Same water, same mission

Isaiah 42:1-9; Matthew 3:13-17

Today, we find Jesus and John the Baptizer at the Jordan River. The location is significant. The water is even more significant. Jacob wrestled with an angel at the edge of the Jabbok River. Moses led the Israelites across the Sea of Reeds where they crossed to safety. Eventually, they crossed the Jordan River, where Joshua would lead them across into Canaan. General Naaman, who had a skin disease, was healed after immersing himself seven times in the Jordan River.

The world’s water constantly moves around the globe, from water to ice to vapor and back to water in a cycle. So, the water we drink, bathe in, swim in, observe as rain and so forth today could easily have been touched by Jesus 2,000 years ago, and by Moses 3,500 years ago, and created by the breath of God in the beginning.

That same water touched each of us when we were baptized, wherever and whenever that happened. The same water flows today in the same Jordan River, and in Harris Lake, and in the font at the door of this sanctuary. And in the drops that fell on you at the beginning of worship.

… Our Christian faith has been heavenly influenced by Paul, who was in turn influenced by his Greco-Roman culture. This led him to focus on individual sin, and the benefit of baptism for the forgiveness of one’s own sins.

At the same time that Paul was developing this theological belief system, the Egyptian Christians were focused on sin as systemic. A people, a group, sins; this belief is expressed over and over again in Jewish writings. God says, “If my people will pray, and take care of the poor and the widows and the foreigners, then I, God, will show mercy.”

The servant song in Isaiah is directed at one person, the servant who will carry the message, or, it is directed to the whole people of Israel. God says to the servant: I call you to take my message to the people: I desire mercy to be available for all people. This will fulfill all righteousness.

So, in the Egyptian theological view of Christianity, baptism is not about the forgiveness of sins, but much more about signing up to continue Jesus’ mission of bringing the reign of God to all.

… When we are baptized as infants, others make promises on our behalf. As we grow, we begin to take on the fulfillment of the promises for ourselves. We agree to:

‍live among God’s faithful people;
‍hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s Supper;
‍proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed;
‍serve all people following the example of Jesus; and
‍strive for justice and peace in all the earth?”

Did you notice there’s nothing in there about receiving forgiveness of sins, but a whole lot about the mission we are called to, once we are baptized? Let’s look more closely at these promises.

It's pretty easy for us to live among God’s faithful people, hear the word and share in the Supper. Many of us find it easy to serve people following Jesus’ example. But, our reticence to speak about Jesus because someone might be offended means we don’t do a good job of proclaiming the good news to anyone.

And especially in the polarized world we live in right now, we can suffer serious consequences for striving for justice and peace. Sure, we pray, but it’s not polite to take a stand. People say, “Don’t bring politics into worship.” But Jesus was political, in his stance for justice and mercy for all people. I try hard to not bring partisanship – Republican or Democrat or Independent – issues into worship.

But as a baptized child of God, my heart cries out for justice this week. I need to share these stories with you, two stories among thousands we could tell together.

… First, this week Bishop Pedro Suarez, who is from Venezuela, posted a message. He urges us all to pray for the people of Venezuela, and not make assumptions about what is right or wrong, because everything is so multi-layered. Listen, he says, and do not judge! 

[if you wish to watch it, here is the link. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/16jXD6mpwg/ ] 

… Second, two stories about ICE actions and the impact it has on families. These stories are shared by my Franciscan siblings, so I know they are true.

Sister Carolyn is a civic nurse, caring for people in her community and raising attention to those activities and processes that harm her people. She writes: Some of you may recall that I was connected to a Venezuelan migrant family in Denver in November 2023 through the ELCA AMMPARO [Migrant Accompaniment] program. Some of you offered tangible assistance as I coordinated accompaniment and the family applied for asylum and settled in Denver.

 Well, early this week agents raided the family's rental home, ransacked it (including busting out the windows), allegedly looking for weapons (and found none), and now the dad, older son, and girlfriend of the son are detained at the for-profit GEO ICE detention center in Aurora. One agent said they failed to appear for an immigration hearing which is not true. The youngest child just turned 1 year old on December 21. Your prayers as we try to mobilize new support for the family are greatly appreciated.

… And Brother Paul is in Minneapolis. He shares this: Things  are not good here in MPLS.  My daughter said ICE targeted her school, and were harassing students getting on buses, and dragged a school employee out of the school cafeteria.  She was in lockdown with her first-grade class all day.  Schools across the metro were similarly targeted.  She said it was a dark day that she will never forget.   Schools are closed today, and people are fearful.  My wife said one of her co-workers’ husband is undocumented, and she is paralyzed with fear of what might happen to their family.  … I am thankful that things appear to have stayed peaceful in the cities last night.   Please keep MN in your prayers. 

… We are individually broken, sinful people. Collectively, our systems are broken, sinful, when they fail to respect individuals as God’s beloved children. The people of Venezuela, the immigrants from anywhere, and those who grieve the loss of loved ones, all wash in the same water that washed Jesus, and all our Jewish and Christian ancestors. The soldiers and ICE agents who follow orders also wash in the same water that washed Jesus.

Did you notice that in these stories, there are both the request for prayers and calls for justice? I think Jesus is weeping with the family of the woman who was killed, with the innocent people who have been rounded up and imprisoned, with the innocent who are afraid for their friends and family members, and Jesus is calling us all to take a stand for truth and justice.  

Many of the people ICE agents are looking for are refugees from violence, just as Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were, 2000 years ago. In the Scriptures we call holy, God constantly urges God's people to welcome and care for the refugees and foreigners in their midst. I haven't heard that God's message to us has changed. 

And here’s a caveat, and a challenge to us all: those who commit crimes are also God’s beloved children, part of God’s creation. Don't you imagine that God weeps over them, too? 

These days, it can seem there is nothing we as individuals can do. But we can all pray, on our own, and we can gather to express our desire for justice for our neighbors and friends who are suffering injustice. It is for this that we were baptized. It is for this that we remember today that there are promises attached to our baptism.

The water in our font is the same water that was in the Jordan River that day when Jesus was baptized. And as baptized believers in Jesus, his mission of mercy and justice is ours as well.

God says to us all, “You are my beloved child.” But it doesn’t stop there. To fulfill all righteousness, we respond by living out the promises to be with God’s people, to taste and enjoy and share the feast, proclaim the good news of God’s love for all, to serve all people as any have need, and to seek justice where there is no justice.

As you leave worship today, dip your fingers in the waters of the font and remember that this same water touched Jesus. What will you and Jesus do together this week to seek justice, and fulfill all righteousness?  Amen