“TO THE CHARIOTS ASPIRE”

ACTS 8:26-40

26  Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a wilderness road.)

27  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

28  and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

29  Then the Spirit said to Philip, "Go over to this chariot and join it."

30  So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, "Do you understand what you are reading?"

31  He replied, "How can I, unless someone guides me?" And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him.

32  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.

33  In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth."

34  The eunuch asked Philip, "About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?"

35  Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus.

36  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?"

37

38  He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him.

39  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.

40  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.

Here’s a question for you.

Do you know someone who’s having a hard time right now? 

Do you know someone who’s hurting for one reason or another?

Do you know someone who’s feeling a little lost and confused?

Sometimes life is can be a little overwhelming.  That’s the way a young bride must have felt one day. Unfortunately, she wasn’t the world’s greatest cook.  No matter how hard she tried her culinary creations were always a little hard to swallow.  One day things went from bad to worse. When her husband came home he found her in the kitchen crying.  “What’s the matter?” he asked.  “Oh,” the young bride whimpered, “I made biscuits today for the first time and the dog ate them.”  The husband gave her a hug.  “There, there,” he said sympathetically. “Don’t cry.  If you want we can go out and get another dog.”   

I bet some of you know someone who’s a feeling a little lost and confused right now.  Maybe it’s someone in your family or a friend.  Maybe it’s someone at work or a neighbor you don’t know very well.  It could be someone who’s going through a divorce; someone who just a job; someone at school who’s being tempted to experiment with drugs; someone who’s living with cancer or someone who’s grieving the death of a beloved husband or wife. 

So, what do you do when you see someone who’s lost or lonely or a little down in the dumps?  Conventional wisdom says you’re not supposed to stick your nose into other people’s business.  That’s not what Philip did though.  Philip was walking along the road from Jerusalem to Gaza when he saw an Ethiopian eunuch sitting in his chariot.  The Ethiopian eunuch was reading some words that had been written many years earlier by the prophet Isaiah.  The Ethiopian eunuch was puzzled by the words though.  “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter, and like a lamb silent before its shearer, so he opens not his mouth.  In his humiliation justice was denied him.”

We, of course, know that with those words the prophet Isaiah predicted the suffering and the crucifixion of Jesus. The Ethiopian eunuch didn’t have a clue who Isaiah was talking about though.  Instead of minding his own business though Philip asked his question.  “Do you understand what you are reading?”

Now you have to give the Ethiopian eunuch credit.  He was honest with Philip.  So, Philip got into the chariot with him and as they were riding along he told him the story of Jesus and his love.  That led to a grace filled moment when the Ethiopian eunuch stopped the chariot and asked Philip to baptize him.

Unfortunately, we live in a world that is full of people who feel just like the Ethiopian eunuch; people who are lost and lonely and a little down in the dumps. In fact, Wall Street Journal reporter Bret Stephens recently noted that we have the distinction of being the “Most Depressed Nation” on the face of the earth.  According to a recent study by the Harvard Medical School more people are depressed in this country (9.6% of the population) than people in war torn Lebanon, people in overworked Japan and even people in poverty stricken Nigeria.  So, yes, it really is true.

There are so many people who need the peace that passes all understanding.

There are so many people who need the truth that can set you free.

There are so many people who need the love that can make all things new.

That’s what it means to be the Body of Christ, my friends.  It means we have been called by God to do what Philip did that day with the Ethiopian eunuch.  We have been called by God to bring the hope and the love and the peace and the joy of Christ to those who are lost and lonely and a little down in the dumps.  That’s why the letter that I received a few months ago really made my day.  It was written by a woman who is here on Sunday morning because one of you invited her to come and worship with us. The letter was addressed to me but it was really meant for all of us. So, with the permission of the woman who wrote the letter I want to share just one sentence of it with you this morning.  What the woman wrote was this: “I am so blessed to have found your wonderful Union Congregational Church. Each time I come to (a) service I feel I will leave with a better understanding of my life which I know is guided by God.”

All of this is why the theme for our stewardship campaign this year is “I Love To Tell The Story.”  You see, when you come right down to it, stewardship really goes way beyond raising money to pay the electricity bill. Stewardship goes way beyond raising money to buy the crayons the Sunday school children use to color their pictures of Jesus. Stewardship goes way beyond raising the money to pay the minister so he can go on cruises to Hawaii.   Stewardship is about making it possible to share the Good News about Jesus and his love the way Philip did that day with the Ethiopian eunuch.  Stewardship is about changing people’s lives.

When you look at stewardship as nothing more than a matter of dollars and cents it can be dangerous.  You could end up thinking the same way a woman did one day.  Paul Harvey told the woman’s story in one of his radio broadcasts many years ago. It was Thanksgiving and the woman called the special hotline that the Butterball Turkey Company sets up every year.  The woman wanted to know if it would be okay to cook a turkey that had been in her freezer for 23 years! The operator told her it might be safe if the freezer had been kept below 0 degrees the entire time. The operator warned the woman, however, that even if it was safe, the flavor had probably deteriorated, and she didn’t recommend eating it.  After a brief pause the woman agreed. “That’s what we thought,” she said. Then she added,  “We’ll just give it to the church.”

Stewardship isn’t simply a matter of finances.  It’s a matter of faith.  Stewardship is all about making it possible for us to share the Good News about Jesus and his love the way Philip did that day with the Ethiopian eunuch.  Stewardship is about making it possible for us to change people’s lives. 

A few weeks ago Amanda Harmeling stood here in this pulpit and talked the role that her faith played as she waged her battle with cancer.  She talked about Jesus and his love and it was powerful. A couple of days later Dick Barriss sent me an email that he asked me to forward to Amanda.  Some of you may when he also stood here in this pulpit and talked about the role that his faith played in his battle to overcome his drinking problem.  He told about Jesus and his love and it, too, was powerful.  What Dick wanted Amanda to know is something amazing that happened after he told his story.  So, with his permission I share with you the email he sent to Amanda. 

I cannot tell you how many people were impressed with your (sermon.) As I was walking out of the church yesterday, your story was certainly the topic of conversation. EVERYONE was inspired but not what you have been through, but the road that you took to get through your difficult time. When you said your prayer that you used before your hospital workers, tears were flowing down my cheeks. Many members of the congregation said that they could even remember when I gave my sermon. When I told you that your sermon will affect members for a long time , I meant it. I was recently blessed with God love when I was at a meeting for alcoholics and found myself in a discussion with a new comer. I was welcoming her to our meeting when she asked if I had spoken at this very same church roughly over 3.5 years ago on a Sunday in front of the Congregation. She doesn't know why but she usually does not go to church but on that Sunday, she came to our church for the first time. When I said yes, she told me that as she listen to the words I spoke that Sunday, it was like I was telling her story. By the end of the sermon, she had to finally get honest with herself about her drinking problem. The words I said that day gave her hope the last couple of years. She knew she had a problem but until she heard me speak that day, she refused to admit to herself that she had a problem. Even though it took many more days for her to finally seek out help, my message seemed to have helped her. Your message will do that and much more for those who heard you speak. You will not believe how many lives will be blessed because of the gift that God has given to you. God works in wonderful ways and as you said yesterday, we only have to be willing to look for his love.

Stewardship is all about making it possible to do what Philip did that day with the Ethiopian eunuch.  Stewardship is about making it possible to tell the story of Jesus and his love. Stewardship is all about changing people’s lives.  That’s why I give and why I challenge myself each year to give generously.  You see,

“I love to tell the story of unseen things above,

Of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.

I love to tell the story, for some have never heard

The message of salvation from God’s own holy Word.” 

Amen.

Rev. Dr. Richard A. Hughes

April 29, 2007