Wilderness Roads
Scripture: Acts 8: 26-40
An Ethiopian eunuch had gone
to worship in Jerusalem and was now traveling a wilderness road that went from
Jerusalem to Gaza. He was returning
to “a land shadowed with buzzing wings
beyond the rivers of Ethiopia”. This
same day an angel of the Lord sent Philip to the same road. Once he reached this road, the Holy Spirit
told him to go over to the Ethiopian man’s chariot and Philip obeyed and joined
him.
The man had been reading
writings of the prophet Isaiah, but didn’t understand who the lamb being led to
slaughter was in the passage. As they
traveled together, Philip was able to interpret the passage to the Ethiopian man,
proclaiming the good news of Jesus. He
literally accompanied the man from a wilderness road into the waters of
baptism!
All Christians are called to
reach out to others the way that Philip reached out to the Ethiopian man. How can we take the message of hope and
healing to the wilderness roads of the world if we don’t travel them for
ourselves first? Once we’ve experienced
the presence and power of God during our own times of struggle and grief, we
can reach out to others who are seeking truth and hope with answers to their
questions.
Philip knew it was the Lord
telling him where to go and what to do the day he met the Ethiopian man. The Holy Spirit is speaking to the church
today and telling us to go and “proclaim the good news”. We don’t enjoy the times of struggle in our
lives, and yet, it is where we learn to recognize the voice of the Lord and to
trust God. These experiences empower us
to proclaim the good news with the boldness and authority as Philip did.
Prayer: Help me remember that I am not alone when I travel a
wilderness road. May each struggle and
each victory give me the desire to boldly share my faith, proclaiming the
message of your grace and love!
The Reverend Josefina Perez
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