Thursday 8 May 2025 - God's good news

Thursday 8 May 2025

Today is Thursday the 8th of May, in the 3rd week of Eastertide.    IAMSON, with Lisa Odour-Noah, sings, ‘I Wanna Know’. As you listen, you might like to think of how you have come to know Jesus over the years...    I wanna know  I wanna know You, Lord  In all Your ways    For to know You is to love You  And to love You is to do what You say  So, in all Your ways  I wanna know You, Lord    I wanna seek  I wanna seek Your face  Day by day    For to seek You  Is to love You  And to find You  Is to follow Your heart  And be where You are  I wanna seek Your face    Oh, I wanna know You, Lord    Draw me nearer, draw me closer  I just want to know Your ways  And take my heart, and purify it  I just want to know Your ways    Oh, I wanna know You (I wanna know)    For to know You is to love You  And to love You is to do what You say  So, in all Your ways  I wanna know You, Lord  Today’s reading is from the Acts of the Apostles.    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. 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.  Imagine the scene in today’s passage. Take in the surroundings, the level of light, the weather.    Enjoy the two strong characters. What do you notice and appreciate about each of them?  There’s a lightness, an energy to them both, would you agree?  Consider the role of Philip’s sensitivity before he begins any kind of explaining...  Notice how in tune he is with the Holy Spirit.    Perhaps you’ve witnessed this kind of scene, the meeting of two cultures. It could go disastrously wrong. Bulldozing, going beyond our remit, assuming authority. How do we know when to observe and when to step in?  As you hear the passage again, notice what comes to the surface for you.  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. 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.  In these closing moments you might want to ask for the sensitivity, and alacrity, of Philip, and the openness, enthusiasm and humility of the eunuch.  Ask to be in tune with the Holy Spirit.  A unique combination for the spreading of God’s good news.  Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.   As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be  World without end  Amen