Have you ever had the experience of trying to understand something that made absolutely no sense to you? I have that experience on a regular basis. Whether it is trying to figure out some new, or even not so new, technology, figuring out all the things my car and smart phone can do, and owner’s manuals are often beyond my comprehension. Many times, I have to lean on my husband or my son to help figure out what to do. And I may need to ask them for their help multiple times before I really understand. Thankfully, they are endlessly patient with me. But I do get a fair amount of, well deserved, teasing. Currently, I am trying to grope my way through the, for me, dark maze of figuring out which pension plan is best for me. Believe me I not only need someone to guide me, I need LOTS of someones.

It can be hard, sometimes even impossible, to understand something that is totally new and alien to us.

Such was the case with the Ethiopian eunuch who was reading from and trying to understand the prophet, Isaiah. He was having the same experience that I have with those darn manuals. He was reading the words. Individually, the words probably made sense. He knew the meaning of the words. But when the words were put together to form sentences and paragraphs, he became lost and confused. 

The  Ethiopian was an official and had responsibility for handing the ENTIRE treasury of the queen. Clearly, he was an educated, important, powerful man. But he was struggling to understand what he was reading. 

Enter Philip. Philip had been led to the carriage of the Ethiopian by “an angel of the Lord.” When he approached the carriage, he heard the man reading from the prophet Isaiah. I imagine this piqued Philp’s curiosity, so he asks him: “Do you understand what you are reading?” And here is the response: “How could I without someone to guide me?” That was all the invitation that Philip needed. Starting with the passage that the Ethiopian was reading, we always start where the person is, Philip patiently led him through our faith history until he was witnessing to the good news about Jesus and his mission. 

With this instruction, this guidance, Philip was doing more than helping him to understand what he was reading, he was inviting him, guiding him, to enter into a life of faith. As Philip talked and shared, the light of understanding was beginning to shine in the Ehtiopian. Not just a head understanding but also a heart understanding. So convincing was Philip’s guidance and testimony that the Ethiopian wanted to be baptized right then and there. He wanted to have Philip had, what he experienced in and through Philip, he wanted to be part of the movement Philip was laying out before him. 

Did he understand what he was now getting himself into with his baptism? Probably not. Do any of us fully and completely understand what we are getting into when we are baptized, or confirmed, or received into membership in a church? Probably not. Our need for someone to guide us does not end when we take membership vows. Throughout our lives we mentors and guides who will walk with us. 

I would be remiss on this Mothers’ Day if I did not say that many of us were blessed to have mothers, sometimes biological, sometimes grandmothers or aunts or, at times even sisters, or even special teachers, coaches, older family friends or neighbors who mentored and guided us & maybe still do.

I have been blessed to have clergy colleagues and friends who have mentored me throughout my ministry, who consistently helped me to understand things that at the time made absolutely no sense to me, who showed me how to make a way forward when I could see no way, and who are now guiding me as I move towards retirement and all the decisions and steps that entails. 

I am grateful for all the mentors that have come alongside me, walked with me and led and guided me. 

But here is the thing:  even as we are guided, the time will come when we are the ones who are called on to lead and guide others. 

When we will be asked to take on the role of Philip, helping others to understand the good news of God’s radical love and transformative justice as revealed in and through the life of Jesus of Nazareth. When we will be asked to witness to our faith and the difference it has made in our lives. When we will be asked to invite others to join with us in carrying on the ministry of Jesus Christ. Hopefully, that invitation will including joining with you in building a faith community here in Dundee that is able to make a real and lasting impact in the lives of others, especially our young people, and in the communities in which we live, work, learn, and play.

Some of us may be asked to take on the role of a mentor or guide in a formal way, such as serving as a mentor for a confirmand, or as a friend/guide to someone new to our faith community. Those are important roles and often come with training. But all of us are called to serve as mentors and guides by the way we live our lives and put our faith into action on a daily basis, sometimes in big, bold, daring ways, but more often in quiet, simple ways, and invite others to join with us on this incredible journey of faith. Our lives cannot help but testify to the things that are most important to us, to the lessons that have shaped us, and to the values that guide us.

But sometimes, we find ourselves on a journey that feels strange and alien to us, maybe even scary. When the future is unknown and uncertain and we do not see a clear path forward. And while in these times, we may long for a mentor or guide, someone to walk alongside us and show us the way forward, we may feel that we are left to figure it all out on our own. That there is no one to lead us or guide us. Some of us may well feel like we are in this place right now, individually or as a congregation. 

In those times here is what I want us to know and cling to this day: 

Know that God is your ultimate and ever present guide on this journey through life. God is always with us. God has a plan for us, even when we cannot see it. God is always bathing us in light even when we feel shrouded in darkness.  When we can see no way forward, God reminds us that God can and will always make a way. We are not alone. We are never alone. God is always with us. God will always lead us and guide us into the dawn of a new day. 

May this blessed assurance give you the hope, peace, and strength you will need to persevere , even as you move into an unknown and uncertain future ~ unrevealed until it’s season, something God alone can see.

Amen. 

HYMN OF PROMISE  UMH #707

BLESSING 

As we prepare to end this time of worship, I want to invite you to spend some time this week thinking about the people who have come alongside you on your faith journey, who have guided and mentored you. Reach out to them and thank them for shaping your faith. Even if they have already passed on, say a silent, or not so silent prayer, of gratitude for the role they have had, and still have, in shaping you, in leading and guiding you.

And then I want you to think about who God may be calling you to mentor and guide, formally or informally. Go forth to live your faith with boldness and intentionality so that others watching you will want to understand why you do what you do.