Eastertide

April 27, 2021

Scripture Reading:
Acts 8:26-40

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. —Acts 8:3-40

What is happening to Christianity? The number of People identifying as Christian has been tumbling downward for years. What did Philip say to the Ethiopian that made him want to be immediately baptized? What are we saying today as Christians that is turning people away?

We do not need to write a new story; we need only read the history of societies turning their backs on God chasing new things to worship like riches and power. I am not surprised that the scripture quoted above is from Isaiah 53:7-8. Most of the Old Testament prophets spoke of a people turning away from God and killing those who would show them a better way. Isaiah was addressing the attitudes and actions of his time. We Christians look back on it as still being true about Jesus’ years later.

How many times do we tell people about a new restaurant we love or the best place to go on a vacation, or where we got our car repaired and got quality service at a reasonable price. How many times do we share with a friend, neighbor, relative how much:
loving God,
living in the shelter of his love with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and
 striving to love like Jesus
 has impacted the quality of our lives? If we long for the absolute best for all people, why do we keep this aspect of our lives secret?

Prayer: Lord, we live in a world where you are attached to many ideas that may not match our understanding of you. Please give us the courage to share our love of you while writing on all your children’s hearts what you want us to share. 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.