Eastertide

April 26, 2021

Scripture Reading: Acts 8:26-40

Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Get up and go towards 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. –Acts 8:26-31

Bible study with a group is enlightening. In some instances, we gain confirmation about what we understand. At other times, we gain new insights that might never have crossed our minds. Sometimes when we see things differently, we are forced to dig deeper and test our long-held beliefs. I do not do well in study groups where a leader tells me what to think, and in that person’s opinion, it is the only way to discern what the scripture was saying.

Thus, I love the Ethiopian’s invitation to share in discussion about what he was reading from the book of Isaiah. ‘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.

You may recall from the stories of Solomon that the relationship between Israel and Ethiopia was ancient, and obviously, Hebrew texts were shared between them. We, too, are called to dialogue with others to share our understanding of God at work in the world from the beginning of time through the New Testament, continuing to God’s presence in our lives today.  We learn and grow in our faith as we delve into the written history of God and the living Word of God in our lives today through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Prayer: Lord, guide us as we study together to gain a greater understanding of your love and how we are called to share it with others. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights are reserved.