Rev. Kathleen Marie Morgan
May 18, 2003

Scripture:

Good morning. I know that you had a Sunday last January when you talked about baptism, so the story is not new...at least as far as baptism goes. The theme of the Renewal meeting in Wenatchee is Living Water, AND we are surrounded by water and it falls freely from the sky here in the northwest. Combining these images this morning, I sought to find a common denominator and found that both of the scriptures we read are full of questions. Tom said I could do anything I wanted to do this morning so I thought it would be fun to ask some questions. I think most of us have those days when we ask why are we going to work? Why am I in the rat race? Or even, why am I going to church? Almost like the toddler who has a question about EVERYTHING but as adults we like to sit on them...just let them roll around in our heads and never come out. Now, personally, I really like to hear an answer or two from you, the congregation, when I ask a question, so you have my permission to pop out with an answer or just sit back and let them tickle your imaginations. If a question burst forth that’s ok too, lets try to answer it, OK?

Will you pray with me? Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of all of our hearts be acceptable to you O God. Amen.

Are you puzzled by anything in the Acts scripture? Did you wonder why this Ethiopian, this eunuch, this financially powerful and this sexually impotent man went to Jerusalem to worship? Any thoughts? He couldn’t have gone to the Temple. He would not have been permitted because he was a grown man unable to father children. So where did he go? What did he hear? Was he at the great Pentecost sermon of Peter’s?

So here we have this unusual man, riding along in a chariot, reading out loud something new and foreign and wonderful to him and along comes Philip...a Jew and one of the 12. Philip the middle man, the translator and interpreter to the Greeks, the one who brought Nathaniel to Jesus and the evangelist who needed to go outside of Jerusalem after the death of Stephen. Why is he sent by the Holy Spirit?

They meet on the road and journey together for a little while.

Many times I have traveled in an airplane and find interesting people sitting next to me. Haven’t you? Sometimes they are women or men and sometimes even a young boy. I like talking to children because they simplify some very complicated concepts and boundaries. I remember one such time with a 10 yo boy and we were crossing the US near the Canadian border.

He looked out the window and asked, "Where are the lines?"
"What lines?", said I.
"The ones that go between the states or countries?"
"Oh, those are just drawn on paper...we can’t see them." I said.
He said, "They aren’t real?"
"Oh, yes," I said, "in some people’s minds they are very real, but you can’t see them. They are written down in a file in some office somewhere."
"Oh." he said a little dejected. Then it bubbled out - the answer, " Wouldn’t it be awesome if there weren’t any lines and we could all be friends?"

I think Philip did that for the eunuch. Don’t you?
Philip started it out with a simple question, "Do you understand what you are reading?" The eunuch could have ended it right there if he just said yes, but he didn’t. Instead he said, "How can I unless someone helps me?"

A question and a response with an invitation to come along on this journey.

Just imagine the conversation these two had in that dusty, jerky, hot chariot! They shared interest and curiosity. They shared the truths about the Isaiah passage and then Philip - YES! The evangelist and interpreter that he was, could get excited and full of energy telling the story of Jesus and the three years they spent together. He could tell about his friend and how that friend changed his life. He was able to tell the eunuch about how Jesus didn’t see boundaries between people even when it was written down somewhere. He could tell about the Samaritan Woman at the well, the tax collector Zacheus, the 10 lepers on the road, and the Centurion’s daughter. Philip could tell him that Jesus loved and respected everyone so much because of God’s love.

Isn’t that great?

We know that whatever Philip had to say had a great impact on the Ethiopian eunuch because when they passed by some water the eunuch again initiated the action with a question,

"Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?" Both of them went to the water and Philip baptized him.

This is the water of baptism.
Out of this water we rise with new life,
forgiven of sin
and one in Christ, members of Christ’s body.

I also imagine that some other questions were asked at this time. Questions like the ones found on page 34 in the New Century Hymnal. Open to them and let’s read them together.

Do you desire to be baptized into the faith and family of Jesus Christ?
Do you renounce the powers of evil and desire the freedom of new life in Christ?
Do you profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?
Do you promise, by the grace of God, to be Christ’s disciple, to follow in the way of our Savior, to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ as best you are able?
Do you promise, according to the grace given you, to grow in the Christian faith and to be a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ, celebrating Christ’s presence and furthering Christ’s mission in all the world?

Back to our journey on the hot and dusty road towards Gaza:
After the baptism, a very strange thing occurs in our story. For when the eunuch comes up out of the water, Philip is "snatched" away and is seen no more. This is like a Star Trek episode and Scotty uses the transporter to relocate Philip from the roadside into the city of Azotus. Even so, the eunuch goes on his way rejoicing. The rest of the eunuch’s story is left to our imaginations; however, we do know that Ethiopia becomes a great center for the young church.

Just like I remember the journey on the airplane with the little boy and the lessons it taught me, so I imagine that the eunuch carried Philip’s stories and the story of their journey to many people and many places.

For it was as true then as it is now:
Some people come into our lives
and quickly go;
Some people stay for awhile and
leave footprints on our hearts
And we are never the same again.

Our guest preacher this morning is Rev. Kathleen Marie Morgan. Kathleen is ordained to Interim ministry and has been active in the Pacific Northwest Conference both as chair of the Education Ministry Committee and representative on the Board of Directors. Most recently, Kathleen served as the Interim Managing Director of Pilgrim Firs Camp and Conference Grounds in Port Orchard, WA.