Baptized, Beloved, Belonging

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

John the Baptist is standing in a river, where he invited, or rather, challenged people to repent from their sinful ways, and to get immersed in water as a sign of their commitment to change. But never before had water been used to remove sins, or as a symbol of cleansing from sin.

The traditionalists – the priests and the scribes, the Pharisees and the Sadducees – were not pleased with John, and they were keeping a close eye on him. They were worried about more than his ritual of baptism; they were worried about what he was saying. John was repeatedly announcing that someone was coming who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, someone who would challenge the way things are now, and bring in a new way of living and being.

One day, Jesus joined the line of those waiting to be baptized. He came out of the water and was praying. In Luke, Jesus prays when important things are about to happen, and this is an important happening! The Holy Spirit appears like a dove and settles on him, and a voice from heaven speaks, “You are my Son, you are the Beloved, and I am pleased with you.”

… Usually, people ask this question: “Why did Jesus need to be baptized?” The focus is on the assumption that Jesus didn’t have sins, so he didn’t need to be forgiven. But, maybe, when we ask the question that way, we put the focus in the wrong place.

What if the focus should be on the words that are spoken and heard? What if the point of the story is so that Jesus could hear God the Father say, “I love you. You are my beloved. And you are mine.”?

And this question is for us: What if we also get in line to be baptized so we can hear these same words, “I love you. You are beloved. And You are mine.”? And what if the pastor occasionally sprinkles you with water to remind you that God loves you?

… Whenever I have talked with someone about baptizing children, I want to be sure that the baptisms are for the right reasons. Some people want baptism to be like fire insurance – so that if the child dies, they will go to heaven and not the fires of hell. That’s baptism against something.

A better way to think about baptism is that it is for something. Baptism tells us that we belong to God and a community, that we are filled with the Holy Spirit, and that we are beloved of God and within that community.

Baptism is done in the midst of a group, because baptism makes us part of that community of faith. Promises are made at the time of baptism. We promise, or our parents first promise for us, to be involved in a faith community and participate in activities that lead us to live like Jesus. The faith community helps us live out our promises.

Baptism recognizes that we bear God’s Holy Spirit within us. God says: “I have called you by name and you are mine.” God says, “Before you were born, I knew you.” When we are baptized, a cross is made on our foreheads. Whether it’s made with water or with oil, the words are the same. “You are marked with the cross of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit forever.” That cross, that seal, never washes away.

Mostly, in baptism, we get to hear the words Jesus heard from the same God the Father: “I love you. You are beloved. And you are mine.”

And now you’re going to ask the question, “But what about forgiveness being connected to baptism?” Everyone needs to know they are loved and belong to someone. And everyone needs to know they are forgiven.

Think about this: When we love someone, it’s easy to forgive them. In the same way, since God loves us, and forgives us out of that love, we know we are forgiven. When we have done something that leaves us feeling guilty, we often think the person we have hurt can’t forgive us. But where there is love, there is forgiveness. And since we know through our baptism that God loves us, it follows that God forgives us.

… Love and forgiveness are both involved in this story. In the 1970s, one of the most popular TV shows was All in the Family. Archie Bunker was a gruff man with a deep love for his family that he was reluctant to demonstrate. Archie and Edith had a daughter named Gloria. She and her husband Michael had a baby named Joey.

It frustrated Archie that Michael was an avowed atheist and refused to have the baby baptized. But Archie was determined, and one day he took little Joey for a walk to the church. After he insulted the priest in a dozen ways and the priest still refused to do the baptism, Archie took Joey to the font and baptized Joey.  Let’s watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1cp9hZwWZA&ab_channel=novusCatholic

Archie might think that he needs to get Joey baptized because that is what is customary. “We’ve always done it that way.” But I think there is more to it than tradition. Deep in his heart, Archie knows he is loved by God, and he wants that for his grandson, even if he rarely pays attention to God. And Archie trusts that God will forgive him for doing this unauthorized baptism.

This week, I hope you will remember that you are baptized and beloved and forgiven, and filled with God’s Holy Spirit forever. Amen

 

God's Surprises

Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:1-12; Matthew 2:1-12

While some congregations are observing the Second Sunday of Christmas, I prefer to observe the festival of Epiphany. The church season of Epiphany is about discovering the light that God sends into the world through Jesus. It is about seeing Jesus in various, often surprising, ways. It is about discovering God is always present, also in various, often surprising ways.

While the time after coming of Jesus is spoken of as a new creation, it doesn’t mean the stuff that preceded it is bad because it is old. The stories of the New Testament mean little without the stories of the Old Testament. Jesus’ coming is a continuation of God’s plan for salvation for all people. That plan, too, was often filled with surprises. Let’s do a review of some of those surprises.

Abraham was promised descendants like stars, land, and fame. While he struggled to settle in one place, the land God promised is still the land of the Jewish and Palestinian people called Israel. We, today, are among his billions of descendants, and his name appears throughout the Scriptures.

Moses was stopped by a bush that was on fire but not consumed by the flames. God spoke from the bush, calling him to lead his people from slavery into freedom, back to the land promised hundreds of years earlier to Abraham.

Prophets like Isaiah were called to speak encouragement or the need for repentance to the people, depending on the circumstances. Many of them were surprised to be  called to such ministry, and reluctant to participate. I’m thinking of Jonah and Amos in particular.

… I’ll note some surprises experienced by Mary. First, a visit by an angel and the news that she would give birth to the Savior of the world. Second, that her old cousin Elizabeth was also present. Third, that her fiancé Joseph would continue the engagement. Fourth, that shepherds would  visit them the night the baby was born – or within a day or two. Fifth, that when they took baby Jesus for his bris, two Jerusalem temple prophets would approach and speak to them.

… And now, we come to today’s surprise.

Since only Matthew tells the story of the Magi and the star they followed, following the st could be poetic license in the storytelling. Scientifically, stars are not known to stop over one place, since everything in the sky is constantly moving. So, we can be surprised at the inclusion of a star in the story, and how it has become a symbol of Christmas.

Assuming they saw the star in the astrological signs when Jesus was born, it would have taken time for them to pack up their caravan and arrive at Jesus’ home. So, Jesus would have been a toddler, a year or a year and a half by the time the magi arrived in Bethlehem?

Can you imagine Mary’s surprise – still another one for her! – when she opened her door and saw these magi outside?

Now, let’s do a quick quiz. What are magi? (astrologers, magicians, philosophers, not kings). How many magi were there? (don’t know, but there were 3 types of gifts) Were they all men? (don’t know, could have included women) Are you surprised to think about that?

After they left the gifts, they went home bypassing Jerusalem. Thanks to Roman road-building projects, this was easy to do. And, the story continues with another couple surprises for Mary. Angels appeared in Joseph’s dream to warn him to escape to Egypt, because Herod’s soldiers came and murdered all the baby boys two and younger. Note that there is no historical record for this, but knowing Herod’s character, we should not be surprised to learn from sources that it did happen!  

… On to some other surprises. Paul, the Pharisee and former persecutor of Christians, is now reaching out to Gentiles with Good News of Jesus’ love and forgiveness. He writes to the Ephesians: We have been surprised to learn that through Jesus “the gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise” of God.

In Galatians, Paul writes that there is now no distinction among people in God’s promise. There is neither Jew or Greek, slave or free, male and female. In today’s words we would say, all are welcome in God’s family.

If foreigners who don't understand Jewish faith are welcome at Jesus' family home, it must be all are welcome today. If shepherds, who are unwashed and smelly and suspected of being less than honest, are welcome at the manger, it must be all are welcome today.

… We say this, but 2,000 years later, it is still far from a reality. There is a real sense in many cultures and communities in the US and around the world that some people are less valuable, less welcome, than others.

I recently watched the Netflix movie Six Triple Eight, about African American Women in the Women’s Army Corp during World War II. The movie told the real story of the harassment and disrespect given by white men, both enlisted and officers, to these 850 soldiers, because they were both women and black. Given six months to solve the problem of a three-year backlog of mail, they devised methods for sorting and identifying mail, and getting it to the right place. They had the job done in a surprising 90 days.

The same kind of harassment and disrespect is still happening, to people of color or from other homelands, to people who are gay or lesbian or trans, to people who are developmentally different or neurodivergent (for example, on the Autism spectrum). It happens even to people of the “other” political party. If you wish, you can pick your own not-welcome person or group and consider why they are not welcome.  Surprise! Jesus welcomes them.

… God will continue to surprise us, but we have to be looking to see the surprises. Keep your eyes open this week. What surprises does God give you? Amen