Monday, January 13, 2014

This one's for you, too.

And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; 
with him I am well pleased.” --Matthew 3:17

The Revised Common Lectionary passage for 12 January was Matthew's version of the baptism of Jesus, first by John the Baptist and then by the Holy Spirit. In many, many sanctuaries and halls, people gathered to hear a word from the Word, and this was what they received.

It doesn't get much better than this.

John the Baptist, who has been pounding the streets for a long time, announcing the presence of the Messiah since-- well, since before he was born (Luke 1:41-42), now encounters Jesus face-to-face, and is at first puzzled by Jesus' request that he baptize Jesus, Son of God.

Jesus simply replies, "Let it be so." And so, presumably in front of many others also gathered to receive the baptism of water that John offered, Jesus is baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. (Try very, very hard to set aside your Christian imagery of baptism; instead, imagine John offering a different sort of symbolic cleansing.)

And as Jesus emerged from the waters, the heavens parted and the Spirit descended upon him "like a dove," and a voice spoke those words.

"This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

It is good to stop right there and take in the beauty of the imagery. The heavens opening . . . Spirit like a dove resting on Jesus . . . God's loving stamp of approval.

Beautiful. 

And guess what?

Each time a baby or a child or an adult is baptized, the same thing happens for those with a heart desiring of God.

As the symbolic dunking (or sprinkling) occurs, the Holy Spirit is present, and announces to those who would hear:

This, too, is my beautiful Child, whom I love; with him [or her] I am well-pleased.

Each one of us. Each one-- of you. We are, each and all, beloved children of the Almighty. And God finds each one of us pleasing. 

Stop for a moment and simply rest in that thought. Because there is more. But you will need to rest in this first.



Now, here's the next part of the story.

After Jesus emerged from the waters, after the voice from the heavens proclaimed his blessedness, that same Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness to be tested by the devil.

Jesus had very little time to actually enjoy those amazing words of affirmation before he was experiencing forty days in the desert. 

And that is important to remember, for two reasons:

First, some people get it in their minds that being a Christian brings with it some kind of promise that we will lead a "charmed"life free of distress. That simply is not so. (Nor is it scriptural.) Jesus, to paraphrase Linda Ronstadt, never promised us a rose garden. Jesus did, however, promise to sit with us, even amongst the thorns and brambles of life's desert times.

And equally important: Jesus knew he would be ill-prepared for the wilderness time ahead without the blessing and infilling of the Spirit to carry him. He could do nothing in his own, limited, human strength.

Listen. Step away from the busy-ness of the world for a few minutes. Still your anxious soul. Do you hear it? Can you hear God's sweet whisper?

You, my Child, are my beloved. In you, just as you are, I am well-pleased, simply because you are Mine. 

Now, the bigger question: 

Do you believe it? Do you believe, deep in your soul, that God loves you, whether you're having a good hair day or not; whether you drive the speed limit or not; whether you lose (or gain) ten pounds? 

It's true. 

And it's enough.

And it is likely the best news you will ever receive. It is, at its core, the Gospel message Christ brought to us all. 

Amen 





Monday, January 6, 2014

Last-Minute or Laziness?

You lazy fool, look at an ant.
    Watch it closely; let it teach you a thing or two.
Nobody has to tell it what to do.
    All summer it stores up food;
    at harvest it stockpiles provisions.
So how long are you going to laze around doing nothing?
-- Proverbs 6:8-8, The Message

I live in the Midwest United States. We are in the throes of an incredible cold snap. Our high tomorrow will be subzero Fahrenheit, plus winds gusting and blowing the snow sideways. Last week, I shoveled out my walks and driveway at least three times, and this morning you would never know it's been touched. 

Welcome to winter, bigtime.

And as is often the case, the newscasters are hyping up the whole affair, showing footage of cars stuck or sliding in the snow, long lines and empty shelves at the grocery and the gas stations.

Don't get me wrong: this is serious stuff. My thermometer says it's 15 degrees and it was 20 when I got up. Schools all around have closed today and will close tomorrow, as well. (Heck-- even the casino is closed because of the cold. Hell freezing over?)

But we've been hearing about its coming for days, if not longer. The numbers have changed a bit, the amount and type of precipitation shifts depending on the forecaster. But all of them have been telling us to be prepared.

And yet. People are going about today, frantically searching for bread or milk, and becoming angry when they cannot find a single loaf or carton.

Seriously-- how privileged do we believe we are???

So here are my points, both of them:

  1. Believe what you hear. When someone tells you, over and over, that something (good or bad) is going to happen, prudently prepare yourself. And not only that, but if you can-- help a neighbor prepare, as well. Pick up an extra loaf. If today is not your day and the storm passes over-- make PB & J for the neighbors before the bread goes stale and everyone wins!
  2. Do not foolishly believe that you will be fine; only the others have something to worry about. Live responsibly. Do everything you reasonably can to prepare for "the worst." 
So, too, with our spiritual lives. It is not sufficient to sit back, pray a little prayer and live blithely in the knowledge that your name is in The Book. While faith is necessary, I believe if one's heart has been warmed with the love of the Christ, one's life will reflect that in the way one lives now, not just when one reaches eternity. 

We are told, over and over again, that the Lord will return. I don't know what that will look like, but I do know that I should be ready. And that means not only professing faith and encouraging others to do the same; it also means readying this place, our corner of the Kingdom, every day.

Did you ever have a party when your parents weren't home? Remember how carefully you cleaned up before they got back? Did your best to make things right?

Kind of like that.

We have been partying pretty heartily for some time now, wreaked a bit of havoc with the gift of Creation God gave to us to care for. Isn't it about time we started cleaning up a bit-- just in case Daddy gets home before we expect him? (Like we have any idea when to expect him, anyway.)

What will you do today? How will you improve your little corner of Creation-- today, and each day?

Generous God, teach me this day (and remind me tomorrow) how to live with Kingdom vision every day, listening for your nudgings in my life. Amen