Sharing a Chariot

I remember when I first read about the Trayvon Martin case, I was astounded. And then, as I heard commentators like Geraldo Rivera say that Trayvon shouldn't have been wearing a hoodie, I was absolutely baffled. A hoodie? I wear hoodies all the time - always have, and I doubt anyone has ever felt threatened by my article of clothing. But I'm white. Trayvon sadly was the Other.

As you remember what you know about his case, read 1 John 4:7-21 and Acts 8:26-40.

I'm not saying that all the facts are clear in the death of Trayvon Martin, that the shooting was or was not justified. But the media storm that followed made one thing very clear to me: we are SO not post-racism. And it's hard for that feeling to not influence stories like the encounter between Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch, an encounter between two guys from very different worlds.

When we read this story, it is so easy to slip in the shoes of Philip and think this is who we need to be as Easter people, that this is the kind of evangelist God calls us to be. If only the Holy Spirit would call us – we would be ready to go! Surely God would grant us the courage to share the Good News, that Jesus Christ has lived, died, and was risen so that we may have eternal life. Surely we wouldn’t be afraid of a desert road, or a foreigner in a fancy chariot, or of baptizing someone without the permission of Session. It is so easy to identify with the Christ-follower.

What if this story is less about Philip’s faithfulness and more about the Ethiopian eunuch’s faith journey? We can read between the lines of Scripture and know that this man was probably pretty different from Philip – a different race, country, socioeconomic class, sexuality. The Ethiopian eunuch was not like Philip – a sweaty, poor Jewish man on the lam from persecution in Jerusalem. So often we commend Philip for not letting those boundaries stop him from sharing the Good News.

But it’s the Ethiopian eunuch who shows his hospitality and invites the stranger into his chariot. It’s the eunuch who is educated enough to know how to read, devout enough to spend time studying Scripture and making a long journey to worship, and humble enough to know that he needs help. Hospitality, education, devotion, and humility – why do we not strive to slip into his shoes, to live up to the eunuch as a pillar of our faith? Is it we who are scared of the Other, scared to cross boundaries, scared to ask for help, scared to read the Scripture with someone so radically different, scared of a young black man in a hoodie with a bag of Skittles?

Maybe this story is not about Philip or the eunuch but about the Holy Spirit bringing sisters and brothers together in Christ, so that not only knowledge but testimony may be shared. Being in the community with the Other does not mean writing checks to El Salvador or VIDA or the Rescue Mission (although that’s a nice thing to do). Being in community with the Other means an incarnational relationship, means face-to-face meeting, means learning what it’s like in the Other's lives. Then the Other will cease to be the Other, and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will all rejoice in baptisms and Good News. Thanks be to God.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Kate