Look, here is water! This passage kept ringing in my head a few weeks ago after I had coffee with Ali. Which is why I chose it for this Sunday. Look! Here is water! What is to prevent me from being baptized? That is the question that the Ethiopian eunuch asked of Phillip after Phillip had told him of Jesus Christ. Their paths crossed… by chance… by design… by divine intervention…It doesn’t really matter… they had an encounter that was profound and real and the Ethiopian eunuch wanted to belong to this fledgling community that was being formed to follow in the way of Jesus.

The Ethiopian eunuch had a path to belonging. It was not the same path as Peter’s or John’s or Mary’s. He came from a different place, a different culture, a different religious tradition. Yet after encountering the good news of Jesus, he asked a simple question: “Look, here is water. What is to prevent me from being baptized?”

We all have a path to belonging… sometimes we belong to this Christian community from birth… sometimes we choose it for ourselves as adults… and sometimes, there is something so compelling about Jesus, that we make a significant change in our lives to become part of the Christian community. And the rite of passage for us in the United Church is baptism with water.

Nova Scotia has 7400 km of coastline. No matter where you are in NS, you are never more than about 60k from the ocean. From the rocky and rugged shorelines of Cape Breton and the south shore, to the sandy warm waters of the Northumberland Strait, to the highest tides in the Bay of Fundy, we are almost surrounded by water. It’s a constant backdrop to our life. We take it for granted. But in the Middle East, where these stories were written, water was precious. Which makes the Ethiopian’s excitement understandable. “Look, here is water!” What he sees is not just water. He sees possibility. He sees belonging.

In this reading, it’s a cause for celebration! And it is a cause for celebration today as we baptize Ali. Sometimes we read these ancient stories and imagine they happened long ago and far away. But every now and then we are reminded that the Spirit is still at work. A few weeks ago, Ali came up to me after worship and said “I would like you to read something I wrote during worship.”

He handed me his phone, and by the way, there are issues with AI, or artificial intelligence, but using ChatGPT translate is amazing! Ali can write something in Persian and it will translate it into English, then I can respond in English and it will translate it into Persian.

Anyway, this is what he wrote, and I have his permission to share it.

For some time now, I have been reflecting deeply and calmly on my faith and the direction of my life. During this journey, getting to know Christianity was not simply learning about a new religion for me; it became an experience that changed the way I see God, humanity, and life itself.

What touched me more than anything else was the behavior and the hearts of the people who follow Jesus Christ. Among Christians, I saw genuine kindness, help without expectation, respect for people, and purity in the way they look at others. In a world where many relationships are built on benefit and self-interest, this sincere love had a deep meaning for me.

The more I learned about the teachings of Jesus Christ, the closer I felt my heart becoming to this path. Teachings such as love, forgiveness, humility, helping others, and praying for people deeply affected me. I began to feel that Christianity is not only a religion, but also a way of living with love, peace, and humanity.

When you entrusted me this morning with the responsibility of lighting the church candles, I felt more than ever that my heart and my faith had chosen the path of Jesus Christ. For me, it was not simply lighting a few candles; it felt as though a light had been lit within my own heart, and I finally found a peace that I had been searching for over many years.

For this reason, I want to honestly and clearly say that I have decided to change my religion and choose Christianity as the faith of my life. This decision is not sudden or emotional; it is the result of thought, experience, understanding, and a deep feeling in my heart. I truly believe that the light within the teachings of Jesus Christ can change a person’s life and guide the heart toward love, hope, and peace.

I sincerely thank you and everyone who treated me with kindness, patience, and a pure heart. The love and humanity I saw in you became one of the most important reasons that brought me closer to Christianity. I hope that, with your guidance, I can continue this journey with deeper faith and understanding, and one day officially begin a new life as a Christian. For me, this is not simply changing a name or a title; it is choosing the path that my heart has finally found.

With respect and sincere gratitude, Ali

We both had tears in our eyes when I finished reading that. I met with Ali later that week… and asked him if he wanted to be baptized and he said yes. Usually, when an adult comes seeking baptism, I do a series of classes with them, but in this case, the path to belonging to a Christian community was quite clear. What Ali wrote a few weeks ago is, in many ways, his own version of the Ethiopian’s question. After prayer, reflection, learning, and searching, he has come to the water and asked: “Is there any reason why I cannot be baptized?”

And our answer today is simple. No.

There is water.

There is grace.

There is community.

There is room.

And so, with joy and thanksgiving, we will baptize Ali into the Christian family of faith.

Thanks be to God for the opportunity. Amen.

Acts 8:26-39
June 14, 2026 – SJ