The Bible, Pharrell Williams and Joy Germs

The Awesome Carol

What does the Bible, Pharrell Williams and joy germs have in common?

Does anyone know?

Carol had this to share last Sunday, during Awesome Time.

Who knows who Pharrell Williams is?

His song “Happy” is a great hit and there are lots of different videos on YouTube and here is one that I particularly like…

It was made in Ethiopia and this week’s story in the Bible is about a happy Ethiopian.  This is how it goes…

Philip was one of Jesus’ followers and one day he felt that God was asking him to start walking down the road from Jerusalem to Gaza.  So he set out-  not sure why he was going. 

Philip noticed a cloud of dust coming down the road and saw it was a horse pulling a chariot.  In the chariot was the driver and a person wearing fine clothes who was obviously an important person.  This person was reading a scroll as he was riding along. 

Philip watched the chariot get closer and closer and somehow he knew that this man was the reason that God had told him to go to this place.  Philip began running along beside the chariot and called out to the man, “Hello friend!”  The chariot stopped and Philip introduced himself. 

The man explained that he was an official from the court of the Queen of Ethiopia.  Philip knew that Ethiopia was very far away and wondered why this important man had come all the way to Jerusalem.  

The man explained to Philip that he had gone to Jerusalem to worship.  He said he was reading the works of the prophet of Isaiah and said that he didn’t really understand them.  So Philip climbed up on the chariot and for the next few hours they talked together.  Philip told the Ethiopian man about how God’s love was shown in a special way when Jesus taught and healed and cared for people. 

The Ethiopian was very interested in the news about Jesus and God’s love.  “I want to be a follower of Jesus too,” he said.  He told the driver to stop and they were beside a river.  He asked Philip, “What’s to stop me from being baptised right now?”  So they went down to the river and Philip baptised the Ethiopian man.  When the man came out of the water he felt the love of God inside him and all around him. 

Then the Ethiopian man was in a hurry to get back to Ethiopia – his home country.  He wanted to tell his friends and family about the good news of God’s love in Jesus. 

This Ethiopian was really happy and began spreading the joy of God’s love to the people in Ethiopia – and Philip went on to another place called Caesarea and so the message of God’s love for everyone was spreading many new places.

So there is the link – the Ethiopian was so happy he was being a joy germ and spreading the good news of God’s love to Ethiopia and Philip was being a joy germ and spreading the good news of God’s love to Caesarea.