that Jesus was good news. Philip did back this statement up with scriptures probably because he was talking to a man reading scriptures. I wonder how he expressed it to less educated seekers?
When I toured Turkey a few years ago, I visited the conical landscape of Cappadocia where the Apostle Paul established one of his first churches. The conical geological wonders were put to good use. We visited one home that was created from a cone. There was one area where several of the conical shapes were honed out and used as churches created several hundred years after Paul’ visit. They were of varying ages resting in a semi-circle. The oldest was covered with basic stick figures on the walls telling the stories of Jesus in pictures. As we climbed through each church the art grew more and more ornate and sophisticated. These churches were created for people who could not read. They were taught the stories that went with the pictures and each time they entered one of the churches they could review the message.
Sharing our creed, our stories is an important part of our faith, but we must remember we share them to enhance the understanding of the hearer. After all, we are describing one of the best storytellers of all.
Prayer: Teacher, guide us to discern the needs of the people with whom we share our experiences of following you. Amen.