A Famine Not of Bread

"The Baptism of the Eunuch" by Rembrandt Click here to listen to this sermon. An angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza” (Acts 8:26-40). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Jerusalem and Gaza. They’ve been in the news quite often lately. They are the center of a conflict that could potentially change the direction of global and U.S. politics or ignite World War 3. The encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian is not nearly as potentially dangerous for the primary characters. Still, it certainly was no less world-changing or life-changing for the one who became a beloved baptized child of God that day on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza.  Philip was one of the deacons chosen to assist the apostles in Acts 6. When the believers were scattered after Stephen’s martyrdom, he preached the Gospel in Samaria, and it was received with “much joy.” The angel of the Lord gave Phi...

"The Baptism of the Eunuch" by Rembrandt van Rijn Click here to listen to this sermon. “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, ‘Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza” (Acts 8:26). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! You’re probably familiar with the idiom, “a window of opportunity.” “A window of opportunity” is a phrase used to describe a limited time when things are especially ripe to accomplish a particular task or achieve a particular goal. For example, many early childhood development experts speak of “windows of opportunity” when the brains of infants and toddlers are more open to learn skills like foreign languages and mathematics. Medical researchers use “window of opportunity” trials in which patients receive one or more new compounds between their cancer diagnosis and standard treatment to try to gain further insights into the disease and potential treatments. You and I come acr...