Bridges

It doesn’t take much, does it? The wrong address. A heavy accent. Too many tattoos. Unfamiliar clothing. Even missing body parts. Whatever boundary it may be, it doesn’t take much to come to the conclusion – “I’m not the one.” 

But the Holy Spirit told Philip: “You are in the right place at the right time. You are the one for him. You are the bridge I will use to reach him.” So not by his choice, but by the direction of the Spirit, Philip became the one who brought the Ethiopian eunuch face to face with God in Jesus Christ. 

I have often reflected upon the fact that even today, Christian congregations in the United States are still the most segregated place in the country on Sunday morning. From what I read in the New Testament, disciples aren’t deciding who becomes part of the Body of Christ, the Holy Spirit is. That is where the wild diversity comes from. Why is it, then, that most of our congregations remain significantly homogenous? 

Well, I guess that’s human nature. That’s why we are reluctant to make disciples who are not like us. That’s why we must pray to be “born again” through the Spirit that brought Philip to one searching eunuch. 

Renae Extrum-Fernandez