Small Story, Big Story: The Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:27-39)

In the beautiful story of the Ethiopian Eunuch, we meet the very first gentile who was baptized into the beloved family. This person was in every way an outsider—a non-binary, Ethiopian gentile—but they were drawn to Jerusalem in pursuit of a God who loved all. However, once human beings get involved, exclusion usually takes place. And of course, even though they read in Isaiah that they were welcome, they weren’t fully welcome at the temple. On their way back home, they encountered Phillip, and in this story, we see the heart of God at work in a broken world—a heart for inclusion, justice, and love of all people.