This brief passage of Acts 8 is a part of a larger story about Philip’s evangelistic outreach to the Samaritans. The Samaritans were a mixed race Jewish community, who were ostracized by the status quo Jerusalem Jews. The history of this exclusiveness goes all the way back to exile of the Northern Kingdom to Assyria where intermarriage took place. Yet Philip, himself being filled with the Holy Spirit, went to this neck of the woods of Israel and began to preach about Jesus as Savior of the world. Within this chapter, there was another man who was identified by the name of Simon. Simon had received acclaim in his community as a gifted magician who had obviously practiced his art with great cunning. The people believed that his magical ability came from God, and because of that, they would listen to about anything that he had to say.

Yet, even Simon was drawn into the preaching of Philip and was converted. Although Simon may have experienced a conversion of the heart, according to this passage, it did not translate into the conversion of his practices. Here is how Luke, author of Acts, records this event: Acts 8:13: “Even Simon himself believed. After being baptized, he stayed constantly with Philip and was amazed when he saw the signs and great miracles that took place.” And in verse 18 and 19, we read: Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was given through the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money, saying, "Give me also this power so that anyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit."

Simon had great difficulty of moving from the attitude of culture to an attitude of faith. He thought that the power of the Holy Spirit was something to be purchased…and if he could purchase another “trick” he owned it and had power over it. He had spent too many years being a part of his own culture that it caused him to interpret spiritually gifts incorrectly.

The culture of our world makes a major imprint upon our attitudes and lives. Our culture continually implies to us that we really do not need the church, nor do we need to spend our time in worship (listen to all the cynicism that is communicated in most every form of media). When and if we accept this current cultural communication to own it, if we are a part from the community of faith too long we will discover the detrimental affect that this isolation creates for us spiritually.

It is the community of faith that gathers in the name of Christ that gives witness to the power of the Holy Spirit that operative in our lives and in the world itself. A part from the church, the community of faith that has historically professed Jesus as Savior and Lord, we are left to hear the voices of our culture that beckons us to follow another lord, or possibly seeks to convince that we are our own “lord!”

A great violinist was scheduled to play a concert in Houston, Texas. The Houston newspaper, however, didn’t focus on the artist. It used most of its space to describe his original Stradivarius violin. In fact, the morning of the concert, the front page carried a picture of the great instrument he would play. That night, the hall was filled with people. The musician played extremely well. As he finished, the crowd thundered its applause. When the clapping subsided, the musician carefully laid his bow down. He carried a chair to center stage. Raising his violin over his head with both hands, he slammed it across the back of the chair. The violin smashed into dozens of pieces. The audience gasped. Walking back to the microphone, the artist said, “I read in this morning’s paper about how great my violin was. So I walked down the street to a pawn shop. For thirty dollars I purchased a cheap violin. I put some new strings on it. That’s the violin I played this evening, the one I smashed. I wanted to demonstrate that it isn’t the violin that counts most. It’s the hands that hold the violin.” (Fishing on the Asphalt, by Herb Miller, p. 32)

If there is one thing that can be said about the church, the gathered community of faith, it is that worship reminds us of Who it is that holds our lives. It is that weekly dose that is much like going to the table on a regular basis to eat, our lives are spiritually strengthened by being reminded of who we are and whose we are. If we think that can sustain our lives spiritually, a part from the gathered community, we are only trying to fool our selves.

When we baptized, at whatever age that took place, our baptism was not held in secrecy. Instead our baptism was held before the community of faith, where the pastor and people prayed over us, where hands were layed upon us, and where we were claimed by God to be God’s child. Throughout our lives the community of faith reminded us that we were part of them, and they claim us as brothers and sisters through the One that unites as family.

I ask you, does it make any sense that at some particular age, or at some point whereby we arrive at a point of enlightenment we can declare that we no longer need the church, to participate in the gathered community of faith? Not to me! For if it did, none of us need to be here. None of us need to share our money, our time or our energy under this banner of the Cross. It would be the same as saying that Philip, Peter and John had made a serious mistake of evangelizing anyone, as well as in baptizing them so that they may receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. You see, if we but use logic, it doesn’t make sense. This gift of the Spirit is not something that we buy and stay to ourselves…this gift of the Holy Spirit is to be experienced in the way that it was first presented to the converts – in the community of others.

Today is Baptism of Our Lord Sunday. It is the one time of the year that we Christians make an open declaration of faith. Not just one or two people, but all the baptized. It is the time we declare to God with thanksgiving, that this stuff really matters…that we matter to each other and that we matter to God as we gather in praise of the Almighty King of Kings.

So, let us come, let the world know that we have been baptized by the laying on of hands and that we have received the Holy Spirit, and celebrate the Holy Spirit’s presence in our worship, in our fellowship, and in our service.

Yes, not only baptized Christians can be leaders within the church…why, because we who lead others realize that we are empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit each and every time we seek to be a servant to the servants of Christ.

Yes, for those of us who believe, we know that this stuff matters, and our worship matters to God! Making a commitment to be in worship, to be engaged fully within the Family of God, may very well be the best New Year’s Resolution that we can ever make!

Amen!