Interdependence - Fifth Sunday of Easter
Author: Pastor Scott Schul
April 28, 2024
Can you think of people who changed
your life? Who are the people whose
presence positively impacted what you do,
who you are, what you believe, or where you live? We all have people like that, and they hold an honored place in our
hearts. Often it seems they enter our
lives in such random and unexpected ways, but once their pathway and ours intersects, we can’t imagine life without them. But are such meetings just happy accidents or coincidences? Or does God play a role in those encounters?
As you ponder that, consider today’s
first lesson, from Acts. There we have a
most unlikely encounter. Philip was one of the first deacons in the post-resurrection church, called with six
others to care for the widows of Jerusalem. Philip was very much an insider in the Christian world of his day because of his position of responsibility
within the Church.
The other person was an official
from the royal court of Ethiopia. While
in Africa he had somehow acquired a portion of the book of the prophet Isaiah,
and those words kindled a fire in his heart. And so he traveled all the way to Jerusalem to learn and worship even
though he understood little of what he read. In Jerusalem he was an outsider in every conceivable way, unwelcome to worship in the heart of the Temple. Tradition ascribes several names to him, so I’ll
pick one: Bachos.
The encounter between Philip and
Bachos would change each of their lives and forever impact the Christian Church
throughout the world. In their meeting, we
learn about the divine necessity of interdependence. Philip and Bachos needed each other. Likewise, the Church of their day needed them
as much as they needed the Church. And
the fact that we’re talking about Philip and Bachos nearly 2,000 years later is
a reminder that the Church and its people today still needs them and their
story.
Interdependence is not a
popular notion in this land where rugged individualism is often exalted as the
highest and best character trait. Science
enables us to see and value the presence of interdependence within the natural world, but when it
comes to people, we resist it. Again, part of that resistance is cultural,
but it also involves an understandable element of self-preservation. When we become interdependent, we become vulnerable. Others might hurt us, disappoint us, or
otherwise let us down. Better to cling
to the myth of the Wild West cowboy, who stoically rides the plains all alone,
totally independent and unencumbered, right?
Certainly there are times when all
of us – myself included – crave a little alone time. That’s natural and even healthy. But in this era of unbridled individualism,
it’s jarring to rediscover that a core element of our faith is that God made us to be in community. God created us to be interdependent, both with our world and with each other.
Many stories in scripture support
this proposition. For example, consider
that Jesus only taught his followers one
prayer, and it begins with “our” because he always intended us to say it in
community, and for prayer and worship to be communal and interdependent. Consider as
well the Last Supper. Jesus knew that
one of his closest followers would betray him. He knew firsthand the risks of interdependence and has the scars to prove it. He had
every incentive to avoid being tied to disciples who exhibited so many
flaws. But he didn’t. In fact, he
went even further, using his last moments of freedom to fervently pray for us
to live in unity, something that can only be built upon a foundation of interdependence.
So let’s turn again to our lesson
from Acts. Is there any question that
the Holy Spirit was working on Bachos when he was in Africa? In that day and age when the printed word was
so rare, what else besides divine intervention could’ve caused Isaiah’s words to
fall into Bachos’s hands, so far away in Ethiopia, and drive him to make the
long journey to Jerusalem?
And what about Philip? He had a calling within the church to tend a
specific group of people in a designated location. But of course God’s vision extends far beyond
ours. So, for reasons only God could see,
an angel directed Philip to take an unplanned detour down the wilderness road, a term which tells us the
journey was remote and even dangerous. But why? Because on that wilderness road, God wanted Philip and Bachos to meet. God wanted them to have an encounter of interdependence… because they needed it… and so did the Church.
The encounter between Philip and Bachos is
built around four questions, one from Philip and three from Bachos. In those questions, they learned vitally
important things about themselves and each other. Through those questions, the lives of two
strangers became forever connected and entwined. And through those questions, the breadth of
Christ’s Church was revealed in stunning clarity. I won’t rehash the questions now. You can review them later. Because more important than the questions are the answers God reveals through them.
The initial issue Philip and Bachos had to
tackle concerned how Bachos was supposed to understand the scripture passage he’d
been reading. The resulting conversation
teaches us three very important principles. First, not every interpretation of
Holy Scripture is valid or helpful. We
all need guides when engaging God’s Word, to ensure we are interpreting it in a
manner that is faithful to God, and not in a manner that merely suits our personal
wishes or agenda. So friends, if you
have a question about scripture, don’t rely on some random Internet article you
find online. Come to your pastors, who’ve
had years and years of training and experience. God calls us into community so we can read and understand God’s Word together, nourished in a trustworthy and
faithful tradition.1 It’s a
hallmark of our Lutheran heritage. We
are a church built upon the foundation of God’s Word shared in community.
Second, the aim of God’s Word is to bring us to faith
in Jesus Christ.2 Don’t get
sidetracked by silliness concerning predicting the end times, or interpreting
lightning strikes, eclipses, or political elections. As Philip demonstrated, even the Old
Testament prophets were preaching about Jesus Christ and God’s eternal promise
of forgiveness and salvation. We read
scripture to develop greater faith in and knowledge of Jesus. The New Testament reiterates again and again,
especially in the letters of the Apostle Paul, that our faith is centered upon
the death and resurrection of Christ, for in him and him alone we have
salvation, life, and hope.
Finally, the story of Philip and Bachos teaches
us that Christ intended his Church to be far more inclusive than the vision of
Philip and the other early leaders of the Church could ever see or
imagine. The same is true today. We must avoid the human tendency to turn Christ’s
Church into a private and very exclusive club. Jesus doesn’t have “insiders” and “outsiders,” just “beloveds.” He is always bursting open the gates we try
to lock, and if we persist in locking them, then Jesus tears down the fence.
Friends, the Holy Spirit is calling each of us
to our own wilderness road, and a journey of grace. It may be a physical journey of many miles or
perhaps a pilgrimage of the heart, but it’s certain to include other people, and unexpected, life changing encounters of grace that
will reveal our sacred interdependence. We need each other. Don’t worry if you don’t have all the
answers. Like Philip and Bachos, rest
confidently in the questions. Christ
will take care of the rest. Thanks be to
God. Amen.
Citations
1 See Augsburg Confession Section VII.
2 Acts 4:12; see also What
Luther Says, Section 206, © 1959 Concordia Publishing
Sermon Text: Acts 8:26-40
Gospel
Text: John 15:1-8
[Jesus said:] 1“I
am the true vine, and my Father is the vinegrower. 2He removes
every branch in me that bears no fruit. Every branch that bears fruit he prunes
to make it bear more fruit. 3You have already been cleansed by
the word that I have spoken to you. 4Abide in me as I abide in
you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the
vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. 5I am the vine,
you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit,
because apart from me you can do nothing. 6Whoever does not
abide in me is thrown away like a branch and withers; such branches are
gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. 7If you abide in
me, and my words abide in you, ask for whatever you wish, and it will be done
for you. 8My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much
fruit and become my disciples.”
Copyright Rev. Scott E. Schul, 2024 All rights reserved. May not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission.
BACK