Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Baptized with the Spirit (1/7/18)


Baptism of Christ, detail

On Sunday, January 7th, we ordained and installed new Ruling Elders and Deacons. We also celebrated the Lord's Supper, the Epiphany, and the Baptism of the Lord; that's a lot for one Sunday! 
Baptized with the Spirit (1/7/18)


Sermon
          Good morning. I’m glad that you all braved the cold this morning. We have a lot of important stuff going on over the next two Sundays. Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, we celebrate the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, and we ordain and install our new classes of elders and deacons. On top of that, we are also observing the Epiphany, the appearance of the Magi to the Christ child.
          We sang the hymn, “We Three Kings,” this morning as a reminder of the Epiphany. For most of us, that’s where Epiphany ends. Maybe some of you have relatives who celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 6th, but for the most part, we don’t dwell in the radical disruption that is the story of the Epiphany. Instead, we tame it with a hymn and we move on. Perhaps the most important thing about this story is that the Magi are foreigners; they’re not Jews. God’s salvation is no longer a promise to Israel, the chosen few. God’s grace may be extended to others; no one is excluded or included by birth alone. That was a disruptive message to the rigid religious and social order of Judea in the first century.
          The story of Epiphany doesn’t appear in the Gospel of Mark, but our reading this morning really gets at the radical, disruptive nature of the truth that’s at the heart of the Epiphany story. There are some amazing images in this story: after Jesus was baptized, “he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.” This is really important.
          The Greek word for torn open is schizo. We hear this word in modern English in words like schizophrenia—literally, schizophrenia means a person’s head is torn apart. It’s not a mild condition or a small problem. Similarly, the tearing open of the heavens and the appearance of the Holy Spirit is not a small thing. The word schizo is used again in the Gospel of Mark at the exact moment that Jesus dies, the curtain in the temple is torn open. This implies a connection between Jesus’ baptism and his death.[1]
          The images of the water and the dove “evoke the creation story in Genesis 1;” furthermore, in this story and elsewhere in this Gospel, “Mark stresses the continuity of the ministry of John [the Baptist] and Jesus.”[2] John came as a voice crying out from the wilderness; he was clothed in garments of camel’s hair and he ate locusts and wild honey. The voice of one who is calling out from the wilderness is a reference to a prophecy from the Book of Isaiah; the image of John wearing clothes made of camel hair and eating locusts and wild honey is a reference to the prophet Elijah. Mark is connecting the baptism of Jesus with the prophecies of the Old Testament. This is the Epiphany story in the Gospel of Mark:
Mark reminds us that before baptism became the ritual it is now, it was first an epiphany—an appearance of God that we had never witnessed before. It was God ripping apart that which we thought could separate us from God so as to be with us and one of us. And it would be God splitting open the grave so that death would never, ever, be the end.[3]
          I’ve been serving here at Rehoboth for about sixteen months. When I started, I saw a congregation that was a little bit worn out. This is typical, especially after a long-serving pastor retires. What’s more, you had many of the same folks serving in leadership for many years. I would guess that Bill Smith and Paul Stratton had served on the Session for about a hundred years—I think. That estimate might be a little high.
          Now I’m not criticizing Bill or Paul; their service was vital to this congregation and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their willingness to serve. Still, something happens in organizations where the same people make all the decisions for a very long time: new voices don’t get heard, new people don’t step up to serve.
          When times were good, that wasn’t a big issue, but church has been changing—here at Rehoboth and everywhere else. You could see all the problems: declining attendance, aging members, less money in the collection plate, but you couldn’t see a way out. That led to a feeling of being stuck. That led people to look for easy answers. That led people to search for unicorns: “If we just get a new, young pastor, that will change everything!” But deep down, I’m sure you all know that unicorns aren’t real.
          Judean society in the first century was also stuck. The land was dominated by the economic and military might of the Roman Empire. On the local level, the territory had been ruled by the family of King Herod for several generations. Jewish religious life was dominated by the Zadokites, who were also known as the Sadducees; they held onto their authority by compromising with the Roman power structure. They were determined to hold on to their authority at any cost; outsiders were not admitted.
          That’s where we meet John the Baptist; he comes from the wilderness. Like the Magi, he’s an outsider. He announces that something new is on the way. He offers a baptism of repentance and he proclaims that someone greater is coming, someone who will baptize with the Holy Spirit. The entry of God into the created world will disrupt everything! This is the true meaning of the Epiphany. God has done something new in the person of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh!
          Epiphany isn’t just one day on the liturgical calendar; it’s a season. Over the next several weeks we’re going to hear a lot of call stories in the Scriptures that we read in worship. These are stories of people who heard the call and followed the Lord. The stories come from both the Old and the New Testaments. These are stories of epiphanies.
          One of my favorite scholars, Karoline Lewis says: “Our world needs more epiphanies—and not just the ones to which we point, name, or describe—but the epiphanies that we are willing to be.”[4] Today we ordain and install new Ruling Elders and Deacons for this congregation, some of whom have never served in leadership before. Beloved, new people serving in the leadership of this congregation is an epiphany! Along with all of the baptisms we celebrated last year, this is another sign of new life here at Rehoboth!
          In our baptism, we affirm our connection to Christ, through the Holy Spirit. We affirm that we are baptized into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That life included the work of building the Church and reconciling people to one another. That’s the work of discipleship. That’s the work of restoring relationships. That’s the work that we are all called to; and today, it is the work to which we ordain and install our elders and deacons. This is a huge call.
          Baptism is also about change. So is service. After you have followed the call to serve, you can never be the same. In this season of Epiphany, I urge you to dwell on the following questions: How are you called? What are the epiphanies in your life? How will your faith be a blessing or an epiphany to others? As we dwell on these questions, let us live into the new life that Jesus offers for all. Thanks be to God. Amen!

Benediction
          Now, beloved, as you depart from this place, remember that we are called to be the Church, the body of Christ in the world today. We are called to go forth and be instruments of God’s love and peace and love and reconciliation. This is how we live into our baptismal vows. 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] Cynthia Briggs Kittredge, “Commentary on Mark 1:4-11,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=3528
[2] Kittredge.
[3] Karoline Lewis, “Epiphany Preaching,” retrieved from: http://www.workingpreacher.org/craft.aspx?post=5037
[4] Lewis.

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