“I am not a eunuch, but I know what it’s like to offer up my reproductive potential—my biological birthright—on a church’s altar for a church’s benefit. Did not Jesus overturn such tables rather than kneel before them?”

On June 7, I gave the sermon for Beyond the Walls, an online worship service. Beyond the Walls is an inclusive church experience provided by Centre Place, the Toronto congregation of Community of Christ (formerly RLDS). This service’s theme, “What Prevents Me?” was taken from Acts 8:26-38 in the New Testament. It depicts the missionary Philip baptizing an Ethiopian eunuch, which in turn marks the beginning of Christianity’s global expansion and acceptance of gentile converts.

In preparing my sermon, I wrestled with the informal manner in which the eunuch receives baptism. This conflicts with contemporary baptismal practices, especially in faiths like the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I soon found myself also wondering about the lived experience of a eunuch. I found myself wanting to understand them in a deeper and more emotionally plausible way than the story in Acts provides. As an agnostic, I find the story unsatisfying if I only consider it as a church’s recruiting victory. The human story seems more important to me.

I invite you to watch the sermon on YouTube. I’ve cued up the embedded video to begin with a reading of the focus scripture from Acts 8. My sermon immediately follows that reading and runs about 16 minutes:

Beyond the Walls meets weekly, livestreaming on YouTube and Facebook. This was my third time providing the sermon. Feel free to comment below on your reaction to my remarks.

Questions to consider:

What in the sermon stood out to you? Why?

What are your takeaways from the story of the eunuch’s baptism by Philip? What does the story offer us today be way of themes and instruction?

How does the eunuch’s experience with baptism compare to yours?

What have your experiences been with online worship services and fellowships?

Finally, if you enjoyed the sermon, I invite you to watch Pastor John Hamer and I visit in a post-service Zoom chat, viewable below. We further discuss the Acts story and the nature of baptism and inclusion. Thank you for watching!