Telling Stories

John 1:29-42

I love to read or hear a good human interest story. Who doesn’t, right? Hearing the stories of random acts of kindness, or learning about people who have dedicated their lives to make life better for others is inspiring.

Reading the story about a person who saw a problem and then did something to address it, to improve lives or comfort those who are hurting, is welcome balm to all those other stories that surround us, frighten us, anger us or frustrate us. At least that’s how it works for me. When I read these stories, I’m seeking relief from the constant onslaught of troubling news and commentary that overwhelms me.

I’m looking for evidence that that stuff is not all there is to this world.

A weekly magazine I regularly read devotes space in every issue to a “Heroes Among Us” feature. Television news programs often dedicate a segment at least once a week to a person or organization that has done something out of the ordinary that is good, altruistic, generous, or creative, on behalf of those who needed help.

I recently found stories about a childless teacher and her husband who adopted a young student who needed the stability and care of a loving home when the foster system failed him; and a middle school student who created a way to provide food for other students whose only reliable meals came in the form of federally funded breakfast and lunches, they received, but only when school is in session – his project went viral.

There is the church that planted a garden on their property which now feeds scores of low income families with good, healthy fruits and vegetables and has inspired other churches and organizations to pursue sustainable growing methods, providing healthy foods to supplement their feeding programs; and the woman who adopts and trains shelter dogs to become therapy companions for returning vets who suffer from PTSD.

These stories and others like them often appear toward the end of the news program, or magazine issue. I don’t think it’s because they are considered unimportant by those who have control over content, but because they know, that after receiving all that other stuff, the bad and troubling stuff, we really, really need to receive good news. We need to be reminded that one person or organization can make a difference. We need to be reminded of goodness. We need hope and joy to have the last word.

With all the darkness with which we are surrounded, with the pain of  lost loved ones as well as the sadness of other losses, betrayals, our own failures and struggles, we need these stories of hope. Testifying to the good that overcomes the darkness and the evil in our world is vital.

Well, isn’t that what John the Baptist did too, as he witnessed to the coming of Jesus? He told those who gathered around him that God was sending light into the world to bring hope and healing to their darkness. In fact, earlier in this gospel, the evangelist writes that John the Baptist was sent from God for this very purpose – to testify to the light, to the reality of who Jesus is, so that everyone might believe in him.

The people to whom John the Baptist delivered this good news lived in a dark world. Their lives were hard. They lived under Roman oppression. It was hard to know who to trust. They were poor. It had been a long time since God had sent a prophet among them, and so they may have wondered if God had given up on them; why was God so silent in the midst of their suffering?

Then John the Baptist came along and people followed him because he gave people true hope. He told his disciples that God has not forsaken them but is sending one to live among them who will be the fleshly embodiment of God himself.

John the Baptist testified that as God’s kingdom enters the world through this messiah, God’s mercy and justice will come upon the earth as well.

And then one day, as John was baptizing people in the Jordan River, Jesus himself appeared, to be baptized by John, and to begin his ministry among these people.

Last week, we remembered this key moment in the life of Jesus, which parallels a key moment in which the light of God breaks through and shines on each of us, in our own baptism.

We talked about the parallels between Jesus’ baptism and our own, and we gave thanks for baptism, the wonder-filled, grace-filled experience we share with our Lord. We even got a little wet as we were sprinkled with water from the baptismal font. We thought about how magnificent it is that we get to share this experience with Jesus.

We remembered that at the very moment when Jesus emerged from the water of the Jordan River at his baptism, the Holy Spirit descended and alighted on him; and the voice of God was heard as God declared, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Right after the water is sprinkled or poured or a person is dunked in the baptismal waters, we hear the words: “Child of God, you are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” A promise is made as a cross is traced in oil upon the forehead – ‘Child of God – you are beloved – I will never leave you or forsake you.’

A small child won’t remember the day of their baptism or the claim God makes unless the rest of us testify to the momentous event. A child will learn of the love of God as we remind them and show them over and over again how much God loves us. They will learn the way of Jesus as they hear the Good News shared, and experience God’s love from all the Jesus-following light-bearers who surround them and show them the way of Christ.

The story that makes up our gospel today happened the very day after Jesus was baptized. Perhaps John was standing around telling these two disciples of his about the amazing events that had occurred the day before. After all, that is what John the Baptist did so well. He witnessed to who Jesus was. He told the story of the identity of Jesus of Nazareth.

All of a sudden, as John saw Jesus coming toward him, he exclaimed, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

John is crystal clear about who Jesus is and what Jesus’ purpose is. John testifies. This is Jesus, the Messiah. This is the Lamb of God. This is he whom God has sent into the world as a light to the nations. This is he who takes away the sin of the world. Here is the Son of God. Follow him!

John’s disciples are curious. So they began to follow Jesus, to physically follow him, when Jesus turns around and looks at them. He addresses them, “What are you looking for?”

David Lose points out in his commentary on this passage that this is the first question Jesus asks in the gospel of John, in fact, they are the first words spoken by Jesus: “What are you looking for?” The question is ripe with possibilities. Jesus may just as well be asking us, “What are you seeking?” “What do you hope to find?” “What do you need?” “What do you long for?” “What do you most hope for?”

We could go back to those human interest stories to find our answer. Perhaps we are seeking the good news in a world of bad. If so, Jesus is the good news. Perhaps we are looking for relief from the burdens that weigh us down. Jesus frees us from sin so that we can follow him more closely, unencumbered by its weight.

Perhaps we hope to find the answers we need to solve the problems of the world, or even just to survive them. Jesus shows us the way to truth and love, and invites us to testify to their power. In the ministry inaugurated at his baptism, Jesus showed us how to serve others with compassion, mercy, and humility.

Perhaps we long for a day when peace and justice will rule. Jesus shows us that while evil forces are loose in the world, they will not have the final word. Even death is defeated by Jesus’ coming into the world, through his life, death, resurrection and ascension. Then, Jesus invites us to take part in the work of sharing his vision of peace and justice for all people by the choices we make and the way we live.

Perhaps we simply hunger to see the goodness of God at loose in the world. Jesus invites us to look around and see clearly that God is present in simple acts of feeding the hungry and clothing the naked; in welcoming the stranger and embracing our neighbors with kindness and love; in sitting with shelter residents and sewing quilts for refugees. God is seen when news is shared of a family in need and people come forward in prayer, offering material support and Christmas gifts. God is seen in the nurse that works long past her shift to care for those under her charge, or in the health care aide who sits and feeds the woman who can no longer feed herself; or in the first responders who place themselves in harm’s way in an attempt to preserve and save lives.

In the text for today Jesus asks, “What are you looking for?” and then issues the invitation, “come and see.”

We have the greatest human interest story of all to share as we give witness to the love of God and the mercy of Jesus Christ. In word and action we get to share that story, the story of God’s wondrous love revealed in Jesus.

I leave you with a poem attributed to the sixteenth century mystic, Teresa of Avila:

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,

          no hands but yours,

Yours are the eyes through which to look out

          Christ’s compassion to the world;

Yours are the feet with which

          he is to go about doing good;

Yours are the hands

with which he is to bless men now. 

Amen.

Beloved of God, Sharing a Baptism with Christ

Matthew 3:13-17 Baptism of Jesus

It’s hard to believe it is a new year already. I, for one, am still having trouble writing “2017” on documents and correspondence. I’ve heard the lament from more than one of my friends, from many of you, and reflected in words coming from my own lips – “time really flies” – it goes by so fast. Over and over, there is that repeated refrain - “how can it be….?” – and then we fill in the blank – “how can it be … December,” or … “June,” …“a new year,” …“another birthday,” …“his high school graduation,” …“my baby’s wedding day,”  or, if we are lucky, … “our anniversary – 50 years”! Can anyone here relate?

We feel the astonishing passage of time here in church, too. Just last week, our gospel relayed the story of the naming of Jesus. The gospel gave us the story of the day when Mary and Joseph brought an eight-day-old Jesus to the temple for this naming.

So it is, that with a hiccup of surprise we realize that in our gospel text today, Jesus is now a grown man – some 30 years of his life have flown by. That’s thirty years that we don’t know much about – Jesus has grown up in the blink of an eye, or the turn of a page, leaving all those growing up years and the stories that go with them, a mystery to us.

But that doesn’t much matter, because the important stuff, the stuff that tells us about God, and how God is acting in and for the world through Jesus, is revealed through the public ministry of Jesus, and the scriptures are full of those stories – stories that we will encounter as we make our way through the gospels.

It is that public ministry for which Christ is anointed through this baptism we observe today. Right after his baptism, Jesus would go into the wilderness to prepare himself for that ministry. Even Jesus had to prepare.

Back in this baptismal scene, we read about the voice of God which Jesus hears as he emerges from the water – “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”  As Jesus receives the Holy Spirit “descending like a dove” and alighting on him, Jesus is both revealed and acclaimed as the Son of God.

Reflecting on this passage, we might ask ourselves, did Jesus really need to be baptized? As the Son of God, as the blameless, sinless one, did Jesus really need this washing?

The thing is, as Jesus was baptized at the Jordan River, as God claimed him as his Son and filled him with the Holy Spirit, God provided for us what may be the closest connection between Jesus’ life and ministry and our own, making this a very special day for us, as well. Once again, God enacts mercy and grace for us through Jesus.

For, as Jesus invited John to take part in his baptism, Jesus invites him – and us – into the work on which he himself will embark, proclaiming and embodying the goodness and justice of God.

It is in baptism that we too, are claimed as daughters and sons of God. It is in baptism that we are blessed by the Holy Spirit, and filled with the gifts we need for ministry. It is in baptism that God tells us that we are beloved, and that our inheritance is secured; we are given new life and thereby we each become a new creation of God.

How does it feel to know that this thing that we have experienced in our baptism was once experienced by Jesus himself? For myself, I am simply struck with awe of this reality.

One of the most powerful experiences of our Christian lives is remembering our own baptisms. To hear once again the claim that we are beloved of God, as Jesus was; to remember that we are anointed with the Holy Spirit, as Jesus was; To absorb the reality that we are known and empowered by God, forever, is an experience like no other, and it is an experience that we share with Jesus Christ, himself. To be reminded that this baptism commissions each one of us into ministry in the name of Jesus is a holy experience.

And so, I hope that you got good and soaked as I came down the aisle with water this morning and “sprinkled” you in remembrance of that day when you were washed in the living waters of baptism. I hope that as you felt drops of water from the font fall on you, you felt solidarity with Christ himself in the remembrance of this means of grace we share.

Today we reflect on the sacrament of Baptism, through which each of us has received grace upon grace for the living of our lives and for carrying on the holy work that God entrusts to each one of us.

Although we are reminded of our baptism when we gather together each week, as we gather around the table and nurtured for our work as disciples of Christ, our Holy Baptism is best remembered and most explicitly appreciated when, as a community, we celebrate the baptism of a new sister or brother.

On such occasions, we powerfully recall that in baptism God made each of us a participant in the ministry of Jesus for the sake of the world. The importance and the reality of our baptism should never be far from our minds. For, as Jesus shares life, death and resurrection with us, Jesus shares the work and call of ministry with each of us as well.

Christians often describe baptism as an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace that God works on our behalf. It is God’s action that is of import here, not our own. It is God who makes us holy, not we ourselves who accomplish this by anything we do. It is for God’s sake, that we are sent to reflect God’s love as we are empowered, through the sacraments, for the work of God’s mission to love, heal, bear compassion for the poor, the marginalized, the unloved, the unaccepted, the disregarded ones who are part of God’s creation.

It is for this reason that there is but one baptism for the forgiveness of sins and the commissioning of our call as children of God and workers together for the kingdom of God. Yet Baptism is not a “one and done” kind of thing. In fact, it is the opposite of an isolated act carried out once in our lives for our own benefit.

As Martin Luther said, each day, in baptism, we die to sin and are renewed in the new life given to us by God.

In Baptism, we received the everlasting, perpetual declaration of love and pleasure that God takes in us, and the grace God repeatedly extends to us for the sake of the kingdom of God.

In baptism, we recognize that God loves us and is well-pleased with us simply because of who we are – his own beloved children. This realization frees us to live into the baptismal promises with gusto.

We are freed to live out the gospel goodness of God; to feed the hungry, to give water to those who thirst, to work for the life of all people. In the next several weeks, through the scriptures we encounter, we will learn how to share the light of Jesus by living as Jesus teaches, in humility, serving our neighbors and giving comfort to those who are hurting. Soon, we will hear from Jesus’ own mouth, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ recipe for living into the grace of God.

There are challenges in this, for sure. It can be risky, sometimes, to offer hope to those in deep despair, to those who look around and see only desolation in the world and in their lives. Through our baptism and the grace of God revealed to us in Christ we are bold to offer comfort to those who live in fear of terror attacks, and shootings, and disease and hunger, and the uncertain and frightening possibilities of what our future world might look like, living today in a world full of division, apathy and anger as we are.  

We live into our baptismal commission when, as the Body of Christ, we continually seek new ways to engage with our community and our neighbors to ease suffering and isolation, homelessness and fear locally and in places far away from here. Our baptism calls us to share in the goodness and justice of God. That means seeing all people, even those with whom we disagree, even those who look, speak and worship differently than we do, as sisters and brothers created by God and beloved of God as well and therefore equal to us in every way.

We are blessed when we remember our baptism, and reflect on the mercy and forgiveness showered upon us in drops or currents of water on that day and we are blessed by the Holy Spirit to live each day as an opportunity to rejoice in the daily death of sin and birth into new life and a new creation of God.

As a congregation, this year we will seek to intentionally and continually remember our baptism by engaging in prayer and bible study reflecting on the history of our faith, and seeking to discern God’s plan and mission for this Body of Christ in this time and place.

We will remember God’s words, spoken of Jesus, “This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased,” and we will recall that as these words shine a light on Jesus, that light is reflected upon all the baptized and all who remain close to him by following him and his holy word.

Please pray with me.

O Most Holy God, who blessed the world through the birth and revelation of Jesus as your own Son, now bless us as we seek to follow him, reveling in the gift of our baptism, and emboldened by your holy word. Grant us the wisdom and grace to live as your daughters and sons, washed in the waters of life for the sake of Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen.