What is so remarkable about Acts 8:4-16 is the fact that Philip and others shared the good news so enthusiastically with the Samaritans. The Samaritans and Jews had a long history of enmity. We know from John 4:9 that Jews and Samaritans did not associate with each other; John Stott says, ‘The hostility between Jews and Samaritans had lasted a thousand years. It began with the break-up of the monarchy in the tenth century B.C. when ten tribes defected, making Samaria their capital, and only 2 tribes remained loyal to Jerusalem. It became steadily worse when Samaria was captured by Assyria in 722 B.C.; thousands of its inhabitants were deported, and the country was re-populated by foreigners. In the 6^th century B.C., when the Jews returned to their land, they refused the help of the Samaritans in the rebuilding of the temple. Not till the 4^th century B.C. did the Samaritan schism harden, however, with the building of their rival temple on Mount Gerizim and their repudiation of all Old Testament Scriptures except the Pentateuch. The Samaritans were despised by the Jews as hybrids in both race and religion, as both heretics and schismatics.’

We might find it hard to understand the hostility between these two groups or what divided them so much, but in our modern times, there still exists such hostility. Our ‘Samaritans’ might be people of a different nationality or religion or beliefs, but we can be equally hostile to sharing the good news with these people and can be reluctant to take the gospel outside our comfort zone.

Nonetheless, Paul reminds us that Christ ‘has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility’ (Eph 2:14) and that in Christ, ‘There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female.’ (Gal 3:28) God wants us to share the good news with everyone, even those for whom we have no natural affinity. ‘Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.’ (2 Cor 5:14) There are no outsiders now.

As we approach Christmas-time, proclamation becomes a popular word in the Christian vocabulary. To proclaim means to announce officially or publicly and we often think of this word in connection to the angelic hosts who brought people the first news of the birth of Jesus. One of the key phrases at the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry was to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of God (Luke 4:43, Luke 8:1) and proclamation is therefore an important type of evangelism, as Philip demonstrates in this chapter. (Acts 8:12)

Luke uses different words for evangelism in the book of Acts, often translated into English as ‘proclaiming’ (see Acts 4:2, Acts 8:5, Acts 8:25). There is a place for speaking out the truths of God’s word in evangelism, and this does not have to be reserved for those in leadership or with a particular preaching ministry. All those scattered to Judea and Samaria ‘preached the word’ wherever they went. (Acts 8:4) They were willing to share the good news about Jesus: how He had died for our sins and been raised to life again by the power of the Spirit and how God’s Holy Spirit now comes upon us to help us bear witness to Him. (Acts 1:8) We are all called to proclaim the good news (Luke 9:6) which involves sharing what God has done for us (Ps 107:2) and we need to be prepared to give a reason, when asked, for the hope we have (see 1 Pet 3:15). This means having ‘a joyful confidence in [the] truth, relevance and power [of the gospel.]’ (John Stott) As Rend Collective sing, ‘there is good news for the captive/ good news for the shamed/ There is good news for the one the world ignores.’ (‘Rescuer’) We have good news to share – let’s do it!

‘No matter what, we have good news and that good news has a name and that name is Jesus Christ.’ (Gareth Gilkeson)

“Are you paying attention? Then I’ll begin…”

This paraphrase of the start to ‘Listen With Mother’ (a radio programme for children which ran from 1950 until 1982 which started “Are you sitting comfortably? Then I’ll begin…”) reminds us that paying attention is crucially important if we want to learn. The Samaritans to whom Philip preached after the scattering of believers through persecution (Acts 8:1-8) paid close attention to what he said and as a result, many of them were saved.

All of us know what it is like to talk to someone who is not paying attention to us; it’s frustrating and infuriating. As a teacher, I would find it very annoying if pupils did not pay attention to the instructions they were being given; as a mother, it was equally exasperating to talk to my son only to find his attention was elsewhere! But I have also been guilty of not paying attention myself, of finding my thoughts elsewhere when someone is trying to share something important to me, of ‘tuning out’ my son or grandchildren because I have other things on my mind.

Paying attention is a vital ingredient in building good relationships and the Bible has much to say about the need for us to pay attention to God. It’s a wise son, Proverbs tells us, who pays attention to what is said (see Prov 4:20), and a failure to pay attention to God’s commands will always lead us into trouble! (see Ex 15:26) The writer to the Hebrews urges us to ‘pay the most careful attention’ to what God says (Heb 2:1) and Peter reminds us that we are privileged to have the prophetic message and therefore need to pay careful attention to it. (2 Pet 1:19)

To pay attention, we have to be present in the moment, not running ahead to the next task, but willing to wait quietly before God with a heart emptied of all our cares and worries. Paying attention requires time and patience; we have to learn to be still and know that He is God. (Ps 46:10) As we pay attention to what people say and to what God reveals in His word, we will find our attitudes transformed and our lives enriched, but first, we have to learn to listen without jumping in with an answer, to wait without running ahead.

God’s promises sometimes take a long time to be fulfilled. Most of us find even the waiting days of Advent tedious and difficult; waiting is not something we find easy at any age. But Christmas reminds us that God remembers His promises and also that He has the power to do what He promises.

Gal 4:4 reminds us that Jesus came at just the right time. We may still be waiting for God to fulfil a promise to us. It may feel like God has forgotten His promise or that it’s just too difficult for Him to do. Christmas reminds us to hold on. At the right time, the promise will be fulfilled. God never promises anything beyond His capability, so we can be sure that if He has promised, His faithfulness will mean the promise will come to pass.

Christmas is a vivid multi-coloured reminder to us that God cares. In the UK, Christmas comes during winter, during the dark, bleak month of December, and the vibrancy and vigour of the truth that God cares is badly needed as we struggle through the hours of darkness which far outweigh the hours of light.

Christmas is a tangible reminder that God cares for the world He created and for the people He made. He cares so much that He did not abandon us to our disobedience and rebellion, but sent His son to be the reconciling bridge back to fellowship with God. We only need to look at Jesus to realise that God cares.

God is frequently described as ‘almighty’ or ‘all-powerful’ (Gen 35:11, Num 24:4, 1 Sam 17:45). There is nothing too difficult for Him. (Jer 32:17) Many times in life, we face impossible situations, but we serve a God who can part the sea, open blind eyes, cause walls to fall, calm the storm, heal the sick, raise the dead and work miracles in our everyday desperation.

Christmas reminds us of God’s power, for the conception and birth of Jesus show us the impossible being made possible: ‘a virgin will conceive.’ (Matt 1:23) What is humanly impossible is possible with God. One of the many blessings I can count is the times God has made a way where there was no way, and because He doesn’t change, He will continue to do this for each one of us!