Sunday Sermon, The Very Rev. Dr. David Monteith: “Sit Together and Talk”

The Bible urges us to engage with one another despite our differences. The Very Rev. Dr. David Monteith, Dean of England's Canterbury Cathedral, looks to the story of Philip and the Ethiopian from the Acts of the Apostles to guide us in communicating and connecting with those who hold differing opinions, past experiences, and labels from us. He references Jesus's refusal to perpetuate a cycle of violence and revenge, and the wisdom the Bible provides for standing with excluded peoples.    

“All are on journeys. Actual ones and metaphorical ones...Philip, prompted by the Holy Spirit, approaches the Ethiopian, and they talk. A relationship from peer to peer is created. Such that the Ethiopian has the trust to invite Philip into his space, into his carriage. We are told he is invited to sit beside him. If you have never really understood evangelism, and the call to give an account of the hope that is within you: then here is the course. Right in this chapter of Acts. Make contact, build trust, sit together, and talk.”