Easter 5 year B – John 15:1-8; Acts 8:26-end

Out of my office window, as I sit at my desk, there is a large Azalea. In may 2022, the first year I was living here, for several weeks, it was full of lovely purple flowers, it was a wonderful sight. But then last year, although I thought I saw buds coming, nothing happened, not a single flower, to say I was disappointed was an understatement! But then I am not a gardener, and am not really sure what I need to do to ensure active, healthy growth. In my ignorance last year, thinking it was looking a bit out of hand, I decided to give it a trim, getting it below the fence line, cutting it back so it no longer extended across the lawn. I had no idea if I was doing the right thing or not, I just thought I would tidy it up, even if it doesn’t flower, at least it provides year round greenery. Anyway, this year, it is once again full of buds, many of which are beginning to open, and I look forward to a wonderful display peeping over the top of my computer.

In our gospel reading this morning, Jesus uses the image of the vine, to remind us that we are to remain in him, and if we do, we will bear much fruit and we are reminded that pruning is necessary for the process, of growth, much as clearly pruning was essential to my azalea.

But what does abiding in him, look like? How would we recognise it, what would we see?

Our reading from Acts this morning, gives an illustration of someone who is abiding in Jesus, Someone who is bearing good fruit.

Philip. Philip receives some instructions from God and doesn’t hesitate to obey and act. He doesn’t ask questions or argue with God. He doesn’t try to put things off, saying he will do it later, he immediately went where God told him to go.

I wonder, what is your response when God clearly tells you what to do? Do you obey immediately or do you make excuses and delay your obedience to God’s instructions?

We might even question if God is speaking to us today.

Sometimes people might think that God only spoke to the people in the Bible. Children might think that God only speaks to adults? However 1 Samuel 3:1-18 tells us that God spoke to a young boy named Samuel.

No matter how young or how old we are, God is still speaking to us today, so how do we identify what he is saying and how do we respond?

Last week our Gospel reading was a reminder that Jesus is the Good shepherd. We become familiar with the Shepherd’s voice by spending time with Him every day, reading the bible and talking with Him. The more time we spend with Jesus the easier it is for us to recognize if He is giving us instructions or not. When we obey Jesus’ instructions He continues to guide us in the direction God has for us in our lives.

Philip obeyed God’s instructions immediately and began walking where the Lord instructed him to go. As he travelled down the desert road he heard the rumbling of horses carrying a chariot coming in his direction.

Sitting in that chariot was a man all the way from Ethiopia.

He was an important official who had travelled all the way from Ethiopia to Jerusalem to worship God. He was not yet a believer in Jesus but he was a man who was seeking God and wanted to do what pleased Him. To travel the distance he did to worship in Jerusalem shows he had a desire to know God and to love Him.

Whilst the Ethiopian is traveling in his chariot he is reading from Scripture. As he is traveling and reading the Holy Spirit gives Philip another instruction.

‘Go to that chariot and stay near it!’

Imagine if today God told us to jog alongside a bus to keep up with someone reading a passage from the Bible.

How do you think we would have responded?

If God actually told us to do that we would definitely need to pray for strength to be able to run and keep up! Maybe Philip did that as he ran alongside the chariot. We don’t know because it’s not written down for us in the bible.

However as Philip is running alongside the chariot he hears the Ethiopian reading Isaiah out loud.

I wonder do you ever read God’s Word out loud to yourself?

Sometimes if I am having a hard time focusing in my quiet time I read out loud. It helps me to stay focused.

As Philip hears this man reading God’s Word he has the wisdom to know the right thing to ask.

‘Do you understand what you are reading?’

To which the Ethiopian official says, “How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?”

Now at this point Philip could have said several things.

He could have said,

“I tell you what, there’s this great apostle back in Jerusalem named Peter. He is an incredible speaker and he is very knowledgeable about God’s Word. You should go listen to him.”

Maybe he could have said, “I would love to share with you, but I am hungry and tired from traveling this hot desert road. Can you meet with me tomorrow.”

Thankfully however, Philip was abiding in Jesus, following his Shepherd and obeyed His instructions. He had wisdom to see that this man was truly seeking God. When he was invited to sit in the chariot he immediately accepted and he is able to share the good news about Jesus, linking it to the passage the Ethiopian official had already been reading.

And because Philip explained the Scriptures to this man he now understood. He saw some water and said, “Why shouldn’t I be baptised?” and Philip baptises him there and then.

This Ethiopian man’s life was changed. He now understood what God had written in Isaiah about Jesus. He believed in Jesus and his sins were forgiven. To show that he truly believed and was a believer in Jesus he was immediately baptised.

He had an important job working for Queen Candace in Ethiopia. Because Philip was immediately obedient to God’s instructions he returned to Ethiopia as a believer in Jesus. We have no idea how many people’s lives were changed in Ethiopia because of his faith in Jesus.

Philip’s example teaches us the importance for believers to abide in Jesus and to respond to Jesus’ voice immediately. We do not know how God is working in the lives of those around us. This week let’s pray that each day we would listen carefully for God’s instructions and be quick to obey what He tells us to do.

Jesus says ‘Abide in me as I abide in you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit.’ May we bear fruit in Jesus’ name. Amen