All Will Be Well For We Are Alive

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability. Acts 2:1-4

“In the last days it will be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams. Even upon my slaves, both men and women, in those days I will pour out my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. And I will show portents in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and smoky mist. The sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day. Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Acts 2:14-21

We've been living in the last days for some time. Since the ascension of Jesus we've been living in the last days, one might say. But we are alive, aren't we? Yes, we are living the last days and we'll be living in the last days until the return of Christ but we are alive. Aren't we? The Spirit that has been promised to us has come upon us and we are alive. Our dried bones have been breathed new life and we are alive. Our bones have come together, our Lord has dressed us in new skin, the Lord has said, “Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain; that they may live.” We are alive.

If I were to take a moment and speak honestly, I would tell you that fear is ruling these last days. If I were to take a moment and speak honestly, I would tell you that people are feeding off our fear. If I were to take a moment and speak honestly, I would tell you based on the yellow boards on the highways, the angst opinionated with their radio shows, their television news hours, their pulpits are feeding off the fear of the last days. If I were to take a moment and speak honestly, I would tell you that they are wrong. If I were to take a moment and speak honestly, I would tell you there is nothing to fear. If I were to take a moment and speak honestly, I would tell you to have great hope. If I were to take a moment and speak honestly, I would tell you that the pain you feel will get better. If I were to take a moment and speak honestly, I would tell you that you will be okay. If I were to take a moment and speak honestly, I would tell you to have great hope for a day is coming when a power will be given to you when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. But that's if I were speaking honestly to you.

Yes, Jesus will return one day, though it does not appear to be today. Yes, we are living in the last days and yes these are fearful and trying times. But we are not facing extinction. We are not going to be eliminated or wiped out. We do not need to hide under our desks nor do we need to plan a revolution or secede from the union. Yes, the days ahead are going to have their struggles. Yes, it is hard to see where we are going. But we are alive. In us lives the breath of God. In of us lives the key to ushering in a new kingdom. Inside of us resides the power that was promised so long ago. In us resides the faith to believe all will be well. We are alive.

Then he said to me, “Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They say, “Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely.” Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord God: I am going to open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel.”

I wish I could prophesy to you. I wish I could prophesy to you that Glen Beck is wrong. I wish I could prophesy to you that the hate that fills our airways and infiltrates our government, our homes, and our churches are the results of our fear of these last days. I wish I could prophesy to you that we will be raised. I wish I could prophesy to you that the gas prices will drop. I wish I could prophesy that if we stopped spending our money on things that do not matter the economy would get better. I wish I could prophesy that if we stopped glorifying the greedy and glorified those who live sacrificially we would see an end to a welfare system. I wish I could prophesy that if we actually tried to love our enemy as we've been commanded that we would no longer need armies. I wish I could prophesy that if churches built their foundation on the confession of Christ and not the letters of Paul we would find our churches filling to the brim and we would be united.

“And you shall know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live!”

One day I will prophesy to you about all the things to come. One day I will prophesy that the TV preachers and mega-church folk do not have all the answers. One day I will prophesy that the end is near and we all need to repent. One day I will prophesy to you that if we open our doors and not build electric fences we will not lose Jesus' love. One day I will prophesy to you that a little more grace, a little more mercy, and a little more love will show our Christ is alive more than our hate and fear. One day I will prophesy that a little more diversity will brighten up our sanctuaries. One day I will prophesy that the love Christ is to be extended to all no matter their race, creed, politics, or sexual orientation. One day I will prophesy to you of the seat waiting for us at a wedding and a banquet. One day I will prophesy to you and say, “These bones will live.” One day I will prophesy to you that when Jesus said, “On this rock I will build my church and not even the gates of hell will devour it,” he was speaking the truth. One day I will prophesy that there is nothing we can do to stop this story. One day I will prophesy that this story will not ever fade away. One day I will prophesy to you to let go of your fear. One day I will prophesy to you. One day. One day. I'm just not sure when that day will be.

We are living in the last days. One day the Spirit will come upon us and I can say honestly say that day has come, Christ has kept his promise. Yes, we are alive. Yes, the spirit is upon us. Yes, we've been brought up from our graves and resurrected with new lungs breathing out the new life of the Spirit. Yes, we are alive. The Lord God has spoken and acted. Promises have been fulfilled and in a way we are filled with new wine for the old wineskin has been done away with. We are alive. All will be well.

My dear, dear friends, all will be well for we are alive. With great hope these last days will be the greatest of days this world has ever known for in us breaths the living Christ and they will know this because we are alive. Yes, all will be well for we are alive.

“In fearful day, in raging night,

With strong hearts full, our souls ignite,

When all seems lost in the War of Light,

Look to the stars—For hope burns bright!”

The Church: I Didn't Hear No Bell (Redone)

So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" He replied, "It is not for you to know what times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." When he had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up toward heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven." 

              Acts 1:6-11

As I read today's passage and prepared for this morning's sermon I found myself focusing on two things: Promise and Power. There is the promise of power, the promise of a return, and a promise of keeping the story alive. Then the power that is to come is a power that was promised to these disciples just a few years ago, a promise Jesus continually reminded them of and soon the power would come.

Luke is making two theological statements in this passage. He's telling us that this story will continue his previous story. Jesus and the church are intertwined with Jesus being the cause and the church being the effect. The church is the story of Jesus continued. Luke is also telling us as the people of the Spirit, the church both justifies the Spirit's existence and exercises its mission in the world. It is very important to Luke for us to know that the church is not a separate story. While it is the beginning of a new act, of Act IV (remember Act 1 is Creation, Act 2 is Israel, Act 3 is Jesus, Act 4 is the Church, and Act 5 is the Eschaton) the story is still based on the earlier chapters. In fact, throughout the speeches in Acts you will find Luke continually draws back to Israel and Jesus, claiming that Scripture (knowingly or unknowingly) envisioned the story of Jesus and the church that unfolds in the Luke-Acts novel. Like Jesus the Christ, Luke believes the church is a divine necessity.

Throughout the gospels Jesus makes several promises depending on which gospel you read. One of the consistent promises made by either Jesus or the gospel writer is, “For John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” In some form that promise appears in the gospel. Christ promises that the disciples will receive a power that will move mountains, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, preach without fear, and sustain them. In the moments of foreshadowing, we catch a glimpse of the struggles that the church will go through. We are reminded in Luke of a believers who will be dragged before a judge where they will have the courage to stand faithfully. If the church is a divine necessity or is the effect of Jesus then the promise of the power of the Holy Spirit is a divine necessity. Without that power, without this new character, the church's strength is weakened. With this power, with the confession, not even the gates of hell will devour them.

As I think on this promise I think of baptism, of my own baptism. I think of the divine necessity of baptism as it symbolizes our own promise to be faithful followers of Christ. I think of image of the dove coming down and the spirit coming upon as we are raised up out of the waters. I think of two promises being made and the receiving of the power that will sustain. I believe in this power and I trust in this promise. I believe this power and promise shine through our darkest days, reminding us of brighter days ahead. It is the promise and the power, I believe it is what the psalmist speaks to when he writes, “Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil for God is with me, his rod and staff comfort me.”

Luke understands the importance of promise. For Luke, the promise in the Scriptures go back beyond Israel's return from exile and to a time when the house of David would be restored. Not as a military dynasty but as a newly constituted people who embody God's earlier promise to Abraham that through his descendants all of the families of the earth will be blessed. Luke understands this promise to mean a truly universal people of God comprising of Jews and Gentiles. The promise of God to Abraham, the promise of a Messiah to the exiles, and the promise of the Spirit are all promises fulfilled in Christ, Luke believes and understands.

It is important to Luke that these promises have been fulfilled in Christ because he knows and is experiencing the pains of being a follower of Christ. It is not as if Luke is off writing this without first hand experience in some form. He is not just reading through notes and old passages. As we will later see, Luke becomes a player in his own narrative as a part of Paul's mission to the Gentiles. It is this promise and the power that he speaks of that sustains him. He knows the importance of a promise and the importance of Christ's promises being kept. Luke doesn't see the church a people who succeed Israel, much less supersede Israel, but a people in whom God's promise to Israel comes true. As Luke reads scripture, Luke believes Abraham, Moses, and David would have been delighted to see their dreams come true in the person of Jesus. They would not have been surprised at the resistance Jesus encountered. Moses especially would have been sympathetic with the rejection and the death of Jesus at the hands of his own kinsmen. As Luke reads it, Isaiah had one eye on the end of the exile and another off toward the distant. In Luke's view the promise of God has been fulfilled by Jesus and the promise is being kept through the life of the church.

Reading today's passage brings to my mind an important scene out of Rocky V. Rocky, who is coming to terms with forced retirement, losing all his money, and life outside of boxing, makes his way to the old abandon gym where he and Mickey used to train. Standing off against the wall Rocky remembers something very important, a promise, Mickey made to him:

“And I'll tell you somethin'. Well, if you wasn't here I probably wouldn't be alive today. The fact that you're here and doin' as well as you are doin' gives me- what do you call it-motivization? Huh? To stay alive, cause I think that people die sometimes when they don't wanna live no more. And nature's smarter than people think. Little by little we lose our friends, we lose everything. We keep losin' and losin' till we say you know, “Oh what the hell am I livin' around here for? I got no reason to go on.” But with you I've got a reason to go on. And I'm gonna stay alive and I will watch you make good and I'll never leave you until that happens. 'Cause when I leave you you'll not only know how to fight, you'll be able to take care of yourself outside the ring too, is that okay? Now I got a little gift for you. See that? This is the favorite thing I have on this Earth. And Rocky Marciano give me that. You know what it was? His cufflink. And now I'm giving it to you and it, it's gonna be like an angel on your shoulder see? If you ever get hurt and you feel like that you're going down this little angel is gonna whisper in your ear. It's gonna say, “Get up you! Cause Micky loves you”. Okay?”

I think of Jesus standing among his disciples, his followers, his friends and he is asked a heavy question, “Is it time, Jesus? Is this when you will restore the kingdom of God?” Jesus turns and says, “I didn't hear no bell. It is not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and the ends of the earth.” He's giving them a job to do. They are about to receive a power. All their training has come to an end and their faith will be tested. They are about to put their lives on the line. They are about to embark on a new grand adventure. They've trained for it and Jesus is saying, “You're ready, kid. I've taught you all you need to know. I've taught you how to live.”

I believe when Jesus says, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,” he's saying, “I'm giving it to you and it, it's gonna be like a, like an angel on your should see? If you ever get hurt and you feel you're goin' down this little angel is gonna whisper in your ear. It's gonna say, “Get up you! 'Cause Jesus loves you.”

It's not the most academic or theologically mind blowing retweeting, Facebook sharing thought, but I think it's true. I think it's what we need. We need to hear that voice sometimes. We need to hear the Spirit say, "Cause Jesus loves you." We need to hear because it is what will get us out of bed. It will be what helps us put down the needle or the bottle. It will be what helps us reconcile with one another. It will be what helps us give and live sacrificially. It will be what gives us a purpose. It will be what helps us hang on when all we want to do is let go. It's what makes going to the ends of the earth possible.

You know what, yes, it's cheesy. It's super cheesy. Its 80s montage cheesy but with the right music those words will pick us back up and steady our feet. And sometimes that's just what we need.

Sometimes it's what I need.

Being church is not easy. It's hard to stay in community with one another. The promise that is made to these disciples is a promise we put to the test every time we gather. Church is only church when there are people and when more than one person gathers in a room there will be differences in opinions and thoughts. Every time we come together with our differing interpretations, our differing theologies, our different stances we put the promise to the test and here we stand. Since the resurrection the church has been putting it to the test and here we stand. For 2012 years we have put this promise to the test and here we stand. We have not done so on our own. It is impossible for a group of people passionate about their faith to stay together without help, without this power. The promise of power has sustained the church and, despite what several believe, this power will sustain the church until Christ's return. It is the promise we've been made and it is a promise we test every time we are together and here we stand. I didn't hear no bell.

The Minister & The Promise

As I was preparing for tonight's bible study time, I was struck by Moses' prayer in Numbers 14:13-23. In the prayer, Moses reminds God of God's steadfast love and how God was able to repair the broken covenant earlier in Exodus. He reminds of God of God's promise and by doing so God pardons Israel and does not wipe them out as God had earlier proposed. Of course God's response of pardon is followed by judgment or what Bruggemann calls glory. God's steadfast love is for the sake of Israel and God's glory is for God's sake. Leading to a whole host of questions that eventually lead us to God's promise of pardoning Israel by pardoning Caleb and what that means as connection to the older generation who will not see the land and to the new generation who will inherit the land. But that's not the point of this post. The point of my post, the point of me taking a time out and writing this down is to remind myself of my own promise.

I believe my baptism and my ordination is my promise. I see the two as one in the same. My baptism is my promise to God to remain a faithful follower who is ready to hear and obey. My ordination is my promise to the church to love and serve them faithfully. I have promised to neither abandon God or abandon the church. Those promises are important to me. They sustain me in ministry. They help me love both God and God's people. They help me remain faithful to my call and stay true to my call.

I am not sure why this thought has come into my mind again. I know it has been in the back of my mind of late as I read post after post of how the church has wrong and will eventually die out unless it either does this or does that. Both sides require change of the church and if the church doesn't change as they believe it should the church will cease to exist. Those thoughts remind me of my promise. They remind me to say, “The church will not die because of God's promise. The church will not die because of my promise.”

I do not presuppose that the church's vitality or existence rests solely on my shoulders. I know it doesn't. I may have an ego but my ego isn't big enough to support that ludicrous idea. No church is about one person and no church lives and dies with one person. But I do presuppose that the promise ministers make to the church through their ordination is a promise to intercede on their behalf both to God and to the public. It is a promise to stay faithful to the church even in times of frustration. If ministers abandon the church during these times, if they leave because they are angry or they are hurt, if they abandon the promise of their ordination then what does that say about the church? What does that same about the ministers? What does that say about God?

I believe in the church. I have seen us get a lot of things wrong in the past. I have seen us get a lot things right. I believe in a God who's glory and steadfast love are unmatched. I believe in my baptism and my ordination. I believe in the promise I've made. The reason I believe we will get it right one day is because I am willing to give my life to see it done.

Whoa...dude...a little dramatic there.

In the recent trailer of The Dark Knight Rises, Catwoman says, “You don't owe these people nothing. You've given them everything.” Batman responds, “Not everything. Not yet.” Batman knows that the promise he's made to his parents' spirit is a promise that will require his life. The measure of greatness, the measure of resolve, the measure of strength is not in how powerful one is. It is measured in the honoring and keeping of their promise no matter the personal cost.

It is hard to honor a promise when to do so will cost you something. It's hard to hold to that promise when your job, your livelihood, your family, all that really matters to you is at risk. But are those not gifts? Are they not given to us by the one who has promised a greater reward? Do they not belong to the one whose faithfulness is beyond measure? And are we not promised to be cared for and sustained by the one of steadfast love? Did we not ask ourselves that question before the hands were laid on our head?

My promise will require my life. I've always believed that. Isn't that what a promise requires? Is that not what we've promised as we kneeled before others and the hands of the church were laid upon us? Is it not until death does us part?

Maybe this is me being over dramatic and a result of having watched way too many superhero movies.

I Didn't Hear No Bell

In the shower this morning the final fight in Rocky V popped into my mind.

"Yo, Tommy! I didn't hear no bell."

I drove into town to get my glasses fixed and begin my sermon prep for Sunday on the ascension of Jesus and the phrase stuck with me. I remembered the scene in which Rocky goes back to his old gym during the "reflection" of the movie. He stands off to the side with an old glove in his hand and has a vision. You know what, the video does it better:



As I thought of this scene my mind went to my sermon for Sunday on Acts 1:6-11. Jesus is about to ascend up into heaven and the disciples ask, "Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus replies, "It is not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses to the ends of the earth."

My mind played that scene over and over as I read those words.

Jesus standing among his disciples, his followers, his friends and he is asked a heavy a question. A question that I believe every Christian today asks, "Yo, Jesus. Is it time? Are we marching to Jerusalem? Are gathering up arms and marching on Rome? Are you going to run for office? The whole resurrection thing will be a great campaign ad." Jesus, in his fashion, tells them no and they are not to know and he gives them a job. They are about to receive a power. All their training is about to be put to the test. All their faith is about to be tested. They are given a job to go and be witnesses to the ends of the earth. They are about to put their lives on the line. They are about to embark on an adventure. They've trained for it and Jesus is saying, "You're ready. I've taught you all you need to know. I've taught you how to live."

I believe when Jesus says, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you," he's saying,  "I'm giving it to you and it, it's gonna be like a, like an angel on your shoulder see? If you ever get hurt and you feel you're goin' down this little angel is gonna whisper in your ear. It's gonna say, "Get up you 'cause Jesus loves you."

And yes I just imagined Jesus saying it in the voice of Burgess Meredith.

There's something there I believe. I know it's full of cheese and a little over the top but sometimes "old fashion cheese" is what we need. We need to know that when we get knocked down, when we feel lost, when we feel like giving up, we need that little Spirit to come over us and say, "Get up, you! Get up you 'cause Jesus loves you."

It's not the most academic or theologically mind blowing retweeting, Facebook sharing thought, but I think it's true. I think it's what we need. We need to hear that voice sometimes. We need to hear the Spirit say, "Cause Jesus loves you." We need to hear because it is what will get us out of bed. It will be what helps us put down the needle or the bottle. It will be what helps us reconcile with one another. It will be what helps us give and live sacrifically. It will be what gives us a purpose. It will be what helps us hang on when all we want to do is let go. It's what makes going to the ends of the earth possible.

You know what, yes, it's cheesy. It's super cheesy. Its 80s montage cheesy but with the right music those words will pick us back up and steady our feet. And sometimes that's just what we need.

Sometimes it's what I need.

Here is Water

My favorite part of being a Baptist is baptism. I absolutely love baptism and the role it plays in our tradition. As a child my love for baptism was simply the fact that you were allowed to go swimming in church. Sure it was only for a minute or two but you got to splash around in a very large bathtub in church. What more could a 6 year old ask for? As an adult and pastor, while that is still a part of my love of baptism, I love the symbolism of baptism. I love the importance of baptism, not as a part of salvation, but as a part of being a part of the community. It has become a reminder of my Christian faith, a promise to a life of following Christ. Baptism, to me, is a vital part of our faith and important act.

After preaching and converting the entire town of Samaria, Philip is told by the angel of the Lord to go south down the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, a wilderness road. Philip, a deacon turned preacher who saved an entire city is not asked to return to Jerusalem or head to Rome, he is told to go south. He is told to take the wilderness road. He is not told why. He is not told what he will see or the specifics of the reason. Philip is just told to go and Philip does as he is told. He gets up and goes.

On the road to Gaza, an Ethiopian eunuch, the treasurer of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians was returning home from Jerusalem, reading the Isaiah scrolls. The Spirit said to Philip, “Go over there and join the chariot.” Again Philip doesn’t ask why or demands to know more he runs up to it and overhears the eunuch reading Isaiah. Philip asks him, “Do you understand what you’re reading?” Not a very kind question if you wish to read it that way. If Philip asked that question today I am sure there would be some anger from the receiving party. “What do you mean, “Do I understand?” Are you saying I can’t read?” At least I think that’s the response I would get if I asked a stranger at Starbucks if they understood what they were reading. The eunuch does not take it rudely. He responds, “How can I, unless someone guides me? How can I, unless someone reads with me?” He invites Philip to get in and sit beside him.

The passage he was reading was Isaiah 53:7-8, “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.”

“Who is the writer speaking about?” The eunuch asks. “Is he speaking of himself or of someone else?”

Philip, probably thinking as most preachers do, “Should I get into a deep theological academic conversation about the different messiahs Isaiah speaks to? Should I talk about the complexity of the text and the context of the text?” Instead starting with this scripture he begins to tell him of the good news of Jesus Christ.

As they travel, the eunuch sees water and says, “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. (Acts 8:26-40)

This story reminds me of the TV show Quantum Leap that ran from ‘89 to ‘93. You might recall the premise of the show: Dr. Sam Beckett leaps from place to place in time to set right what once went wrong by leaping into the bodies of specific people. Each show ended with a leap into a new body and with each leap he hoped his next leap was the leap home. Sam would often leap into a new body right in middle of a chaotic or embarrassing moment and the episode would end with him saying, “Oh boy.”

The leaps would not tell Sam why he had leaped into the person or time he did. He needed Al, played by Dean Stockwell, and Ziggy to help him figure out his mission and what wrong needed to be set right. The story of Philip and the eunuch reminds me of this show because Philip is commanded to go south down the wilderness road and is not given a reason why. He is left in the dark of the reason but he goes. He doesn’t question, argue, or pout with the spirit. Luke writes, “So, he got up and went.” In fact, a majority of the time God calls someone to do something, God is rarely specific or into details. The beauty of the it is the person called goes willing (sometimes unwilling) and discovers a long the way what they must do. Then when he has completed his task, Philip leaps to Azotus.

On the road to Gaza, Philip overhears a man reading in a chariot. He doesn't respond to what he hears from the chariot; much like one wouldn't respond to the readings or theological talk coming from a booth over at Chick Fil-A. The Spirit commands Philip to go to the chariot and from there Philip seems to pick up on what he's supposed to do. But Philip is just one of the players in the story. You might say he's a minor character. Sure, he's important to the story but he's not the focus of the story. The focal point of the story is the eunuch. Luke goes into detail to tell us about the eunuch specifically his nationality, his position, and that he's a eunuch.

On hearing this we may not think anything of it. We do not have eunuchs in our culture. It's not a practice that many Americans take place in. Our armies do not castrate young men who are taken prisoner in war to stop them from breeding. Or at least we hope not. We are told this Ethiopian is a eunuch because it plays an important role in the narrative God is writing with Christ. For Jews, in order to be allowed into the temple you had to be physically clean. Diseases that brought on leprosy, blindness, hemorrhaging, or deafness were seen as diseases and sicknesses caused by sin and you were forbidden to enter the temple. Likewise eunuchs were not allowed into the temple because they were not whole. They were not complete. They were unclean because they had been robbed of a body organ. They were on the do not let in list.

Luke tells us the eunuch is reading from Isaiah, specifically Isaiah 53:7-8. Just a few chapters down he is going to read a passage that reads, “Do not let the eunuch say, “I am just a dry tree.” For thus says the Lord: To the eunuchs who keep my commands, who choose the things that please and hold fast my covenant, I will give, in my house and within my walls, a monument and a name better than the sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name that shall not be cut off.”

Imagine being a person who has been told that they were not welcomed into the temple, they were not welcomed to participate in certain rituals because they were not whole because they were unclean. Imagine, then, reading of a person who goes willing to his shearers and does not open his mouth. Imagine, then, reading the promise God gives to the eunuchs just a few chapters later. Imagine the new story you are being told of the new things God is making through Christ. Imagine the joy. Imagine the freedom. Imagine.

Luke culminates this story with the act of baptism. At some point in his conversation with the eunuch, Philip must have mentioned baptism. He must have described the story of Jesus going to John and being baptized in the Jordan river. Philip must have told him of how the sky opened and a dove flew down and the voice of God saying, “This is my son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Philip must have shared theses stories because Luke writes, “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 being baptized?”” This beauty of the story shines through as Luke writes, “both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.”

Over the centuries and years we've become a church based on rules and guides. We call those rules and guides doctrines. While some doctrines are good and necessary, some will need to be revisited and we will need to ask ourselves what the story of the eunuch is teaching us. We will need to reconcile the hope of Isaiah, the promise of Christ, the eunuch's rejoicing, and our rules that seek prohibit certain groups from experiencing or participating or rejoicing in the hope of Isaiah and the promise of Christ.

“Here is water, what is preventing me from being baptized?” Luke doesn't say that Philip went into a long explanation of the classes the eunuch needed to attend. He doesn't say that the eunuch needed to listen to Beth Moore or Billy Graham or make a pilgrimage to the temple and wait on approval from the apostles. Luke doesn't tell us this story ever makes it to the apostles ears. The Ethiopian leaves the waters alone. He makes his way back to Ethiopia without Philip. Philip leaps to Azotus and goes on about his preaching business.

This story reminds us that the Jesus who came and proclaimed an inclusive kingdom that belonged to the unexpected, the eunuchs of the world, is indeed the Son of God, and that the promises are being filled. We have this story to offer and it is a story that doesn't exclude. It is a story that urges us to say to one another, to our neighbors, to our friends, to our families, to the strangers, to our enemies; the oppressed, the outcast; the abandoned the beaten, the lost; the poor, the rich; the republican, the democrat, the tea partier, the occupier; the illegal immigrant, the homosexual; to the men, to the women, to the children of all races, “Here is water. Come and join us. Let us love you. Be a part of our faith, of our family, of our community.” This is a story that reaches out and pulls us in asking, “Here is water. What is preventing me from being baptized?”

What is that prevents you from leaving here still rejoicing? What is that prevents you from reaching your hand out? What is that prevents you from coming to this table? What prevents you from joining this church? What prevents you from trusting God? What prevents you from loving those we've deemed eunuchs? What prevents you from being baptized? What prevents you from remembering your promise?

Let it go. Step into the water and let it wash away. Bury it with Christ in your baptism and be raised to walk in the newness of life as one with Christ.

What is it that is preventing you?