pack it up

Sunday May 6^th, Acts 8: ²⁶Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." ²⁷So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch, an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians.  When the Spirit says go, you had better be packed and ready, because off you go.  In Acts the disciples were charged with spreading the Good News beginning in Jerusalem, or close to home, then Judea or next door to home, and then the Samaria or those sort of like us that we consider enemies of our home and then on to the ends of the earth.  In this story the Spirit intercedes to make the ends of the earth, and with it in the minds of some, the ends of humanity, happen.  Not only was Ethiopia far enough away to where they didn’t even know enough to call them either friend or enemy, but this particular Ethiopian was a Eunuch in the court of the Queen.  A Eunuch, come on God what the hell do you think you are doing to us?  Well, God does know what God is doing to us and what God is doing is saving us from our tendency to categorize others and even pretend to judge we believe belong in hell and who don’t.   God is serious about this ends of the earth thing in Acts.  This end of the earth thing pushes us both geographically and with our own sensitivities, or should we say insensitivities.  When God created the world and called it good, that is exactly what God meant to say and that is exactly what we are called to live out in our calling to be the children of God.  You are sent from Jerusalem, or close to home, then Judea or next door to home, and then the Samaria or to those sort of like us but that we consider enemies of our home and then on to the ends of the earth.  And when the Spirit says Go!!!! You better be packed and ready!!!