Together on the Journey: A Weekly Blog from Fr. Andrew Sheldon

It was another May, 85 years ago, and, over the course of five days, one writer has affirmed that western civilization was saved from tyranny by the efforts of one person. Five days in May 1940; the place, London; the man, Winston Churchill. These five days, many would say, were his ‘finest hour’.

And we who have studied Winnie know that in many ways he was not all that remarkable. Even in early 1940, he was exiled from the real centre of power due to his propensity for alienating those he served and those with whom he would serve. He did not do all that well at school, he had a knack for alienating friends, and he suffered from significant bouts of anxiety and depression. And yet . . .

The power of one to change the world.

In the Easter season, we are making our way through the book of The Acts of the Apostles, which charts the emergence of the Christian movement. In there we find the story of Phillip the apostle, a story which also illustrates for us the power of one to change the world. An unremarkable disciple, exiled in the desert because he was fleeing persecution, Phillip was led by the Spirit to take a few moments to share the good news of Christ with an Ethiopian eunuch – the ultimate in outsiders, of another nationality, a gentile, black, and of dubious sexuality. But Phillip took time with this one person, and changed the world.

For this Ethiopian eunuch was perhaps the first gentile recorded to have been baptized into Christ’s church, and for sure the first African. We are told that today in Africa there are 734,000,000 Christians. Indeed, for them, North America has become a ‘mission field’ and they send missionaries to us.

734 million – made all the more remarkable that it started with a eunuch! – because of the faithfulness of Phillip, the power of one.

And then, we are told Phillip moved on to Caesarea where he founded a church. A church that later produced the brilliant theologian and pastor, Basil the Great. Basil, one of the Cappadocian fathers, along with Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa, were all Bishops of tremendous influence on the ancient church. Basil devised liturgies still in use and more importantly was the great champion of Nicene Christianity at a time when the Christian emperor of Rome and many Bishops were Arian. That is, they did not believe in the divinity of Jesus. Basil stood strong, and at times alone, in championing the Chalcedonian formula which is at the heart of the Nicene Creed that Jesus was both fully God and fully human.

Phillip the Apostle, that unremarkable disciple, the power of one.

You and I – unremarkable, and perhaps exiled – may not be able to imagine ourselves making this kind of difference, having this big of an influence. We suspect it will never be said of us that we saved western civilization, introduced Africa to Christianity or developed great liturgies or doctrines. But what Phillip shows us is that we too, indeed, do have the ability to make a difference if we but see what power resides in us.

But for Phillip and for us, it is not merely a matter of having the gifts and the skills or even the courage to effectively communicate the gospel of Christ in word and deed, and by extension make a difference in the world. For us as Christians, the power of one is the power of the One, the risen One, Jesus Christ. We can do great things through him who strengthens us if we stay close to him – in worship, and study, and prayer, and perhaps most importantly in service towards others.

So, let’s do it. Start today, one gesture, one act of kindness, one faithful proclamation of the risen Christ in word or deed. One person at a time. And let’s see what these five days in May might accomplish!

Andrew+