Reflection in PTC Chapel on Acts 8:26-40 (23 April 2018)

Reading – Acts 8:26-40 (NRSV)

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?” 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.

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Reflection

This is an extraordinary and magical story. Saint Philip the Evangelist, as he has come to be known, is whisked into the scene like a spiritual superhero, coming to baptize an exotic Ethiopian, and just as quickly as he appeared, he is gone to complete another mission.

But as fantastic as the scene is, there is much food for thought here about the nature of God, the church, its sacraments, and its mission. But the interest is not only to do with doctrine but also our relationship to the Spirit of God.

That Philip follows the initial call to him to arise and go, shows his willingness to listen to the Spirit and to act on its promptings. There is no debate or questioning – just an apparent simple obedience and willingness to do as the Spirit asks.

When Philip heads into a wilderness area we might recall to mind Isaiah 40:3:

“A voice cries out: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.”

This story not only fulfills the prophecies of Isaiah regarding geographical data, but in doing shows that Isaiah is a reliable source of prophecy regarding the events of the Jesus and the early church. And, as we shall see, the relationship to Isaiah is throughout this passage and cannot be accidental.

It is no accident, then, that the Ethiopian Eunuch is reading from Isaiah as he trundles along in this chariot (an amazing feat of resistance to motion sickness).

Philip was invited abroad the chariot, probably because he knew what he was talking about. His study of scripture and theology had prepared him well for this mission. He was able to share his knowledge of the Gospel, making the necessary connections between the Hebrew Scripture and the Gospel of Jesus. His learning, as ours should be, was guided by this mission. Our teaching and learning here at PTC should have this end in mind, the ability to share the Gospel and to be the guide that the world needs to the truth.

The Eunuch responds to the Gospel message with a desire to be baptized. He asks:

“What is to prevent me from being baptized?”

They both get into the water and the Eunuch is baptized by Philip.

To the Eunuch’s question, there is no recorded answer from Philip. We might speculate about Philip’s response. His answer could only have taken one of two forms.

The first would have been: “There is no reason to prevent you from baptized – let’s do it now!” That would make sense as that is what appears to have happened. Such a simple response causes practical and theological problems for the churches’ practice of baptism (which is why verse 37 may have been inserted into the Western text)

That is why we must consider the other sort of answer. This alternative could have been – “Um, you cannot be baptized because ….”

Churches have several reasons why people cannot be baptized – including that the person has not completed catechism class, or that they have not made a confession of faith (which excludes infants).

When Philip baptized the Eunuch he created a new church member, and perhaps a new church. Philip did not stick around to make sure the Eunuch was educated in church policies and baptism regulations, and so on. He did not tell the Eunuch what time worship should be on a Sunday or whether women could be ordained or not.

The Eunuch went away rejoicing unencumbered by rules and regulations for this church. For him it appears having the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit was enough.

Regardless of what message he took home, he does leave us the legacy of his question to Philip: “What is to prevent me from being baptized?” This question shows that the Eunuch already had that freedom in his heart that only the Holy Spirit gives. The question itself shows a soul so ready for the spirit and the Spirit’s freedom it cannot entertain any obstacle to baptism and acceptance of the Spirit of freedom.

We must take this question to heart in our churches in our time.

What is to stop the Holy Spirit moving in our churches? When Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit he did not indicate in detail what this Spirit would do. The early church was not disappointed. From Pentecost to the other events such as this, the Holy Spirit was busy making new disciples and converting people and uniting them into the church.

What have we done with the Holy Spirit? Have we let it move freely animating the church, or have we tried to restrict the spirit.

What is to prevent….? Asking this question in a church or even a faculty meeting can be awkward. There are any  number of rules, regulations, policies, canons, decrees, cultural practices, and Bible verses that can be used to prevent you from doing any new and creative thing. Sadly today the Spirit is being kept out of the church. Nowadays churches would have a very quick answers to the Eunuch – he cannot be baptized because our rules disallow it. He cannot preach or teach or be a leader  and so on and so on…

This passage is also a powerful message of inclusion for the church. Even today it has the power to upset things.

Consider who this man was. Was he even a man? A eunuch is not a complete man. In ancient times a eunuch might have been useful in the Harem or Official role, but they were  often looked down upon. Lucian of Samosata wrote of eunuchs that they were “monstrous” and “alien to human nature”. Eunuchs were not considered whole men – and called names (much like homosexuals have been vilified in our own time).

Biblical law (such as Deuteronomy 23) barred eunuchs from worship in the assembly and Leviticus denies them from being priests (Lev 21:17-21). I am not concerned here with the possible contradiction in our text that the Eunuch in fact could not worship in the temple, as Luke describes in verse 27. What concerns me is that he could now find a complete home in the church despite his own incompleteness.

Once again that the Eunuch is reading Isaiah is significant here. For in this prophecy there is a place for the Eunuch and foreigner’s in the house of God.

Isaiah 56:3-5:

3 Do not let the foreigner joined to the LORD say,
“The LORD will surely separate me from his people”;
and do not let the eunuch say,
“I am just a dry tree.”

4 For thus says the LORD:
To the eunuchs who keep my sabbaths,
who choose the things that please me
and hold fast my covenant,

5 I will give, in my house and within my walls,
a monument and a name
better than sons and daughters;
I will give them an everlasting name
that shall not be cut off.

Such radical inclusion shows that we must be careful of proof-texting in order to exclude people from the love of God.

Does this text mean that Hebrew practice had changed and become more liberal, or that a more inclusive community of God was being promised. Either one is good news for the Eunuch.

In the end Philip was snatched away to Azotus. This is reminiscent of the prophets of Elijah (1 Kings 18:12) and Elisha (2 Kings 2:16), who had reputations of being whisked away by the Spirit. Hence this dramatic exit is not simply a narrative trick of moving a character from one place to another, but provides further reasons why Christianity is both continuous with Judaism and goes beyond it.

Philip’s mission in this passage is about following the movement of the Spirit; as the church’s mission should be today.

The Eunuch was then without Philip, but was left with the Holy Spirit in his baptism.

This Spirit of God, as promised by Jesus which animated them both, remains with us and can be an agent of freedom today, if only we have an open heart and mind.

Amen

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Reflection for Morning Devotions at the IRSA Leadership and Management Programme, Suva March 2015

LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT PROGRAMME

Institute for Research & Social Analysis – Suva, March 2015

Reflection for Morning Devotions, Wednesday 18 March by Dr Richard Davis, PTC Faculty

 Reading: James 2:1-9

 My brothers and sisters, do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ? For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters. Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you? Is it not they who drag you into court? Is it not they who blaspheme the excellent name that was invoked over you? You do well if you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you show partiality, you commit sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

(text taken from Take our moments and our days : an Anabaptist prayer book : Advent through Pentecost (Scottdale, Pa: Herald Press, 2010), 436-7).

 

Reflection

In my reflection this morning I wish to reflect on our passage from James.

The book of James has had controversial past. Among some Protestants is it not favoured because it seems to advocate for salvation by works and not solely justification through faith alone.

But this emphasis on works and correct Christian action may also let it speak to the situation of those Christians who are impelled to act through the urging of the Holy Spirit or those who are paid to act on behalf of their church or organization as leaders and stewards.

In our passage today we are reminded that God plays no favourites among people. All of us are created in the image of God and all are equally distant and close to God. Human partiality toward the rich and powerful, toward leaders even, is no part of the Kingdom of God. Humans are not to put themselves in the position of judging others based on worldly criteria such as wealth, celebrity status or other worldly position.

Yet we continue to do this.

Some might say that this is our culture. Exactly. It is culture that James was criticising. His culture, like ours, at its worst, favours the rich over the poor. Even though the rich can oppress the poor and drag them into court to ensure they stay rich at the cost of the poor, we still give them preference. Even though they buy politicians and lawyers and spin doctors to get their way, we still give them preference.

In some cultures, people can be tempted to think that the rich are somehow closer to God and wisdom. Having money is associated with virtue and somehow by virtue of having money we listen to their supposed wisdom on matters of living and even faith.

Yet James in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, says ‘No’. God has chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the Kingdom. But even though God has uplifted the poor Christians still keep them down.

As Christian leaders and managers, I know that we do our best. But we all need the constant correction of scripture in order to inoculate us against the twisted values of the world.

Yet how many times do we see in organizations that the rich get preferential treatment? And how often do we see the poor treated with contempt? Have you ever seen this? Have you ever suffered from this kind of treatment?

The churches and its organizations can easily condemn with words the preferential treatment given to the rich in a capitalist where money is the measure of all things.

But how much better it is to act in a better way where we treat all people are equals in the eyes of God. We should not attempt to embarrass the rich by dragging them down, but rather elevate the poor to their kingdom status.

James summarises the way we should treat people. Very simply, and in the words of Christ he says “you shall Love your neighbour as yourself.” Simple words, perhaps, but how difficult they are to act out every day in every situations.

I remember when I working for the Presbyterian Church in New Zealand I had a manager who was keen to attend marketing and management lunches and events to hear guest speakers on various topics related to our work in communications.

One of those events I attended stood out for me. It was a breakfast meeting. The room was full of young upcoming managers from a range of corporations. They were there, it seemed to me, to gain wisdom about the latest management thinking in order to give them an edge.

The guest speaker was the general manager of a successful wine company. A leading brand they are well known around the world as producing reliable good wine at a reasonable price.

What was his message to this audience?

I was surprised. Instead of some complicated management fad, he had one simple rule he wanted to share with us. He claimed that his simple management rule applied in every situation, with everyone, and was the secret to his management success.

We have already heard this management insight this morning.

It is this: “You shall love you neighbour as yourself.” Although for him was rendered something like “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Sometimes called the Golden Rule this was his simple and timeless management and leadership tip.

He used this tip with staff, customers, and suppliers, and he said it never failed him.

The room of young executives clearly expected something else. Surely management and leadership of a major company requires sophisticated techniques using psychological insights, sociological analyses, accounting techniques, and marketing acumen. Those things can be used, sure, but they can also be misused if we do not have ethos of care for people in place.

But his message – a wonderful secular sermon, was that an ethic of care, which recognised that the people are an organizations most important asset guides the success of a major company.

The young executives could be seen shuffling in the seats a little uncomfortably. Many of them had come expecting to learn something they did not already know. But everyone has heard of this rule of life and faith. The difficult part is to believe in it and to put it into place.

The rule of love has been ridiculed as being for our private lives alone. For political and economic realists, who preach the gospel of realism, repeatedly saying that love is all very well between individuals and families and in our private lives. But when we get to the real business of managing companies and countries and dealing with the forces of sin in a violent world, love must be set aside and other pragmatic values must take precedence.

But before we reject love we must try it. But we must also not forget about the sinful nature of men and women. We should not be naive that love can prevent harmful things from happening. After the most loving human of all, Jesus Christ, was hung on a cross to die. But the love of God conquered the power of death for our sakes.

We must place our faith in love and its power to world wonder in the lives of our families, villages, churches, city and nation.

Amen.

SERMON: Fifth Sunday of Easter (18 May 2014)

Sermon Preached by Dr Richard A. Davis at St Ronan’s, Eastbourne, 18 May 2014

SCRIPTURE READINGS

• John 14:1-14
• Acts 7:55-60
• 1 Peter 2:2-10

SERMON

For our nation and our church these are times when we are tearing down and building up. No more so than in our second biggest city, Christchurch, which is still recovering from the earthquakes of 2010 and 2011. I was amazed to see on Campbell Live the other night Christchurch’s CBD, which still has so many empty sites and so few people walking around.

Some of the shops and offices that previously buzzed with workers, shoppers, and tourists, now no longer exist and people are finding other places to be. The churches there have also been hit hard, requiring a rethinking of their mission, building needs, and an unanticipated pastoral focus on healing the hurts of such disruption. People are in mourning, not only for those killed in the quakes, but also for their city, neighborhoods, and homes.

In Lower Hutt at the moment there is outcry about demolishing the Town Hall and Horticultural Hall, landmarks in our city, and sites of so many happy memories. My own parents, who celebrated their 52nd wedding anniversary this month had their wedding reception in the Horticultural Hall, considered the venue in those days. But perhaps if these halls are demolished a new generation can make their memories in new places fit for new purposes.

Human buildings fit for human purposes are essential for human flourishing, but this morning I wish to focus on the building up of the church by Christ, who makes his church out of “living stones”, as we heard read this morning from Peter’s first letter. This passage, rich with metaphors, speaks directly to our life as Christians growing from new born infants in the faith, to become a people set apart for the purposes of God.

This passage from 1 Peter offers counsel, as individuals, and as a church. Indeed, the passage talks of our role as living stones that are bound together to form a new people with a new role in the world.

What a strange expression – “living stones”. Clearly there are no such things as a stones that live, but here is an expression of a truth of our life together as a church.

But, what is the church? There is no simple answer to this question.

Some would see it as a club of Christians who agree to come together for a common purpose. But this voluntaristic view of the church denies the role Christians have traditionally affirmed for the role of Christ in making the church.

Another answer is that churches are the stones, glass, and wood that combine to provide us places of worship, hospitality, and community life. This is some truth in this position – churches are buildings. And there is a good case that buildings offer an architectural testimony to the community that worships there.

What do you think or feel when you see a church? If you have visited the magnificent cathedrals of Europe, or the ancient churches of the Middle East, you will surely agree that the very buildings, their surroundings, and furnishings cry out, even if the priests are silent when you visit.

Churches are testimonies to a continuity of Christian witness in those places, and they come to be identified with very places they are in. Consider St Paul’s in London, Notre Dame in Paris, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, St Basil’s in Moscow. These cities are unimaginable without them. Closer to home the Christchurch cathedral, still on the logo of the City Council, stands as a reminder of Christianity’s place at the heart of the city.

But as we all know, the church is the people even more than the buildings. The early Christians had no separate buildings they worshiped in. They would have met in each other’s homes to read letters from the first Christian leaders and to read the scriptures together. They practiced radical hospitality, attracting new Christians by the lives they lived together.

What does it mean to be a royal or holy priesthood? Over the years this phrase has been used to suggest that the Church stands separate from the world. We are made from stones the world has rejected, standing on the cornerstone that the world rejected and crucified.

Many of us may have suffered for being Christians. And with an increasingly secular society that we live in the church cannot ask for any special favours. With the rise of militant atheism, and with more people rejecting faith altogether, the mocking of faith is something we need to prepare for. We are being separated from the mainstream, whether we like it or not.

I was very fortunate to spend several years studying theology in Edinburgh. Many weekends I would travel to the Highlands to go “hillwalking” – this isn’t tramping, but climbing hills much lower than our mountains, but usually in conditions that made them challenging nonetheless.

One common feature of the hills of Scotland are the dry stone walls that marked out fields and sometimes provide useful markers up ridges. They were usually built from the stones on the fields nearby. Made without any mortar, it is remarkable that these walls can withstand extreme climates and strong winds.

It is said that a good wall-maker will only pick up each stone once and find its perfect place in the wall without putting it back down. When you see how many stones there are, you don’t want to be lifting them up and then putting them back down, only to have to lift them back up again. A good wall builder can do maybe three metres in a day, which entails lifting about three tonnes of stone. This requires years of experience.

 

We can see ourselves as stones like these, living stones in the phrases of Peter. We are those stones, rejected from the pasture, pushed to the margins, and perceived to be useless in the field where the real action takes place. But in the hands of Christ we are placed, all of us, whatever our size or shape into our perfect place in the structure that fulfills his purpose. And once picked up by Christ out of the dirt, we are not put down, Christ uses us, in unison with others to build his Kingdom. We all have our place in his church, working together for the good of all.

A field is pointless without a wall around it; indeed it is not a field at all. The sheep will escape, or the ram will get in when you don’t want it to. The wall made of the stones pushed to the margins makes the pasture useful. In the hands of the skilled wall-maker the stones make the pasture what it was meant to be. This is an important point. The wall serves the pasture it encloses, it helps to make the pasture the best it can be.

Does our church serve the world with a message of peace, justice, and reconciliation? Or it is interested only in its own integrity, becoming a wall without any purpose except one that points to the fact it was formed by its maker?

As we know, in addition to wall-building, stones have many uses, and some are far from humane. Our reading from Acts this morning recounts the story of Stephen, the first Christian martyr who was stoned outside Jerusalem.

This is the very reversal of the images I have been using where the stones come together in unity to build up something new for Christ. In the story of Stephen one can imagine that if not enough stones were lying around, the people may have started to dismantle a wall or path using those stones to kill Stephen. If so, the rejection of Christ and the killing of Christ’s messenger meant the breaking up of the stones into individual weapons of violence and death.

Before he was condemned, Stephen, in this speech to the crowd, reminds the people of what the prophet Isaiah had said: “Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hands”. Instead, as we learn from Peter, God builds his church out of living stones.

It is worth noting that Saul was present at the stoning, and approved of Stephen’s execution. This Saul later converted on the road to Damascus, became St Paul, the first Christian theologian, who was himself flogged, shipwrecked and imprisoned and may himself have been martyred by beheading or upside down crucifixion. Who knows what effect Stephen’s martyrdom had on him, and the others? We shall never know, but to this day the stories of martyrs have continued to inspire Christian faith.

There are still people who are being killed for professing Christ. This week a pregnant women, Meriam Yehya from Sudan was condemned to prison, lashing and hanging for apostasy in abandoning Islam for Christianity and for refusing to renounce her faith in Christ.

Have you ever wondered what you would do if faced with death because of your faith? Would you take the chance to renounce your faith and escape death? You might feel like me – I know what I would like to do in that situation, but I’m uncertain what I would do until I’m placed in that position.

Christians who face persecution because of their faith may remain faithful for two reasons. First, that they have built their faith on the sure, unshakeable foundation of Christ. Second, they have a community of other Christians around them supporting them and perhaps facing persecution together. As living stones of the church we are not isolated from communities of support, but are bound together by God into a structure that can withstand anything the world can throw at it.

In the church today images of stones may be useful in thinking through the meaning of church and our role in it. As some churches are demolished, rebuilt, or sold, brick by brick, the image of living stones can be useful as we know, as Stephen reminds us, that God is not bound by the work of human hands and lives in our midst.

Finally, in addition to the image of living stones, I wish to offer another image of stones for our churches today. In a declining church, some of our Presbyterian parishes may feel isolated as other parishes around them close, encouraging them to look further afield for help. Such churches, rather than being a stone bound to others in a strong church, may appear to be more like a stepping stone – far enough apart to be just in reach from the next with a long stride. One should not be disheartened by such an image; anyone who has been hill-walking in Scotland will know that hikers seek out those stepping stones which are just above water in order to make the journey with dry feet and a sure stable foothold. Those stones carry us forward, and we can be grateful for them, whether we stand there only the once, or whether it’s a daily or weekly resting spot on our journey of life.

Amen.

The missing verses of “Almighty Father of all things that be”

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worship

At a central Wellington Presbyterian Church yesterday we sang the hymn “Almighty Father of all things that be”, but we missed out two verses. I wondered why. The hymn goes:

Almighty Father of all things that be,
our life, our work, we consecrate to thee,
whose heavens declare thy glory from above,
whose earth below is witness to thy love.

For well we know this weary, soiled earth
is yet thine own by right of its new birth,
since that great cross upreared on Calvary
redeemed it from its fault and shame to thee.

Thine still the changeful beauty of the hills,
the purple valleys flecked with silver rills,
the ocean glistening ‘neath the golden rays;
they all are thine, and voiceless speak thy praise.

Thou dost the strength to workman’s arm impart;
from thee the skilled musician’ mystic art,
the grace of poet’s pen or painter’s hand,
to teach the loveliness of sea and land.

Then grant us, Lord, in all things thee to own,
to dwell within the shadow of thy throne,
to speak and work, to think, and live, and move,
reflecting thine own nature, which is love:

that so, by Christ redeemed from sin and shame,
and hallowed by thy Spirit’s cleansing flame,
ourselves, our work, and all our powers may be
a sacrifice acceptable to thee.

[Author: Earnest Edward Dugmore (1843-1925): SOURCE]

The verses missed out are in bold.

It is a regrettable that these verses were passed over. The first speaks to God’s beautiful Creation that signs the praise of God. The second to God’s guidance of human work for the appreciation of God’s gifts.

For me they speak of the importance of the re-enchantment of creation and the work of human hands. What could more important in a time of environment destruction and the dehumanization of much human work that results in the further destruction of our God-given world.

Next time I’ll sign them anyway!