May 11, 2025 - Fourth Sunday of Easter - Some Unlikely Ministry On A Dusty, Desert Road

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.Then Jesus came to them and said, 

“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28-16-20

The Great Commission tore my sense of what is right for years. Yes, sharing the Gospel is compelling, however, there can be something rather arrogant regarding its underlying spiritual assumptions. The "all authority" may ring with a conquering, "manifest destiny" bravado to many ears 

Here, being on a desert road with the Spirit, we are told a powerful story about a chance encounter that was, perhaps, not a chance at all.

Philip meets an Ethiopian eunuch, a person on the margins of religion and society. Through this encounter, we are shown what the inclusive, boundary-breaking love of God looks like. Today's Gospel is an invitation to walk a road together with two people who, apparently, have little in common at first.

 In verse 26, an angel tells Philip to go south to a desert road. He is not directed to a temple or a synagogue, but rather a dusty path between Jerusalem and Gaza. This is not a highway. This is not a logical place to do ministry. It’s remote and unplanned. But the Spirit often disrupts expectations.because God is not confined to buildings or rituals. God meets people where they are; in the wilderness of life, in the uncertainty of transition.

Philip encounters the Ethiopian eunuch, who is a person of deep contradictions: a high official of the queen, yet a eunuch, likely castrated, and so excluded from full participation in Jewish worship (see Deuteronomy 23:1). The Ethiopian is wealthy, educated, spiritually curious and clearly an outsider.

The eunuch does not fit into any of the binary categories of gender, race, or religion. Yet here he is, reading Isaiah, longing to understand, seeking truth. But the Ethiopian eunuch is not outside the bounds of grace. Instead he is center stage in God’s unfolding story.

He is reading Isaiah; "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." and Philip asks him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” Philip doesn’t begin by preaching. He begins with a question. A question that honors the eunuch’s intellect and experience. A question that invites conversation.

This defeats evangelism expressed through conquest; that tells without listening. Philip models: humility, companionship, and curiosity. He encourages dialogue rather than dominance. He is willing to walk beside someone in their questions while not pretending to he has answers.

The Ethiopian's question, “What is to prevent me from being baptized?" takes us to the heart of the story After hearing the good news of Jesus this is what the eunuch asks

And the joyous answer is: nothing. No theology, no purity code, no gatekeeping. The waters are open. God’s welcome is wide. In a world; and too often, a church, that still puts up barriers, this story is a radical declaration: With belief there is nothing to prevent anyone from belonging.

Not gender identity.
Not sexuality.
Not race.
Not doctrine.
Not past wounds.
Nothing.

And then, suddenly, Philip is taken away, and the eunuch goes on his way rejoicing.

This is a story of complete transformation. It’s a story of release. The eunuch is not told to join a church or memorize a creed. The Ethiopian is simply embraced, baptized, and sent out already whole.

That is the identity of the community that Jesus calls for. We can trust the Spirit, offer blessings, and let people go in peace, bearing the image of God into the world.

During the service there was a Litany for Mothers and the Children's Time recognized Mother's Day.

Pastor Emillie preached in her sermon that there are now approximately 12 million Lutherans, primarily affiliated with the Ethiopian Evangelical Church; which accounts for the largest Lutheran population in a given country. She also reminded us that, despite being powerful, the work of the Spirit can feel slow when a congregation like Creator is yearning for immediate actions to make or take on a future identity.

Today's Gospel is a history lesson. On that dusty road, did the church forever change again? Was a gate was opened? Was a new path carved? 

Where do we as a congregation, and as a world, go from here?