Acts 8:26–39
There’s a quiet intensity to this story. Philip is called away from a thriving ministry in Samaria to a wilderness road – no crowd, no platform, just one traveler in a chariot reading aloud. It must have seemed strange. Uncertain. Maybe even inefficient.
But this is how the Spirit works sometimes – calling us away from the obvious to the overlooked. Leading us not into certainty, but into trust.
When Philip hears the eunuch reading from Isaiah, the Spirit nudges him closer, and Philip follows. He doesn’t wait until he has a perfect plan or the right words. He just walks up and asks a question:
“Do you understand what you are reading?”
It’s such a gentle way to begin. No preaching. No pushing. Just presence. Curiosity. Listening. Relationship.
And the eunuch’s response is just as honest:
“How can I, unless someone guides me?”
This moment cuts to the heart of evangelism – a word that we don’t use much in our United Churches because of the baggage it carries. But evangelism is not as conquest or argument, but as accompaniment. It’s listening. It’s being willing to come alongside someone who’s already searching.
But let’s be honest. Most of us aren’t so quick to run up to a stranger’s chariot. We hesitate. We second-guess the nudge.
- What if I sound foolish?
- What if they shut me down?
- What if I mess it up?
And yet, in the story, Philip isn’t worried about messing it up. He simply shows up. He listens. He shares what he knows. And the result is astonishing: the traveler sees water and asks, “What is to prevent me from being baptized?”
It’s a question of radical openness and longing. It’s a reminder that there are people all around us who are hungry for grace, belonging, and truth – and sometimes all it takes is one conversation, one question, one act of grace to help open that door.
This week, I invite you to ask yourself:
- Where might the Spirit be nudging me to show up in someone’s life?
- What holds me back from sharing what I believe or how God is at work in me?
- How might I shift from fear of “getting it wrong” to trust that God can use whatever I offer?
Evangelism doesn’t begin with certainty – it begins with availability.
May we be open.
May we be present.
May we say yes, even if we’re unsure of the road ahead.
Let us pray:
God of nudges and open doors, you call us to go where the road is uncertain and to speak when we feel unprepared. You invite us into moments that could change lives – including our own. Still, we hesitate. We worry about getting it wrong, about saying too much or not enough, about being misunderstood. But you do not ask us to be perfect – only present. Only willing. So give us the courage to trust your Spirit more than our fear. Give us eyes to see those around us who are seeking, and hearts ready to listen with compassion. When the moment comes, may we offer not a polished answer, but a faithful presence. Not a script, but a story. Not certainty, but a willing yes. In Jesus’ name we pray, AMEN
