Bending the Rules, Just a Bit - July 1

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 131, 132, [133]; PM Psalm 134, 135; 1 Samuel 13:5-18; Acts 8:26-40; Luke 23:13-25

I am deeply moved by the story in Acts today about the Ethiopian Eunuch and his desire to be baptized.   We are led to believe the Eunuch is Jewish, going to Jerusalem to pray.  He has a chance encounter with a man named Philip who shares a vision about Jesus.  It is such a powerful experience that they stop when seeing some water and the Eunuch asks to be Baptized by his new friend, Philip.  “He commanded the chariot to stop, and both of them, Philip and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip baptized him (Acts 8:38).”

There is no long process, or filling out forms, setting dates on the calendar, and inviting family.  The text certainly doesn’t suggest a fancy baptismal gown that has been passed down for generations, like the ones that are so important in my family. 

One of the practices of our faith community that has been very different over the past year and a half is the sacrament of Baptism. Eight years ago, I had two different friends reach out to me inviting their newly ordained friend to baptize their children. One was a friend of mine since we were in second grade and the other, a friend since high school. Both were people that I spent a lot of time with as an adult, and I was hopeful my faith could have an impact on their lives in tangible ways. 

I was fresh out of seminary, deeply formed from lots of reading and discussion with classmates, and I can remember how important I felt it to be for us to do public Baptism.  I encouraged my friends to consider doing the Baptism as a part of one of my church services, but neither friend was active in my faith community, or any faith community for that matter.  The end result was my friend from high school found another priest to do a private Baptism, one that wasn’t such a stickler for the community tradition (or had a better pastoral sense), and my oldest friend’s child has still not been baptized.

And now, after a year and a half pandemic, almost all of our recent baptisms have been private (although we are beginning to do public again), and I am regretting that missed opportunity years ago. As much as I still believe that Baptism is for the community, I am learning that sometimes our ideas about the way things should be, need to be stretched and challenged.  And sometimes we do things even if there is a better way because not doing it is a worse alternative.

I hope I am always open to what the Spirit might be up to in the future, and the willingness to go along just like Philip.  The text suggests that it wasn’t just the Eunuch’s life that was changed, but Philip’s too. “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. 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” (Acts 8:39-40).

John+ 

Questions for Self-Reflection:  What are decisions that you regret because you stuck too much to the rules?  How would you do things differently today?

Daily Challenge: Pick one rule that you should bend a little bit today and try to do just that.  Consider how this might be helpful to your own growth.