Matthew 3:13-17
Jesus' baptism, a point of disturbance. Because nothing is done as it should be. John is not wrong in saying he shouldn't be the one. Yet God never sees with our eyes. God sees beyond something we can know or ken. God sees what we don't and it is good, beloved even.
I have just started reading the book Landmarks by Robert MacFarlane. In it he talks about how language, especially language for the natural world is disappearing. He makes some very valid points about our connection to land, to seeing it in our minds, to connecting us with enchantment. I agree with him, I can see the very essence of that in many things we have though. Like baptism.
Jesus comes to the water and is baptized and a mystical happening occurs. God speaks to the Son, God touches the Son. See the Spirit descending like a dove is a touching. It doesn't say that in our text, but it is there none the less. We know this because of Jesus' actions after baptism: the wilderness, teaching, healing, building community. Jesus touches others.
This is baptism for us. Today we renew our baptismal vows because it is Epiphany. Today we will say the words we say every baptism, like with Grayson's, and every time we renew our vows. Now they can just be words we repeat or like above they can bring enchantment. A chance for us to be with the divine in a deeper way. What do we hear when we say these words? Do we get lost in the history, the touch point for us with community gone and community now. It should be a bridge to these very different worlds, but somehow we have lost it. Even when I walk around and sprinkle you today there are those who will pull back (oh, don't get me wet). When the connection should be here I am! Send me into this mystery of holy water.
See how the words change the reception? When we say the first part of the covenant it links us to the ancient Apostles Creed. This creed has been around since, well we're not sure, but it appears in writings in the 4th century. This was always used at baptism. Think of how many people have spoken this, in Greek, in Latin, English, and then add in a few others, maybe the world. We are connected to the wider community of faith both the one gone and the one that is when we say this creed. It opens us to the wider mystery of the saints and earth. How we commune as one people in this simple act.
Then open up the questions at the end, "Will you continue in the apostle's teaching and fellowship in the breaking of the bread?" What are the apostle's teachings? If we look at Acts this gives us early ways in which the church viewed Christ's death, how to live in community, and who is included in the community as taught by Peter, Paul and others. These are the teachings. There is also a little known book called the Didache, this is the earliest teachings which are attributed to the apostles. Breaking bread was one of the things covered in this. These teachings open to us a door of how the early church first lived, moved and had it's being.
Will we resist evil, and when we sin repent and return. Now I know the church nowadays doesn't have a good track record on speaking about sin, yet we are not perfect. Every time we lose our patience, every time we are not walking in love, every time we forget our neighbor we sin. We have become separated from God's love because we think we know it better. So every week we say the prayer of confession, to help us remember we need to repent and return.
Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? What is the good news? The good news is that God loved us, loved us so much God sent Jesus. Proclaim by word and example. Two things we have to live and embody this good news. This week I had the pleasure of showing Father Danny our church. He is the new Catholic priest at Sacred Heart. The good news flows from him, if you have met him. It is an example in his life, in taking time to walk through the church with a colleague. This is good news, that we believe and can fellowship in this space together and next time at his space.
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Hard one, this is a hard one because of the political climate we live in. This is a hard one because it says all persons, not just the ones we choose. This opens us to how God loves this world. Since the beginning with the garden God just wanted us to love and be loved, to serve and be served, to see the other as an extension of ourselves. This is the hardest, but the one most challenging to live out. We have to practice this our whole lives long.
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? So often we think of justice in relation to government. This is not justice. Justice actually comes from the latin word justus which means equity. Equity encourages peace. Equity encourage dignity. Equity helps us to put things in perspective. When things are inequitable we find ourselves wanting what someone else has and we don't, we create the culture of injustice. A place where others are left in want. Dignity is the shepherds coming to the manger, the wise men traveling from afar. Trying hard to understand and listen to someone we would rather not listen to.
See all of this is incarnational disruption. God disrupting how we think things should be. God setting things right through our own time and intention. God in the mystery of digging deeper into what it means to be a follower of Christ. Every time we say these vows this is what we should be meditating on. Our connection to the greater community of faith, our connection to those past, and our connection with God. Are we willing to let go?
Jesus' baptism, a point of disturbance. Because nothing is done as it should be. John is not wrong in saying he shouldn't be the one. Yet God never sees with our eyes. God sees beyond something we can know or ken. God sees what we don't and it is good, beloved even.
I have just started reading the book Landmarks by Robert MacFarlane. In it he talks about how language, especially language for the natural world is disappearing. He makes some very valid points about our connection to land, to seeing it in our minds, to connecting us with enchantment. I agree with him, I can see the very essence of that in many things we have though. Like baptism.
Jesus comes to the water and is baptized and a mystical happening occurs. God speaks to the Son, God touches the Son. See the Spirit descending like a dove is a touching. It doesn't say that in our text, but it is there none the less. We know this because of Jesus' actions after baptism: the wilderness, teaching, healing, building community. Jesus touches others.
This is baptism for us. Today we renew our baptismal vows because it is Epiphany. Today we will say the words we say every baptism, like with Grayson's, and every time we renew our vows. Now they can just be words we repeat or like above they can bring enchantment. A chance for us to be with the divine in a deeper way. What do we hear when we say these words? Do we get lost in the history, the touch point for us with community gone and community now. It should be a bridge to these very different worlds, but somehow we have lost it. Even when I walk around and sprinkle you today there are those who will pull back (oh, don't get me wet). When the connection should be here I am! Send me into this mystery of holy water.
See how the words change the reception? When we say the first part of the covenant it links us to the ancient Apostles Creed. This creed has been around since, well we're not sure, but it appears in writings in the 4th century. This was always used at baptism. Think of how many people have spoken this, in Greek, in Latin, English, and then add in a few others, maybe the world. We are connected to the wider community of faith both the one gone and the one that is when we say this creed. It opens us to the wider mystery of the saints and earth. How we commune as one people in this simple act.
Then open up the questions at the end, "Will you continue in the apostle's teaching and fellowship in the breaking of the bread?" What are the apostle's teachings? If we look at Acts this gives us early ways in which the church viewed Christ's death, how to live in community, and who is included in the community as taught by Peter, Paul and others. These are the teachings. There is also a little known book called the Didache, this is the earliest teachings which are attributed to the apostles. Breaking bread was one of the things covered in this. These teachings open to us a door of how the early church first lived, moved and had it's being.
Will we resist evil, and when we sin repent and return. Now I know the church nowadays doesn't have a good track record on speaking about sin, yet we are not perfect. Every time we lose our patience, every time we are not walking in love, every time we forget our neighbor we sin. We have become separated from God's love because we think we know it better. So every week we say the prayer of confession, to help us remember we need to repent and return.
Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? What is the good news? The good news is that God loved us, loved us so much God sent Jesus. Proclaim by word and example. Two things we have to live and embody this good news. This week I had the pleasure of showing Father Danny our church. He is the new Catholic priest at Sacred Heart. The good news flows from him, if you have met him. It is an example in his life, in taking time to walk through the church with a colleague. This is good news, that we believe and can fellowship in this space together and next time at his space.
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? Hard one, this is a hard one because of the political climate we live in. This is a hard one because it says all persons, not just the ones we choose. This opens us to how God loves this world. Since the beginning with the garden God just wanted us to love and be loved, to serve and be served, to see the other as an extension of ourselves. This is the hardest, but the one most challenging to live out. We have to practice this our whole lives long.
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? So often we think of justice in relation to government. This is not justice. Justice actually comes from the latin word justus which means equity. Equity encourages peace. Equity encourage dignity. Equity helps us to put things in perspective. When things are inequitable we find ourselves wanting what someone else has and we don't, we create the culture of injustice. A place where others are left in want. Dignity is the shepherds coming to the manger, the wise men traveling from afar. Trying hard to understand and listen to someone we would rather not listen to.
See all of this is incarnational disruption. God disrupting how we think things should be. God setting things right through our own time and intention. God in the mystery of digging deeper into what it means to be a follower of Christ. Every time we say these vows this is what we should be meditating on. Our connection to the greater community of faith, our connection to those past, and our connection with God. Are we willing to let go?
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