Into the Life And the Work (6/25/17)
This is Aubrey Jean Couch, and her parents, Jessica and Zach.
On Sunday, June 25th, we celebrated the sacrament of baptism and we introduced Aubrey Jean Couch to her new family at Rehoboth Presbyterian Church. Follow the link to read the text of the sermon. As a bonus, you'll get to see more pictures of this sweet baby girl.
Into the Life And the Work (6/25/17)
Sermon
Good morning. Today we are going to celebrate the sacrament
of baptism. So, it’s an amazing and wonderful coincidence that the Lectionary
gave us this reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans on the same Sunday that
we baptize Aubrey Jean Couch and mark her as part of this wonderful, holy
family. From this day forward, everyone will know that she is united with
Christ, she is included in all of God’s covenants, and that she is connected to
her church family here at Rehoboth, and also with all other believers in the
community of faith.
Before we get into the lesson from the Apostle Paul, I need
to tell you that I learned something really important about myself the other
day and it relates to our journey as disciples. What I learned—what I came to
realize about myself—is that I am at my happiest, I am my most joyful self,
when I feel connected.
I had this revelation on Saturday morning, after a couple
days of feeling wonderfully and beautifully connected. It began Thursday
afternoon, when I had lunch with Wayne and Carol Lewis. Wayne, Carol, you
didn’t think you were going to make it into my sermon, did you?
We visited for over two hours. It was really neat to see
all of the antiques that Wayne has acquired over the years and it was great to
spend time with them. But what made it such an amazing visit was the
conversation we had. At one point, Carol mentioned that she knew my great aunt,
Eva Knuttila. I mentioned that Aunt Eva only had one child, my cousin Jack, but
she also raised one of her nieces, my cousin Arnita.
Then Carol said, “Arnita Rousseau? She’s your cousin?”
“Yes, her married name is Arnita Hawkins.”
“Oh, yes,” Carol replied, “she married Billy Hawkins from
Webster.” I didn’t realize this, but Carol knew my cousin Arnita from high
school; they had been close friends. I was so glad to know about that
connection that I share with Carol. I left their home with an overwhelming
sense of joy and peace. Even though I’ve only gotten to know Wayne and Carol a
little bit over the last few months, I realize that we really are connected.
My next stop on Thursday was a wedding rehearsal. The
groom’s parents, Jeff and Linda, are active members of the church I served in
Houston, PA. All three of their kids were raised in that church, but two of
them have moved away and none of them still attend that church.
Well, in October of 2015, Becky, Jeff and Linda’s middle
daughter, had a son. This was the first grandchild for Jeff and Linda. They
wanted their grandson to be baptized at the church in Houston. So, when Becky
and her husband came back to western Pennsylvania for Thanksgiving, I had the
privilege of baptizing him on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.
The wedding rehearsal for Morgan and Grady Paxton
I got to know the family through that baptism. Becky’s
younger brother, Grady, was there at the service, along with his girlfriend,
Morgan. When they got engaged, Grady and Morgan asked if I would officiate
their wedding, and of course, I said yes. I didn’t realize it at the time, but
I was practically invited into their family—and that was made abundantly clear
at the wedding rehearsal dinner. The connection that I made with the family at
that baptism was affirmed at the dinner table on Thursday night. And I felt
good because I felt connected to something bigger than myself.
Baptism is at the center of our understanding of the
Christian faith and Christian life in community with one another. This
understanding was also central for the Christian congregation in Rome, to which
Paul wrote this letter. But Paul goes a little bit deeper into the baptismal
waters:
Whatever we might draw
from this passage about baptism, one thing is clear: baptism is more than
another event that takes place in the life of a person, like graduation, where
all the relatives come and celebrate. And it’s more than a religious ritual
where church members commit to one another in word but not action. Baptism is
very serious business.[1]
Paul reminds the Romans that,
“all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his
death,” and through our baptism, we are dead to sin. And if we are united to
Christ in death, then we are raised with Christ, too.
The notion that we are dead to sin is tricky. The problem
is that we often tend to view sin as a bunch of bad acts or hurtful deeds. We
think we’re doing a good job if we’re not busy breaking any of the Ten
Commandments. But personal righteousness isn’t the same as being dead to sin.
That’s too narrow of an understanding of the nature of sin. And a narrow
understanding of sin can lead to a smug attitude of moral superiority. That
attitude of moral superiority is destructive and sinful, in its own right.
Certainly, theft and murder and adultery are sinful acts.
I’m not denying that. But sin is bigger than a list of bad actions. Sin is
anything that can separate us from living into the fullness of God’s love for
creation. We share in God’s love when we show love to one another. If I were to
steal money from this congregation, it would shatter the love that we share and
it could have ripple effects. You might also have difficulty trusting one
another after something like that.
Sin has the power to destroy communities and erode our
trust in God’s love. When we lose that trust, we place our faith in our own
abilities. We build walls. We isolate ourselves. We listen to the voices of
fear and greed, rather than listening to Christ’s call to love one another as
he loves us.
In the last few months, we’ve spent a good deal of time
studying the Gospel of John. That is the gospel of relationship. John’s gospel
shows God in direct relationship with humanity through the incarnation, through
the person of Jesus Christ in the world. In baptism, we affirm that connection.
We affirm that we remain connected to Christ, even though the human Jesus died
nearly two thousand years ago! Baptism is the sign and the seal that marks our
connection to Christ—as individuals and as a worshipping community. It marks
our life in Christ after our death to sin.
Being dead to sin and alive in Christ is much more than
simply being a nice person; it is much more than simply avoiding the big sins.
If we are to live in Christ, then we must live as disciples. We must
participate in Christ’s work of reconciliation. We must work to tear down walls
of hostility and reduce separation. We must work to restore relationships and
connections in our families, our congregation, our communities, and our world.
Being dead to sin and alive in Christ is an ongoing
process. Yes, baptism is a sacrament that we only observe once in a person’s
life, but the work is ongoing. The work is ongoing because sin is not merely a
collection of bad acts, it is a condition that we experience. We are constantly
called to repentance; that is a call for change, always.
It is only through connections and relationships that we
can truly do the work of discipleship. Baptism reminds us of our need for
connection and our constant need to change. To deny the isolating power of sin
and break its hold on our lives, we must change our hearts and minds,
constantly. We must work to remain in God’s covenants with humanity. This work
is ongoing; it is never done. If we want to preserve this community, and keep Rehoboth
as a place where disciples are trained and sent out into the world, then all of
us have to be willing and able to change. Thanks be to God. Amen.
After the baptism, I took Aubrey Jean for a little stroll through the congregation.
I needed to introduce her to her new family at Rehoboth.
Benediction
Now, beloved, as you depart from this place, remember your
own baptisms. Remember that we are baptized into Christ’s death and
resurrection. Remember that, through baptism, we are dead to sin. And if we are
dead to sin, then we are alive in Christ, who calls us to be the Church, the
body of Christ in the world, the world today. So, go forth and be instruments
of God’s love and peace and reconciliation. Do not return evil for evil to any
person, but know that we are all loved by God, and that we are called to
reflect that love to everyone we meet. Go forth and be the salt of the earth
and the light of the world. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, let all
God’s children say, Amen!
[1]
Kyle Fever, “Commentary on Romans 6:1b-11,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3327
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