Baptised into Christ

From Wellington Cathedral of St Paul

Baptised into Christ: 9th October 2011: pm: The Very Revd Frank Nelson

• Psalm 139: 1 - 9
• Proverbs 3: 1 - 18
• Acts 8: 26 - 38

Among the many interesting stories that St Luke chose to include in his history of the early Church is the one we heard tonight as our second reading. Two men have a chance encounter on the road. It leads to the baptism of one, and the affirmation of a ministry for the other. Both have something to say to us tonight as Ashlee is presented to be baptised and made a member of Christ’s church.

We know nothing about the Ethiopian other than what is told us in Acts 8. We know a little more, but not much, about Philip. Philip’s story starts in Acts 6. In those early days of the Church there seems to have been a common distribution of food. But it was not equally done. Those who were Greek speaking complained that they were being overlooked in favour of those who were Hebrew speaking. The Twelve Apostles got together to work through the issue and came up with a solution which, at least in name, is still with us today. They appointed seven men to be responsible for making sure that the food was evenly distributed. They were called Deacons – a word which has to do with waiting on tables. What is really interesting is that all seven have Greek names, among them Philip and Stephen. In just over a month’s time our Bishop will ordain a number of people as Deacons. In the ordination service (ANZPB pg 891) the bishop says that deacons are there to remind the whole Church that serving others is essential to all ministry. Indeed, the very word ministry has to do with service.

So here we have Philip and Stephen among those appointed to serve the community. In fact, both find themselves doing other things too. Stephen quickly fell foul of the authorities and, despite a spirited defence of his beliefs, was stoned to death as a blasphemer – thus becoming the first person to die for his faith in Jesus Christ. He is revered and honoured in the Church as the first Christian martyr, with a special festival day on 26th December. His death sparked off a general exodus of Christians from Jerusalem as an overzealous Pharisee took it on himself to hunt down Christians and generally make life miserable for them. Some of the Christians fled to Samaria. Among them was Philip. He too did not stick to waiting on tables and began preaching that Jesus was the Messiah. Shortly after this we read about Philip in another place – this time on the great highway south to Egypt, Ethiopia and the vast continent of Africa.

So it is that, by chance, or by design of the Holy Spirit, Philip was around when the Ethiopian was reading from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. The particular passage he was reading is Isaiah 53: 7 – 8, one of several passages known as the Servant Songs. A simple question from Philip, “Do you know what you are reading?” opens the way for a conversation between the two men. Invited to join him, Philip is able to explain to the Ethiopian what he, Philip, has just recently realised. This strange piece of poetry about someone being led like a sheep to the slaughter makes sense of the death of Jesus Christ. We can imagine the early followers of Jesus pouring over their scriptures trying to make sense of Jesus’ death. What a gift the Servant Songs in Isaiah were to them. Here, in poetry written hundreds of years before, was an explanation for Jesus’ death. He it is who is the sheep, the lamb, being led to the slaughter, not for any fault of his own. He it is who takes on the punishment of a whole people, carrying it all on his own shoulders, dying for the sake of others, to set them free.

In one short verse we are told that Philip, beginning with this passage from Isaiah, proclaimed the good news about Jesus. How fortunate the Ethiopian was to bump into Philip, to have someone able to explain things, open eyes to hidden truths. Clearly someone who knows what he wants, when they come to a stretch of water, the Ethiopian asks to be baptised. This Philip does and the man is baptised, the first recorded baptism of an African. And that’s the end of the story in Acts. Philip is whisked away to another town, Azotus, while the Ethiopian continues on his way rejoicing.

The rest we can only imagine. We do know that there is a very ancient presence of Christianity in both Egypt and Ethiopia. Was this the beginning of it all?

What of tonight? Ashlee is a little bit like the Ethiopian. She has spent years reading, asking questions, searching. A few weeks ago she wandered into the Cathedral, drawn by … you’ll have to ask her. Connections were made, questions answered, and shortly she will formally ask to be baptised.

For Ashlee this marks an important step in a life-long journey with Christ. Nor is she alone on this journey. We are all companions on the journey, just a few steps ahead. Like her, we have responded to the call of Jesus to follow Him. Like her, we too meet for regular worship of God, teaching from the Scriptures, and fellowship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Like Ashlee, we who have been baptised, have a responsibility so to speak about and live out our faith in Jesus that others will be drawn to baptism.

Without Philip there to interpret that passage from Isaiah the Ethiopian might still be wandering and wondering. This poses a challenge for each of us to be on the lookout for opportunities to be like Philip, to get alongside those who have questions, to be able to point them in the right direction. Not all can answer the questions, but we can point them to others who can.

Baptised with water in the name of God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit; sealed with the sign of the cross; and given a candle as a symbol of the new life in Christ, Ashlee joins the Church of God, called to make a difference in the world, to be an agent of God’s Kingdom, on earth as in heaven.