To go along with my sermon, here are a couple of Benedictions that I treasure.
From my friend, "Mother Emily": Life is short and we do not have much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel with us. So be quick to love and hasten to be kind.
From my friend, Pastor Blythe: Life is short, so be swift to love and make haste to be kind, and may the blessing of God, your creator, redeemer and sustainer be with you now and always.
And to both, we add "Amen."
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Final Draft: What Really Matters
Here's my final draft -- what I'm really preaching today. Some of it is a bit less pointed. I don't like to put people on the defensive so they can't hear what God wants to say to them, but I pray God will use me to communicate at least some of what God is saying. If nothing else, God speaks to me as I prepare sermons. Peace. KT
The Dog Story: As promised, Bill has gotten me out to exercise every day this week. As we were walking one day through the Spring Lake neighborhood, we passed a house with 5 dogs in the side yard, barking hysterically at us and our dog. It’s a dog’s job, his destined purpose, to bark at any stranger passing by his house. Further, it is his job to tell the world that another dog is infringing upon his property (or at least getting close to it.) My dog ignored the five dogs, but Bill and I watched and began to laugh as two of the little dogs, so excited by the prospect of doing their job, began to attack one another – wrestling and growling and biting and yipping. Within seconds of our approach, they had already forgotten what they were barking about and, instead, turned on one another. They had forgotten their purpose! And instead made a spectacle of themselves! The story would not be complete unless I reported that 5 minutes later we turned around and returned via the same street. The five dogs immediately began barking again, as if they had never seen us. And as we approached, the two again began to attack one another. Somehow, in all of the excitement, those two had forgotten what really matters.
In I Corinthians, Paul has been writing about how important it is to focus on God, and, in the passages prior to today’s scriptures, he has acknowledged that frequently sex and taking care of your spouse can deter your focus upon God. It doesn't preach really well in this day and age. ;o) However, the bigger issue is that Paul is urging Christians to focus all of their attention upon God. In verses 29-31 he sums it up by reminding us that the time we have on this earth is so very short and as such, we should live as though the only thing that mattered was God. If you are mourning, don't let that stand in the way of what matters. If you are overjoyed, don't let that stand in the way of what matters. If you have money to spend, live as though you didn't. Think only about what is important . . . what is lasting . . . what is real.
As I began working on this sermon and thinking about those things that really matter, I realized that God was speaking to me. I had found myself annoyed by pettiness complaints that seemed to consume my time. As I read this scripture and began to focus on God’s call to me as both Pastor and Christian, I realized that God was reminding me to focus on what really matters. Any time we gather together, it is tempting to focus on who-likes-who and who-doesn’t like-who; it is tempting to be drawn into a conversation where we judge one another for what we have said or how we have acted; it is tempting to get on the band wagon and form groups for or against someone or something. But I am reminded that in the big picture, it is not for me to focus on who-likes-who and who-doesn’t-like-who. It is not for me to judge another human being for how he or she has acted. It is not for me to takes sides for or against another individual. These things do not matter. If life on earth is truly as short a period in infinity as it seems to be, why am I wasting precious energy on being angry about the pettiness around me? What really matters?
If we continue Paul’s line of thinking in I Corinthians, we will discover that all that matters is that we have only a short period of time in which to share the love of Christ with our neighbors – with those who are easy to love and with those who are not. The church exists not to exact a bunch of rules and regulations upon people, but rather to care for one another. The church is not a building, but a body – Christ’s body – broken yet healed in resurrection. What really matters? Simply spending our time sharing Christ’s love with others . . . that is the ONLY thing that really matters. We must change our focus from: What matters to me? to What matters to them? When our focus shifts from guarding our own feelings and experiences to nurturing another’s feelings and experiences, we have begun to focus on what really matters. We have begun to be the Body of Christ in the world.
Given the fact that I spent a lot of my early adult years in Nashville, I came to find that country music wasn't quite as bad as I had always been led to believe. In fact, occasionally the lyrics will hit a home run. Tim McGraw sang a song that has stuck with me since I first heard it. The lyrics are right in line with the scripture for today, albeit a bit more "country!" He said I was in my early forties with a lot of life before me when a moment came that stopped me on a dime. And I spent most of the next days, looking at the x-rays, talking bout the options and talking bout sweet time. I asked him when it sank in that this might really be the real end? How does it hit you when you get that kinda news? Man, what'd you do? And he said, "I went sky diving! I went Rocky Mountain climbing! I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu! And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying." And he said, "Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying."On Tuesday, one of my kid's friend's father was diagnosed with cancer. At that point all of the worry about who would get the kids to school, what to have for lunch, when the church meeting would meet, who was wearing what at the game, how clean the house was, what was said or done wrong in the last few days, ALL OF THAT suddenly didn't matter. All that mattered was the realization that life is so very short and we are given but a brief window to allow God's will to be done through us. We have but a brief window to connect our stories to God's stories. We have a brief window to live in harmony with one another, to resist petty divisions and opportunities to be angry and anxious. We have only now.
Yesterday I attended a memorial service for an 8-week-old. At that point all of the worry about who would get up for the midnight feedings, who would change the diapers, where the college funds were going to come from, whether Aunt June and Grandpa Joe would ever get along, ALL of that suddenly didn’t matter. All that mattered was the realization that life is so very short and we are given but a brief window to allow God’s will to be done through us. We have but a brief window to connect our stories to God’s stories. We have a brief window to live in harmony with one another, to resist petty divisions and opportunities to be angry and anxious. We have only now.
29I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, 30and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, 31and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
We have only today. I hope we’ll go sky diving! I hope we’ll go Rocky Mountain climbing! I hope we’ll go 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu! I hope we’ll love deeper. I hope we’ll speak sweeter. I hope we’ll give forgiveness we’ve been denying. For the present form of this world is passing away. Today I hope we take the chance to live what really matters, to live like we were dying. Amen.
I Corinthians 7:29-31
29I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, 30and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, 31and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
29I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, 30and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, 31and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
What Really Matters?
The Dog Story: As promised, Bill has gotten me out to exercise every day this week. As we were walking one day through the Spring Lake neighborhood, we passed a house with 5 dogs in the side yard, barking hysterically at us and our dog. It’s a dog’s job, his destined purpose, to bark at any stranger passing by his house. Further, it is his job to tell the world that another dog is infringing upon his property (or at least getting close to it.) My dog ignored the five dogs, but Bill and I watched and began to laugh as two of the little dogs, so excited by the prospect of doing their job, began to attack one another – wrestling and growling and biting and yipping. Within seconds of our approach, they had already forgotten what they were barking about and, instead, turned on one another. They had forgotten their purpose! And instead made a spectacle of themselves! The story would not be complete unless I reported that 5 minutes later we turned around and returned via the same street. The five dogs immediately began barking again, as if they had never seen us. And as we approached, the two again began to attack one another. Somehow, in all of the excitement, those two had forgotten what really matters.
In I Corinthians, Paul has been writing about how important it is to focus on God, and, in the passages prior to today’s scriptures, he has acknowledged that frequently sex and taking care of your spouse can deter your focus upon God. It doesn't preach really well in this day and age. ;o) However, the bigger issue is that Paul is urging Christians to focus all of their attention upon God. In verses 29-31 he sums it up by reminding us that the time we have on this earth is so very short and as such, we should live as though the only thing that mattered was God. If you are mourning, don't let that stand in the way of what matters. If you are overjoyed, don't let that stand in the way of what matters. If you have money to spend, live as though you didn't. Think only about what is important . . . what is lasting . . . what is real.
As I began working on this sermon and thinking about those things that really matter, I realized that God was speaking to me. I had found myself annoyed by pettiness complaints that seemed to consume my time. As I read this scripture and began to focus on God’s call to me as both Pastor and Christian, I realized that God was reminding me to focus on what really matters. Any time we gather together, it is tempting to focus on who-likes-who and who-doesn’t like-who; it is tempting to be drawn into a conversation where we judge one another for what we have said or how we have acted; it is tempting to get on the band wagon and form groups for or against someone or something. But I am reminded that in the big picture, it is not for me to focus on who-likes-who and who-doesn’t-like-who. It is not for me to judge another human being for how he or she has acted. It is not for me to takes sides for or against another individual. These things do not matter. If life on earth is truly as short a period in infinity as it seems to be, why am I wasting precious energy on being angry about the pettiness around me? What really matters?
If we continue Paul’s line of thinking in I Corinthians, we will discover that all that matters is that we have only a short period of time in which to share the love of Christ with our neighbors – with those who are easy to love and with those who are not. The church exists not to exact a bunch of rules and regulations upon people, but rather to care for one another. The church is not a building, but a body – Christ’s body – broken yet healed in resurrection. What really matters? Simply spending our time sharing Christ’s love with others . . . that is the ONLY thing that really matters. We must change our focus from: What matters to me? to What matters to them? When our focus shifts from guarding our own feelings and experiences to nurturing another’s feelings and experiences, we have begun to focus on what really matters. We have begun to be the Body of Christ in the world.
Given the fact that I spent a lot of my early adult years in Nashville, I came to find that country music wasn't quite as bad as I had always been led to believe. In fact, occasionally the lyrics will hit a home run. Tim McGraw sang a song that has stuck with me since I first heard it. The lyrics are right in line with the scripture for today, albeit a bit more "country!" He said I was in my early forties with a lot of life before me when a moment came that stopped me on a dime. And I spent most of the next days, looking at the x-rays, talking bout the options and talking bout sweet time. I asked him when it sank in that this might really be the real end? How does it hit you when you get that kinda news? Man, what'd you do? And he said, "I went sky diving! I went Rocky Mountain climbing! I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu! And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying." And he said, "Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying."On Tuesday, one of my kid's friend's father was diagnosed with cancer. At that point all of the worry about who would get the kids to school, what to have for lunch, when the church meeting would meet, who was wearing what at the game, how clean the house was, what was said or done wrong in the last few days, ALL OF THAT suddenly didn't matter. All that mattered was the realization that life is so very short and we are given but a brief window to allow God's will to be done through us. We have but a brief window to connect our stories to God's stories. We have a brief window to live in harmony with one another, to resist petty divisions and opportunities to be angry and anxious. We have only now.
Yesterday I attended a memorial service for an 8-week-old. At that point all of the worry about who would get up for the midnight feedings, who would change the diapers, where the college funds were going to come from, whether Aunt June and Grandpa Joe would ever get along, ALL of that suddenly didn’t matter. All that mattered was the realization that life is so very short and we are given but a brief window to allow God’s will to be done through us. We have but a brief window to connect our stories to God’s stories. We have a brief window to live in harmony with one another, to resist petty divisions and opportunities to be angry and anxious. We have only now.
Today we will receive the Annual Report of the Spring Lake Presbyterian Church. In it are many blessings where we came together to allow God’s will to be done through us. In it are many examples of the places where our stories connected to God’s stories. You will see names listed of people who gave of their time selfishly, so that others could focus on what really mattered. You will see a list of just a few of the anonymous gifts given throughout the year to keep the ministry of the church vital, even on a bare-bones budget. You will see the approved 2009 budget which looks just like the 2008 budget and the 2007 budget. The budget was not met last year, but we realize that God did not stop blessing us. We also realize that our ministry did not come to a stand still. The budget is what keeps up the operations of the church – it’s what pays the light bill and the pastor’s salary and the Sunday School lessons and the copier upkeep. The budget is what allows us to do God’s work from here at 5887 US HWY 98. But our ministries do not stop with the budget. The Presbyterian Women raise funds to give to missions, to share with other organizations who are doing God’s will. And the deacons use their funds to feed the hungry and care for the grieving and the sick. But our ministries do not stop with PW and the deacons! Because of the worship we are able to share here on Sunday mornings, you and I are encouraged to share the love of Christ that we just can’t contain within our spirits! What really matters? Does a budget matter? Only if it prepares us to share the love of Christ, to live as if all we had was today, to live like we were dying.
29I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, 30and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, 31and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
We have only today. I hope we’ll go sky diving! I hope we’ll go Rocky Mountain climbing! I hope we’ll go 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu! I hope we’ll love deeper. I hope we’ll speak sweeter. I hope we’ll give forgiveness we’ve been denying. For the present form of this world is passing away. Today I hope we take the chance to live what really matters, to live like we were dying. Amen.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
What Really Matters?
The title of my upcoming sermon for Sunday is "What really matters?" I find it an appropriate title because it is the Sunday of annual congregational meetings. And in truth, regardless of what a budget does or does not say, regardless of what the annual reports tell us about who we have been and who we hope to be, What Really Matters? I'll be preaching from I Corinthians 7:29-31 which says (in the NRSV):
29I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, 30and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, 31and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
Paul has been writing about how important it is to focus on God, but that frequently sex and taking care of your spouse can deter your focus upon God. It doesn't preach really well in this day and age. ;o) However, the bigger issue is that Paul is urging Christians to focus all of their attention upon God. In verses 29-31 he sums it up by reminding us that the time we have on this earth is so very short and as such, we should live as though the only thing that mattered was God. If you are mourning, don't let that stand in the way of what matters. If you are overjoyed, don't let that stand in the way of what matters. If you have money to spend, live as though you didn't. Think only about what is important . . . what is lasting . . . what is real.
The message I'm preparing is especially real for me today. In the past hour I've been extremely irritated by gossip that is spreading like wildfire in the church about something that truly does not matter. And yet rumors abound and only one person has faced the situation head on and realized that the rumors are simply rumors. Everyone else is getting upset over nothing. And I am reminded that in the big picture, it truly does not matter. If life on earth is truly as short a period in infinity as it seems to be, why am I wasting precious energy on being angry about the pettiness around me? What really matters?
Given the fact that I spent a lot of my eary adult years in Nashville, I came to find that country music wasn't quite as bad as I had always been led to believe. In fact, occasionally the lyrics will hit a home run. Tim McGraw sang a song that has stuck with me since I first heard it. The lyrics are right in line with the scripture for today, albeit a bit more "country!"
He said I was in my early forties with a lot of life before me when a moment came that stopped me on a dime. And I spent most of the next days, looking at the x-rays, talking bout the options and talking bout sweet time. I asked him when it sank in that this might really be the real end? How does it hit you when you get that kinda news? Man, what'd you do? And he said, "I went sky diving! I went Rocky Mountain climbing! I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu! And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying." And he said, "Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying."
On Tuesday, one of my kid's friend's father was diagnosed with cancer. At that point all of the worry about who would get the kids to school, what to have for lunch, when the church meeting would meet, who was wearing what at the game, how clean the house was, what was said or done wrong in the last few days, ALL OF THAT suddenly didn't matter. All that mattered was the realization that life is so very short and we are given but a brief window to allow God's will to be done through us. We have but a brief window to connect our stories to God's stories. We have a brief window to live in harmony with one another, to resist petty divisions and opportunities to be angry and anxious. We have only now.
So the budget this year says the same thing it did last year. There are no differences. Why? Because we didn't meet last year's budget. And truth be told, if we don't meet this year's budget, our reserves will be gone leaving only pennies in the bank. So what do we do? Do we pull back some more, delaying the inevitable? or do we live like this is the very work we have been called to do by God Almighty? Do we live as if every day left is left only for the purpose of loving and serving God? I hope we opt for the second. This year I hope we take the chance to live like we were dying. Amen.
29I mean, brothers and sisters, the appointed time has grown short; from now on, let even those who have wives be as though they had none, 30and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no possessions, 31and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
Paul has been writing about how important it is to focus on God, but that frequently sex and taking care of your spouse can deter your focus upon God. It doesn't preach really well in this day and age. ;o) However, the bigger issue is that Paul is urging Christians to focus all of their attention upon God. In verses 29-31 he sums it up by reminding us that the time we have on this earth is so very short and as such, we should live as though the only thing that mattered was God. If you are mourning, don't let that stand in the way of what matters. If you are overjoyed, don't let that stand in the way of what matters. If you have money to spend, live as though you didn't. Think only about what is important . . . what is lasting . . . what is real.
The message I'm preparing is especially real for me today. In the past hour I've been extremely irritated by gossip that is spreading like wildfire in the church about something that truly does not matter. And yet rumors abound and only one person has faced the situation head on and realized that the rumors are simply rumors. Everyone else is getting upset over nothing. And I am reminded that in the big picture, it truly does not matter. If life on earth is truly as short a period in infinity as it seems to be, why am I wasting precious energy on being angry about the pettiness around me? What really matters?
Given the fact that I spent a lot of my eary adult years in Nashville, I came to find that country music wasn't quite as bad as I had always been led to believe. In fact, occasionally the lyrics will hit a home run. Tim McGraw sang a song that has stuck with me since I first heard it. The lyrics are right in line with the scripture for today, albeit a bit more "country!"
He said I was in my early forties with a lot of life before me when a moment came that stopped me on a dime. And I spent most of the next days, looking at the x-rays, talking bout the options and talking bout sweet time. I asked him when it sank in that this might really be the real end? How does it hit you when you get that kinda news? Man, what'd you do? And he said, "I went sky diving! I went Rocky Mountain climbing! I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named Fumanchu! And I loved deeper and I spoke sweeter and I gave forgiveness I'd been denying." And he said, "Someday I hope you get the chance to live like you were dying."
On Tuesday, one of my kid's friend's father was diagnosed with cancer. At that point all of the worry about who would get the kids to school, what to have for lunch, when the church meeting would meet, who was wearing what at the game, how clean the house was, what was said or done wrong in the last few days, ALL OF THAT suddenly didn't matter. All that mattered was the realization that life is so very short and we are given but a brief window to allow God's will to be done through us. We have but a brief window to connect our stories to God's stories. We have a brief window to live in harmony with one another, to resist petty divisions and opportunities to be angry and anxious. We have only now.
So the budget this year says the same thing it did last year. There are no differences. Why? Because we didn't meet last year's budget. And truth be told, if we don't meet this year's budget, our reserves will be gone leaving only pennies in the bank. So what do we do? Do we pull back some more, delaying the inevitable? or do we live like this is the very work we have been called to do by God Almighty? Do we live as if every day left is left only for the purpose of loving and serving God? I hope we opt for the second. This year I hope we take the chance to live like we were dying. Amen.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Beginning Again
Here is my sermon for today as it currently stands.
Genesis 1
Mark 1:4-11
4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Created Again: Returning to the Beginning
Let’s start at the Very Beginning! (the very best place to start) In the beginning, God created . . . and it was good.
When I was right out of college I wrote a story. It was a children’s story . . . with a bit of depth to it. And it just came to me. There was no planning for it, no sitting at the computer waiting for creativity to strike. It just appeared. And since then I’ve shared it in many different settings and always heard the response – It is good. I’m filled with pride at this work of art that literally welled up in me until I just had to give birth to it. Art is like that – it is not designed for anyone but the artist who feels so compelled by something that they must get it out, giving birth to it. And when it is out – all the way out—it is good! (at least to the artist, the creator.)
In the beginning there was a blank canvas, a tabula rasa, pure darkness, emptiness, loneliness, and then God was compelled to bring something more to it – to paint, to write, to create – and there was purpose and there was beauty and there was energy and there was life and there was companionship . . . and it was good.
We don’t know much about Jesus’ beginning except some birth stories that just happen to jive really well with the prophecies of old. But after the birth narratives, there is silence as we wait 30 years for the little baby in the manger to grow up. I’m sure the 30 years were pretty eventful – most of the young years are – playing and practical jokes, first words and fatherly advice, doing chores and chopping wood with his dad the carpenter, memorizing the scriptures and making eyes at girls. All we know is that he grew up in the Middle East and suddenly we find him at another beginning, distanced from the stable in all of its ironic holiness.
John the Baptizer calls out to people to receive a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Typically everyone went to the temple to make a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, but John offered something different. He offered the chance to make atonement by confessing not to the priest but to God and then to be baptized as a chance to start over, to return to the very beginning. REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS! He called out in the wilderness. And they came, all of them wanting forgiveness, wanting to start over. As they stood up out of the water the guilt disappeared, the fear of God’s wrath left, and the desire to begin again compelled them to be a new creation, to start again.
And Jesus said, “I want a new beginning.” And Jesus asked to be baptized. We have no idea what he repented or why he repented. We know only that somewhere deep within him creation compelled him to return to the beginning, the very beginning, (the very best place to start). He returned to the beginning when the canvas would be God’s and not his own. “I want God to start fresh and create in me whatever the Mysterious Artist wishes to create.”
And so John baptized.
And Jesus returned to the very beginning.
And he saw the heavens torn open as light was painted on his black canvas, and the Spirit of God descended on him in the form of a dove, and he was marked as the one compelled to baptize others with the Holy Spirit. And a voice came from heaven and spoke, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And God, the Creator, said, “It is good!”
We have the opportunity to start at the very beginning today. Do you cry out in your heart, “I want a new beginning!”? Age has nothing to do with it. Regret plays no part in creation. When the Holy Spirit comes upon us we are compelled to be born into newness. The fullness of time overwhelms us and we live a new and different life. We are compelled to live a life that is no longer for ourselves. We are compelled to live whatever life God lives through us, for when the Creator lives through us, it is always very good.
Here in the church we have so many opportunities to share this new beginning. We must discipline ourselves to listen for the Spirit in Bible study, in prayer, in worship, in life. And when we see the Spirit of God at work in our lives we must open ourselves to be compelled to show others that the same Spirit of God is active and alive baptizing THEIR lives with hope and love, calling THEM good as God paints upon the canvases of their lives.
Jan Richardson, in her recent blog, writes that “medieval artists often painted the river rising to meet the naked Messiah, surging up to enfold him, arcing around his waist. Often this appears to be for modesty’s sake, though the usual transparency of the river doesn’t entirely accomplish that aim. At times, however, the rising of the river seems to be for nothing but pure joy: the creation reaching out to meet and enfold Christ, the God who has become intimately, incarnately intertwined with the world.” And then she tells us that “there are times when our lives rise up to claim us, occasions when that which we were born to be leaps up to envelope us. Something calls our name. Reminds us we are blessed and beloved. Baptizes us. Sends us forth.” (http://paintedprayerbook.com/)
In Jan’s image of the baptismal waters, I find myself at the edge of an ocean, watching the waters of creation drift my way as the tides come in, slowly overtaking me and pulling me into an all-encompassing baptism. When I baptize children I sense these waters – waters that have always been with us, surrounding us with a love that is deeper than our own understanding. At other times, specifically as maturity comes upon me, I find myself still sitting in the sand as the tide goes out, away from me. In those times I know that I must, like Jesus, take those steps to approach the water, to begin again. (Walk toward font) As I step into the waters, my canvas is washed clean, and the Holy Spirit comes upon me, and it is good. I am compelled to live whatever life God lives through me. For when the Creator lives through me, it is always very good.
Amen.
Genesis 1
Mark 1:4-11
4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Created Again: Returning to the Beginning
Let’s start at the Very Beginning! (the very best place to start) In the beginning, God created . . . and it was good.
When I was right out of college I wrote a story. It was a children’s story . . . with a bit of depth to it. And it just came to me. There was no planning for it, no sitting at the computer waiting for creativity to strike. It just appeared. And since then I’ve shared it in many different settings and always heard the response – It is good. I’m filled with pride at this work of art that literally welled up in me until I just had to give birth to it. Art is like that – it is not designed for anyone but the artist who feels so compelled by something that they must get it out, giving birth to it. And when it is out – all the way out—it is good! (at least to the artist, the creator.)
In the beginning there was a blank canvas, a tabula rasa, pure darkness, emptiness, loneliness, and then God was compelled to bring something more to it – to paint, to write, to create – and there was purpose and there was beauty and there was energy and there was life and there was companionship . . . and it was good.
We don’t know much about Jesus’ beginning except some birth stories that just happen to jive really well with the prophecies of old. But after the birth narratives, there is silence as we wait 30 years for the little baby in the manger to grow up. I’m sure the 30 years were pretty eventful – most of the young years are – playing and practical jokes, first words and fatherly advice, doing chores and chopping wood with his dad the carpenter, memorizing the scriptures and making eyes at girls. All we know is that he grew up in the Middle East and suddenly we find him at another beginning, distanced from the stable in all of its ironic holiness.
John the Baptizer calls out to people to receive a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Typically everyone went to the temple to make a sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, but John offered something different. He offered the chance to make atonement by confessing not to the priest but to God and then to be baptized as a chance to start over, to return to the very beginning. REPENT AND BE BAPTIZED FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS! He called out in the wilderness. And they came, all of them wanting forgiveness, wanting to start over. As they stood up out of the water the guilt disappeared, the fear of God’s wrath left, and the desire to begin again compelled them to be a new creation, to start again.
And Jesus said, “I want a new beginning.” And Jesus asked to be baptized. We have no idea what he repented or why he repented. We know only that somewhere deep within him creation compelled him to return to the beginning, the very beginning, (the very best place to start). He returned to the beginning when the canvas would be God’s and not his own. “I want God to start fresh and create in me whatever the Mysterious Artist wishes to create.”
And so John baptized.
And Jesus returned to the very beginning.
And he saw the heavens torn open as light was painted on his black canvas, and the Spirit of God descended on him in the form of a dove, and he was marked as the one compelled to baptize others with the Holy Spirit. And a voice came from heaven and spoke, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And God, the Creator, said, “It is good!”
We have the opportunity to start at the very beginning today. Do you cry out in your heart, “I want a new beginning!”? Age has nothing to do with it. Regret plays no part in creation. When the Holy Spirit comes upon us we are compelled to be born into newness. The fullness of time overwhelms us and we live a new and different life. We are compelled to live a life that is no longer for ourselves. We are compelled to live whatever life God lives through us, for when the Creator lives through us, it is always very good.
Here in the church we have so many opportunities to share this new beginning. We must discipline ourselves to listen for the Spirit in Bible study, in prayer, in worship, in life. And when we see the Spirit of God at work in our lives we must open ourselves to be compelled to show others that the same Spirit of God is active and alive baptizing THEIR lives with hope and love, calling THEM good as God paints upon the canvases of their lives.
Jan Richardson, in her recent blog, writes that “medieval artists often painted the river rising to meet the naked Messiah, surging up to enfold him, arcing around his waist. Often this appears to be for modesty’s sake, though the usual transparency of the river doesn’t entirely accomplish that aim. At times, however, the rising of the river seems to be for nothing but pure joy: the creation reaching out to meet and enfold Christ, the God who has become intimately, incarnately intertwined with the world.” And then she tells us that “there are times when our lives rise up to claim us, occasions when that which we were born to be leaps up to envelope us. Something calls our name. Reminds us we are blessed and beloved. Baptizes us. Sends us forth.” (http://paintedprayerbook.com/)
In Jan’s image of the baptismal waters, I find myself at the edge of an ocean, watching the waters of creation drift my way as the tides come in, slowly overtaking me and pulling me into an all-encompassing baptism. When I baptize children I sense these waters – waters that have always been with us, surrounding us with a love that is deeper than our own understanding. At other times, specifically as maturity comes upon me, I find myself still sitting in the sand as the tide goes out, away from me. In those times I know that I must, like Jesus, take those steps to approach the water, to begin again. (Walk toward font) As I step into the waters, my canvas is washed clean, and the Holy Spirit comes upon me, and it is good. I am compelled to live whatever life God lives through me. For when the Creator lives through me, it is always very good.
Amen.
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