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Listening to God

Vicar Lisa

One of our readings for this upcoming Sunday is from Acts 8:26-40. In this story, God unites a listening ear (Philip) and a hungry heart (the Ethiopian eunuch). The story made me think about how we listen to God.

Do we hear God’s voice speaking to us through the Bible? Can we hear God’s nudges when we pray? Are we in tune with God’s Spirit enough to know when God is impressing something upon us -- to stop, to go, to turn, to speak up? Do we hear God's voice in the godly advice from fellow Christians? Are we obedient to these directions from God?

Why don't we hear as well as we should when God speaks to us? I believe Philip and the eunuch give us God's plan in witnessing as we listen to the Spirit:

  1. Listen to what God says and act on it: When God nudges you to speak to someone or go somewhere, do it! It's a process of learning to listen to the Spirit through the Word and in our spirit controlled by God. Listen and act even if it seems unlikely. The angel led Philip away from a hotbed of witness opportunities to a seemingly inappropriate place: a deserted road. God cares for a single convert, no matter how hard or opposed to God they might be. When God says, "Go," go!
  2. Ask thought-provoking questions: If you don't know what else to say, ask a meaningful, spiritual question or play off something they just said to ask a question related to it. All Philip asked was what God gave him, "Do you understand what you are reading?" I can guarantee that people are more ready to talk about spiritual things than we are ready to initiate it. We should never assume that we will get a negative response in speaking to people about Jesus!
  3. Listen to them and then answer them with Jesus: You don't have to have all the answers. Just listen and then tell them about what the Bible says about Jesus. "Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus." Philip hadn't had years of training or school; Christianity had just begun. But he knew and had experienced Jesus. So, he listened and then testified. The eunuch knew God, but now he knew Jesus!
  4. Don't make it harder than it is: Obviously Philip told him more specifics than we have recorded because the hungry eunuch knew enough to ask to be baptized. But he had faith and he wanted to fulfill God's wishes for him, so he asked to be baptized. "Why shouldn't I be baptized?" Yes, why not? God had done his job in giving faith. Let's not add any more than Scripture does to give people assurance of faith!
  5. Keep at it: Philip had the privilege of baptizing a new Christian, but he didn't get to see the eunuch grow up spiritually. That's okay, Philip just kept on doing what God was calling him to do: "preaching the gospel in all the towns until he reached Caesarea." Don't give up. Every day ask God to help you find someone with a God-hungry heart!

Fifth Sunday of Easter -- April 28

10 a.m. Worship with Communion

Announcements

  • Feeding at the Park: We have been asked by Pastor Clay to help feed at Cimino Park this Sunday, April 28, so that Clay and Mary can go to Texas for the birth of their grandson. Please plan to help!
  • Weekday Bible Study: Bible Study will be held at 9:30 a.m. every Wednesday in the fellowship hall. Pastor Jan Everhart will continue leading a study on the book of Mark, which will conclude on April 24. Following that, a six-week study on spirituality and the Lord’s prayer will be led by Becky McNeil on the five Wednesdays of May and the first Wednesday of June. The Lord's Prayer is among the greatest treasures of faith. This study explores the key phrases of the Lord's Prayer as they lead us to greater spirituality and growth. Each week’s study will take 90 minutes and there will be a moderate amount of homework in preparation for each week. The cost of each student book is $19. Please let Vicar Lisa or Becky McNeil know soon if you plan to take part in the study so the appropriate number of books can be ordered.
  • Landfill Free Day: Saturday April 27, will be a free day at the dump. Note that tires and electronics are not included, the regular charges will apply for those items. The dump is located at 2401 N. State Street, Trinidad.
  • Flowers: There are plenty of days available for sponsoring flowers. Select the available date in the flower book at the back of the sanctuary, write your name and any commemoration you would like to see included in the bulletin. A minimum donation of $35 is encouraged and donation envelopes are in the flower book, too.
  • 5-Loaves Help Wanted: We need people to help with meal deliveries as well as to help prepare meals next Saturday for 5 Loaves. Meals should be ready for delivery beginning at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday. If you can help, please let Jo Moss, Noreen Hazen, or Peggy Gustafson know.
  • Green Flower Trays and Vases: If you have taken green flower trays or vases home, please return to the church.
  • Fellowship: Join us after worship on Sunday for coffee and chatter.
  • Mark your Calendars: Our Spring cleanup day is scheduled for May 4. Julie will be coordinating outdoor activities; Vicar Lisa will be coordinating indoor activities.
  • Bee Blessed: The Women of the ELCA will be hosting a retreat entitled Bee Blessed (a fresh look at the Beatitudes) at Grace Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs on June 22.

E-formation – The Fifth Sunday of Easter, April 28

On this fifth Sunday of Easter, the gospel reading describes believers as branches of the one vine, who is Christ. Come to worship, and so connect with all the other branches.

John 15:1-8

In the first half of the Gospel of John, Jesus enacts a sign and then explains its meaning in a discourse. In the second half, often called the Book of Glory, the order is reversed, and in the discourses of chapters 14–17, John explains the meaning of the sign that is narrated in chapters 18–21, which is the death and resurrection of Christ. Here John uses the common Jewish metaphor of the vineyard to proclaim Christology: Christ is the vine. Another Johannine feature is the poetic portrayal of extremes: fruit or fire.

Acts 8:26-40

In this episode in Acts 8, Luke includes three details that illustrate the Christian mission as separate from Judaism and spreading out from the Twelve and from Jerusalem. (1) Philip is the Hellenistic evangelist, not the Philip of the Twelve. (2) He preaches the good news in Samaria, an area that Jews considered heterodox, near the border of Egypt. (3) He evangelizes, instructs, and baptizes a eunuch: castrated men, employed in some cultures as servants of a queen, were prohibited from participating in Jewish temple worship (Deut. 23:1). In an example of early Christian interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures, Luke uses Isaiah 53:7-8 to describe Jesus’ crucifixion, at which he was not present.

1 John 4:7-21

In this Johannine passage, the love of the triune God for us is manifested by the love shared within the community. Love replaces “fear of judgment” at the end of the world, which the author of 1 John considered immanent.

Zion's Lutheran Church

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719-846-7785