The Good News Is For Everyone!
About a month or so ago, Denise and I went to a church fellowship, potluck, and baptism on the beach with the good folks of A Simple Faith Church which meets in Seacrest, Florida. The baptism was at Blue Mountain Beach. It was a time of celebration and wonderful fellowship. I teased the pastor, Ronnie McBrayer a bit about the water being cold (which it was from the comments made by the newly baptized), but was in all seriousness thrilled to be there and feel the energy of the congregation as they celebrated this milestone in the life of the newly baptized.
The picture above is from one of our many excursions to the beaches in and around Scenic Hwy 30A. I have conducted and attended weddings on the beach and now I can say that I have witnessed baptisms on the beach. The facility where A Simple Faith Church holds services does not have a baptistry and so when people want to be baptized, they go to the nearest source of water. They head to the Gulf!
In Acts 8:26-40, we meet an Ethiopian Eunuch sitting in his chariot reading from the prophet Isaiah. This court official had come to Jerusalem to worship. I find this interesting since the court official would never be allowed to convert to Judaism. Why? Because, according to Deuteronomy 23:1, “No one whose testicles are crushed or whose penis is cut off shall be admitted to the assembly of the Lord.” Yep, this is a pretty graphic translation by the NRSV. This man was a trusted official of Queen Candace and was in charge of the Queen’s entire treasury. Sadly, one of the requirements of being a male in the Queen’s inner circle was to be made a eunuch.
So, here we have a man who has been “emasculated” by the Empire and who would not be welcomed into the assembly of the Temple in Jerusalem reading from the Scroll of Isaiah! This was a man who obviously wasn’t going to let the laws of Deuteronomy keep him from studying God’s Word and seeking a way to follow the God of the Israelites. Strangely enough, he was reading a passage (Isaiah 53:7-8) that could have easily described his own life story. “In his humiliation justice was denied him.” Yes, because of his “humiliation” he would be denied entrance into the Temple proper AND he would never be allowed to convert to Judaism.
The man was an outsider and yet he had the wherewithal to obtain a copy of the scroll of Isaiah. When Philip came upon him, he was reading the scripture and yet not understanding it. How could he possibly understand it when he wasn’t allowed to be a “full member” of the church? How could he possibly understand what he was reading when he would never be allowed to converse with a Rabbi, Pharisee, or Priest? I admire the man’s chutzpah in getting a copy of the scroll and being persistent in his attempt to learn about this faith that was calling him.
Thankfully, Philip listened to the Angel of the Lord (I guess if an Angel of the Lord showed up and told me to do something, I would get right on it!) and traveled on the wilderness road where he found the Eunuch. And when he found the fellow reading in the chariot, he did what nobody else in the Temple or Religious Establishment would do. He talked to him! Philip asked if he knew what he was reading. And thus began a conversation that this poor Eunuch had been waiting for so long to have. Of course, the Isaiah passage was a prophecy which found its culmination in the death of Jesus. Thankfully, Philip began to share the Good News with this curious outsider. Just as Jesus had spoken to the outsiders (Samaritans, Lepers, Prostitutes, Tax Collectors, and the like) and shared God’s love with them, so too did Philip share the Good News with this outsider.
Philip knew the passage from Deuteronomy which was used to condemn people who were different from him. Yet he chose to do as his Lord had taught him to do. He loved the Eunuch and entered into a relationship with him. As a result of that chariot ride and discussion, the Eunuch asked in a voice filled with excitement, “Look! Here’s some water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?” So this unlikely duo went down to the water and prayed… and a baptism happened… and I am sure that God smiled!
Dear reader, how are you called to share the Good News? Too often “christians” (yes, lower case is intentional) use the Bible to bash people over the head or condemn them to Hell. Anne Lamott once said that “‘You can safely assume you‘ve created God in your own image when it turns out that God hates all the same people you do.”
Who are those whom the church turns their nose up at today? The homeless… Aids patients… my LGBTQ sisters and brothers… those who look different from the majority (sadly, Sunday morning worship is still the most segregated hour of the week)… Why don’t we try, dear reader, to lay aside our biases and our prejudices? Why don’t we, like Philip who was simply following his Lord, reach out with the love and compassion of Christ to others who may be considered “different” from us? The Good News is for EVERYONE! The love of Christ is for EVERYONE! Will you join me in loving my neighbor as myself? Will you join me in making Love as Jesus taught us to Love a priority in your life? Perhaps if we share the Love of Christ with others instead of judgment and condemnation, others may get so excited that they want to be a part of the Body of Christ and be baptized at the first sign of water we come across!
Pastor Michael Moore's Blog 
Ooh I love this – it’s a timely bit of perspective as a sudden, recent move has occurred in my own church recently to require LGBTQI members to step down from membership after years of the leadership seeming to trend in a more open-minded direction. A change in the eldership in recent years resulted in a huge shift from moderate to very politically conservative, not to mention a more active shift in the Australian Christian community to become politically vocal (particularly through a group called the Australian Christian Lobby, and the formation of political parties like Family First and Rise Up Australia). Australia isn’t usually the kind of place where dichotomous and polarised political views hold much sway but in the Pentecostal & evangelical churches here this type of right-wing conservatism has seen a big increase in confidence and strength. It’s a strange time to be an Aussie Christian. I’ve seen close friends utterly shattered as their years of quiet and faithful service are considered inadequate because they experience same-sex attraction. They’re asked to step down because they had the courage to come out to the pastors (many of the pastors are sympathetic but powerless to do anything with the current eldership). It’s been a distressing time for many of us who believe that the Gospel is for all who would hear it and a number of people have left over this issue. Some of us hang in there hoping against hope that things will improve.
I like the way you’ve explained it – I’ll be bookmarking this for future reference. 🙂
I am so glad this touched your heart… Your reply sure touched mine! Sounds like it is a difficult time for you and your sisters and brothers who are more open and affirming. Sadly I see this too often where I am right now…
Thank you. It helps knowing that there are a lot of us out there who seek to be allies to “Others” and who want to see all people welcomed into the church community!