This homily is a short “starter” homily that encourages the assembly at our 5:00pm liturgy to add their own insights and reflections in conversation with the preacher. Gathered in a circle in the early evening, we enjoy this evening Eucharist as a more intimate form of worship on the Lord’s Day.
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“Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?”
This is a great question. A quick answer may come to our world-weary minds: lots of things, dear one! Lots of things prevent you from being baptized.
The question is asked by an Ethiopian eunuch, a person who experienced at least two layers of discrimination. First, they were most likely a literal eunuch who underwent a procedure to make permanent – by way of a physical surgical alteration – their status in vocation and society. In Philip’s world of Palestinian Judea, this also means the eunuch, as someone physically altered, would never have Temple privileges.
The Ethiopian eunuch, by virtue of being a eunuch, and because that term could refer to various actual identities and situations, has sometimes been thought of as “the first gay Christian.” In our cultural and political context, it would not be wrong or inaccurate for us to at the very least call them queer, and to note their departure from sexual and gender binaries.
Second, though they are living in a world that existed before white supremacy as we know it, and though most of the first Christians lived in north Africa and west Asia and therefore were probably black or brown, the eunuch is a racial outsider. They are an Ethiopian eunuch.
So now let’s hear their question again. “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?”
And now let’s hear Philip’s answer, which is, “Nothing!”
Even without the Ethiopian eunuch’s status as a person lacking a couple of key privileges, the question is stirring, inspiring, delightful. These past few months we’ve welcomed our sibling Michael into our midst, someone who lives nearby and found our 5pm liturgy sign, came down the ramp, and joined our community. He was quickly baptized, at least by comparison to the more common long months or years of preparation most people take, or are forced to take. And yesterday morning (or was it afternoon, by the time they got around to him?), Michael was confirmed in the Episcopal Church, and he confirmed his Baptismal Covenant, with the laying-on of hands by Bishop Melissa Skelton.
That was fast! But it was exactly the right amount of time. What is to prevent Michael from being baptized, from being confirmed? Nothing! Nothing!
And this is all the more poignant when we’re talking about people who would never have had a chance to be welcomed into a faith community, just on spec. We have plenty of Ethiopian eunuchs in our world. I’ll bet you could name many that I wouldn’t think of, and I can think of quite a few. But the evangelist Luke introduces us to an Ethiopian eunuch who comes with questions but ultimately overtakes Philip as the teacher and apostle in this story from the Acts of the Apostles.
I invite your reflections on how we, in this community surrounded by the waters of the Salish Sea – look, here is water! – how we are doing in our task to share Philip’s openness to the Spirit, Philip’s willingness to let the Spirit take him places (suddenly he “finds himself” at Azotus… okaaay…), Philip’s quick readiness to respond to a stranger who comes with many questions.
And I invite your reflections on how we, in this community surrounded by the waters of the Salish Sea, look to you, if you identify more strongly with the Ethiopian eunuch. Do you also have questions about our holy book? Do you also want to learn, want to grow, want to teach, want to lead?
And I invite your reflections on this intriguing and delightful encounter, which happened along the so-called “wilderness road” between Jerusalem and Gaza. That road, as you know, and are so grieved and outraged to know, is an even more dreadful wilderness road today. I invite your reflections on how we might become – or already are – a community that does wondrous things along awful roads like that.
Look, here is a wondrous story! What is to prevent you from sharing your thoughts about it?
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Preached on the Fifth Sunday of Easter (Year B), April 28, 2024, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Seattle, Washington.
Acts 8:26-40
Psalm 22:24-30
1 John 4:7-21
John 15:1-8