Lord, we praise you as the One who is always sending your people and causing the good news of Christ to spread to unreached peoples! Thank you for how even after the Ascension, you continue by your Spirit to seek and save the lost!
He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with hi
Our God, we’re in awe of your intimate knowledge of each of us, and of your wisdom as the Architect of all times, seasons, and “chance” meetings. We pray that you would appoint wondrous encounters for each of us also within the book of Isaiah! Cause us to behold you and to love you more fervently due to our time in those pages. We have the interpretive key that the eunuch did not – Christ! So set us free to cherish, know, and rejoice in the view of you and your purposes crafted by the inspired Isaiah so many centuries ago. Raise up among us and from us more teachers and mentors in the word of God. Make us like passionate tour guides, who pass along not only expert knowledge, but our devotion and love for your word!
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 before its shearer is silent,
so he opens not his mouth.
In his humiliation justice was denied him.
Who can describe his generation?
For his life was taken away from the earth.”
And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this? About himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus.
Holy Spirit, stir in us a fresh amazement at the now-revealed mystery of Christ the Suffering Servant! May his sacrifice never be taken for granted. Let us see at the Cross, in each new time of meditation, your love, your justice, your mercy, your power. May each of us fully trust in that finished work for forgiveness of sins and acceptance by the Father! And make us skilled and fervent in opening our mouths, and from all the Scriptures sharing the good news about Jesus.
And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.
Father, we thank you that in Christ even the outsider and the one with no legacy can be wrapped into your everlasting purposes and flourishing family (Isaiah 56:3-8). Lord, may any who trust in you long to obediently take on the sign of baptism. By your grace, make our church a place where only true believers are baptized and where all true believers are baptized! Give new believers joy in this declaration of union with you! And though we know we likely won’t be transported the way Philip was, we ask that we would walk in step with your Spirit and faithfully speak of you in all the places to which you providentially carry us. Amen.