To Lincoln on the occasion of his Baptism

Acts 8:24-40

26 Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south[a] to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) 27 So he got up and went. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury. He had come to Jerusalem to worship 28 and was returning home; seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 Then the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over to this chariot and join it.” 30 So Philip ran up to it and heard him reading the prophet Isaiah. He asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31 He replied, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to get in and sit beside him. 32 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 silent before its shearer,
        so he does not open his mouth.
33 In his humiliation justice was denied him.
    Who can describe his generation?
        For his life is taken away from the earth.”

34 The eunuch asked Philip, “About whom, may I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” 35 Then Philip began to speak, and starting with this scripture, he proclaimed to him the good news about Jesus. 36 As they were going along the road, they came to some water; and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized?”[b] 38 He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip[c] baptized him. 39 When they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord snatched Philip away; the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he was passing through the region, he proclaimed the good news to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.

Dear Lincoln,

I want to point of that the Ethiopian Eunuch in our reading from Acts had the scriptures read and explained to him, and then he was baptized. We did things a bit out of order. No, it’s not your parents’ fault. There will be plenty of blame for them coming from you down the line so I’ll take the heat for this one. You see Lincoln, you were just baptized into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It sounds like a big deal because, well, it is. That old life you knew is gone and now, clothed in the new life of Jesus Christ God has placed a claim on your life. In response to this claim your parents, along with all of the people here today on, behalf of our community of faith has promised to see to it that you and every other person are surrounded with a community of love and forgiveness so that you, and they, will grow in service to others and become a disciple of Jesus Christ. What this congregation and your parents committed to today is second only to the new life you have been clothed in.

And since we’re doing things out of order it would probably be best to explain all of this, well some of it to you - I’ll leave the complicated stuff to the congregation. They’ll be more than willing to study, teach, and learn about things like the Trinity, atonement theology, and eschatology alongside you. 

We don’t know much about the Ethiopian Eunuch. We know he was from what was considered to be the far reaches of the world. At this point, you’re probably wondering what a eunuch is. I’ll let your parents explain that one to you. I’ll just say that this man, because of his physical condition, was unable to be ritually clean or physically marked as the law prescribed and thus was unable to enter into the very temple he traveled to for worship. Imagine that journey. Day after day in his chariot only to get to the destination and be told he could not enter. 

Now, as this man traveled home the Holy Spirit nudged Philip - Lincoln, the Holy Spirit has a habit of doing that and I pray you never get used to it. The Holy Spirit nudged Philip to join the man in his chariot. Before Philip, a disciple of Jesus Christ knew it, he was up in the chariot and teaching the man about the Good News of Jesus. 

Philip most likely told the man how he had been called, along with his brother Nathaniel, being told by Jesus that they would see, “heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending.”

Philip most likely told the man about the healing of leapers and a lame man who laid by a healing pool for far too long.

Philip most likely told the man about a group of friends lowering their friend through the ceiling so that their friend might be healed by Jesus.

Philip most likely told the man about the Sermon on the Mount or the Beatitudes.

Philip most likely told the man about the parables or at least a parable - Jesus’ use of earthly examples to point out a heavenly truth.

Philip most likely told the man about Jesus walking on water, calming a storm, and clashing with the Pharisees. 

Philip definitely told the man about about Jesus’ last days. While some may call this Spring Break, we in the Church call this Holy Week. Philip told the man from Ethiopia about pain and sorrow endured by Jesus only to then proclaim the Good News of Easter.

Philip told this man that in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ Sin - the thing that continually seems to separate us from God - has lost its grip on us. All of us. On you.

And now, we the church, are witness to this new reality knowing that the Kingdom of God was inaugurated in a manger in Bethlehem and is it not yet fully realized.

Notice Lincoln, the story of Good News changed the Ethiopian man’s life. He was never the same. You, I pray, will never be the same. To say it is sentimental, the water that streamed off your head or even the proclaiming the Good News of Christ misses that attached to the water - so much so that it cannot be strained or filtered - is grace, the abounding of Love of God. And Lincoln, that love is yours. So much so that there’s nothing you can do to undo the claim placed on you.

This grace is offensive to some because it cuts through whatever barriers others will attempt to put in place between us and God. This grace is offensive because it cuts through any barriers others may attempt to place between you and God. 

It’s OK that you don’t remember this day when your older, Lincoln. Many of us here today were told about our baptisms or shown pictures a decade or so after it happened. I want you to remember though, with the help of your parents, sister, and family - that includes this entire community - that like the Ethiopian Eunuch, you, and every other person to be dunked, sprinkled, or poured over with this water have been clothed in new life, in the amazing grace of Jesus Christ. You received this pardon, not because of anything you did or because the correct prayer and words were spoken. Not because of the severity of your sins or lack of, no, you, we, have been pardoned and made clean because of everything Christ has done for you. The grace you have received begins exactly where you and others tell you it should end.

So Lincoln, welcome to the family. I’ll warn you now that we probably won’t get it right. We’re going to mess up. We have messed up. And Lincoln, where we fall short, that is where the work of God in Christ, that Good News, is enough.

Grace & Peace,

Pastor Teer

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