LAKE JAMES

NORTH CAROLINA

The Baptism of Our Lord + Jan. 7. 2007 + St. Paul’s, Lake James

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

From earliest times, Christians have understood the words of Isaiah in the Hebrew Scriptures to refer to Jesus when he says “Here is my Servant whom I uphold, my Chosen in whom my soul delights.” The same idea is found in words we just heard from St. Luke’s Gospel, where God the Father says “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Each year, this first Sunday after the Epiphany is kept as a special Holy Day commemorating the Baptism of Jesus, and each year, the Gospel reading, whether from Matthew, Mark, or Luke, makes it clear that Jesus is no ordinary person, not even a good and holy man of unusual dimensions. Rather, he is the Chosen One, the Beloved, the eternal and only-begotten Son of God. When you think about it, that’s really the theme of Advent, Christmas and the Epiphany – it is at the very heart of the Christian religion.

The baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of the ministry in which he taught, healed, loved, and suffered – then died, rose, and ascended back to the Father. So, today, it would certainly be appropriate to focus on the events of Our Lord’s life, reminding ourselves of just who and what he both was and is. But sometimes, when we do that, he can seem so different from us, so other, that it can be hard to see his profound connection to us and his relevance to our lives. Today, I’d like to look at what the baptism of Jesus might mean – for us.

Some years ago, the late Henry Nouwen was enjoying the success of a remarkable career as priest, scholar, and prolific author. A close friend of his was a very secular Jewish newspaper reporter who had read and tried to understand Nouwen’s writing, but without success. He finally said to Father Nouwen, “Henry, all your books are written for Christian believers. How about writing one for people like me, people who don’t speak or even understand the Christian vocabulary you use.” Nouwen’s response was to write a truly wonderful little book entitled “Life of the Beloved.” I don’t know if that book is still in print, but I heartily recommend it to anyone, regardless of religious background for the book’s basic message is that, in a very real sense, every human being is not only loved by God, but is THE beloved. Every human being is called by name by God. As the Psalmist wrote so powerfully, “I” (God) “have molded you in the depths of the earth and knitted you together in your mother’s womb.” Each one of us, each person worshiping God here at St. Paul’s, or down the road at the Baptist church, or at the AME church, or the Roman Catholic church, those who worshiped Friday night or Saturday morning at a synagogue, or who prayed in a mosque, those who doubt God’s existence, and even those who are sure there is no God, each is THE beloved of God. Why? Because God’s love is not a reward for one’s beliefs, nor is it something we earn by going to the “right” church. Please note that I am not saying that beliefs don’t matter – they do, hugely! What I am saying is that God’s love is part of the Divine Reality. It is not something we merit or earn by what we do or don’t believe, nor is it something we get based on what we do or don’t do. God loves because, as St. John tells us, God IS love. To help people everywhere come to know that loving God, to experience God’s grace in their lives, and to give thanks for all God is, is the Church’s great responsibility and doing that is no easy task!

The very idea of a loving God, one who loves no matter what is contrary to the message of the culture around us which teaches that those who are not like us, those of other races, religions, political views, and so on, are not just different or even wrong, but truly inferior. Throughout human history, the misuse of religion, for example, has resulted in bigotry, persecutions, inquisitions, pogroms, and the Holocaust. News articles quoting manuscripts from Al Quaida and other terrorist groups show to what extremes the “us versus them” mentality can bring about.

In addition to the way groups often treat other groups, Nouwen notes that most people have our “dark sides” – sides which tell us that “if others really knew me (the real me), they’d know that I am inferior and deserve to be pushed aside, rejected, or just forgotten,” but at the same time, another voice tells us just the opposite!

Whether we are talking about groups or individuals, mixed messages abound! What a contrast it can be to hear the Christmas message, one so urgently needed but seldom really heard, a message which says that every person is the beloved of God. One reason the Church exists is to proclaim that truth and to teach it convincingly. But a sad fact is that even when Church leaders speak that way, they are usually ignored. Bishops, Priests, and Deacons are expected to say that kind of thing to the point where our words are often taken for granted rather than heard seriously. For members of the clergy, that can be frustrating, but perhaps it’s good that at least people tend to connect that kind of message with the Church, even if they reserve judgment as to its validity. Where the great difference is found, is when the message of God’s love is not only expressed but lived, when lay people and clergy together are faith communities which not merely teach but actually model the idea that every human being is loved by God. In what is becoming a more and more secular culture, where, other than in the Church would people discover that they are, in fact, The beloved of God? Now, before you dismiss that thought as unrealistic or utopian, consider this: it has been, and is being done. Both throughout history, and right now, all over the world, there have been and are faith communities which are beacons of love in God’s Name, affecting those who come into contact with them. I don’t mean that such communities are composed of perfect people, sinless people or demi-gods. The men and women in them are just like you and me, imperfect and quite fallible, but they place their calling to be Christians as priority number one, instead of having a secondary place in their lives. There is an old saying which I believe to be profoundly true: “God makes it possible, we make it happen.”

On this feast of the Baptism of Jesus, as we consider how God the Father called him “The Beloved” and sent him on his ministry, may we also remember that God calls each of us “beloved” and sends us out to continue the ministry of Jesus in our day. So, as we begin this year of our Lord 2007, it is worth considering how you and how we will serve God and others. Just as at His baptism, Jesus began a new phase of his earthly life, so, from time to time, you and I may become aware of new dimensions in our vocations, both as individuals and as a parish. I believe Saint Paul’s Church is at a point where we need to be clear as to who we are and what we understand God’s call to us to be.

In three weeks, following the regular Sunday Eucharist and an extra-special meal, we will hold our Annual Parish Meeting at which not only will new officers and members of the Vestry be elected and the budget for 2007 presented, but we will have the opportunity to talk about what we need to be doing during the coming year. Because we are a faith community, not simply people who happen to be fellow Episcopalians, because we are brothers and sisters in Christ, each person’s thoughts and hopes matter! Yours matter! I hope that all people who look to this parish as their Church Home will not only place a high priority on being at that meeting, but will come knowing that, in fulfillment of His promise, whenever two or three are gathered in the Name of Christ, God will be there with us!

How’s that for something on which to depend by each one of us, for each of us is The beloved of God!

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
 

The Reverend Alfred T. K. Zadig, Sr.

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