Made New (Matthew 3)

 When a pastor in our denomination—the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)—is looking for a church to lead, the pastor is asked where they would like to have their profile sent.

The pastor can choose to have the profile sent to one region, several regions, or to all the regions.

Eighteen years ago, when I was looking for a church to lead, I updated my profile, and chose to have it sent to the regions that were closest to where I grew up, and where my extended family lived. 

My kids were young, my nieces and nephews were young (some weren’t even born yet), and I wanted to be close to family. I wanted my kids to know their grandparents and know their cousins, and vice versa.

That’s how we ended up in Long Beach for 15 wonderful years, in a wonderful congregation with some of the best congregants a pastor could hope for. And my parents, and my sisters and their families, were all within about an hours’ drive.

At the end of those 15 years, I felt God calling me to say goodbye to that wonderful congregation; it was time for something new.

This time, when I pondered where to send my profile, I thought: my kids are grown. My parents have passed away. Two of my nieces are off to college, and my other niece and nephew from southern California are growing up… maybe this time, I should leave the location completely up to God…

And that’s how I ended up here in Bloomington, Illinois.

And even though I’ve been here over two years now, people still ask: Why’d you move to Illinois?

And sometimes I say it’s because I fell in love with this congregation. And sometimes I also say it’s because I fell in love with this community.

Both are true.

But I suppose that the real answer is that I came to Illinois because I was willing to let God do something new and different with my life.

It’s not easy to let God do something new and different with your life. Just those two words—”new” and “different”—bring a lot of anxiety. It’s challenging. It’s scary. It involves a lot of trust… and faith.

Today, I’m reflecting on today’s scripture, and the theme of baptism, and I realize that one thing baptism represents is a willingness to let God do something completely new and different with your life…

In the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), we recognize all forms of baptism, but we normally practice baptism by immersion, for those old enough to make their own decision to follow Christ. 

And that decision to follow Christ—and the baptism that goes along with that decision—represent a willingness to let God do something completely new and different with your life.

*****John the baptist—a relative of Jesus—was in the wilderness, proclaiming: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

To repent means to change your ways; to embrace a new and different way of living.

To repent means to leave the old you behind, and embrace a new you. 

To repent means to leave the old world behind, and embrace a whole new world.

And many, who longed for a new world, came to John, confessed their sins, and were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Then Jesus came to John, to be baptized. 

John is confused by this, and—let’s be honest—we are, too. Right? Aren’t we confused, a little, by Jesus being baptized? Why did Jesus have to be baptized? What did he need to repent of? What change did he, the son of God, need to make?

But baptism isn’t just about repenting of one’s own personal sins. That’s a part of it; but baptism is bigger than that. 

Baptism is about being willing to leave the destructive ways of this world behind, and embrace a new future, a new way of living; something that Matthew calls the kingdom of heaven.

Baptism symbolizes our willingness to leave our old home behind, and to live in the kingdom of heaven.

Jesus, obedient to God, was baptized, which demonstrated his willingness to embrace and live in the kingdom of heaven.

***** One chapter back, when Matthew tells the story of the magi bringing their gifts to Jesus when he was still a baby, Matthew contrasts the magi with Herod. 

The magi are captivated by Jesus and the new different world he represents; one could say that the magi also represent something new and different. 

Herod, on the other hand, sees this new and different world as a threat, and Herod does everything he can to preserve his power as king of the old world……….

Next week, we’ll move forward a little bit in Matthew’s gospel, and begin reading through Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes how one lives in this new kingdom. It is a completely new and different way of living.

In the kingdom of heaven, all things are made new.

And every day, I am challenged by this. I am challenged by the implications of my baptism. I am challenged by the decision I made, so many years ago, to be baptized, and to let God do something new and different with my life.

Following Jesus really means going against the flow; when the world goes one way, we are so often called to go the other way.

And that’s not easy.

***** We want to fit in. We want to be accepted. We want to be respected and admired.

But people who follow Christ are often called to go in the opposite direction.

We admire people who go against the flow. We admire people who are willing to let God do something new and different with their lives.

A recovering alcoholic commits to a life of abstinence; in a world where there is much pressure to drink, pressure that he used to give in to, he has chosen to follow a new and different path.

A teenager who, like all his friends, eats junk food, studies only when he has to, and spends way too much time on his phone, decides to do something new and different; he decides to turn his life around by eating right, exercising, studying hard, reading his bible, and taking good care of himself.

These are two real people I’ve found on instagram by the way. And one thing they both have in common is that they both admit that making the change in their lives was—and is—hard. Creating a new and different version of themselves—or, allowing God to create something new and different in them—is not easy.

It requires discipline and focus. It’s a decision that one has to make every day.

Which brings me to another point. You may have heard someone ask, “When did you get saved?”

As if your salvation was a one-time event.

But salvation is something that happens every day. Every day we are called upon to remember our baptism, and remember the change that God has made in us, and to commit ourselves to that change, every single day.

Because every day we face the challenge of choosing between going with the flow, and following along with the world; OR going against the flow, and following along with God.

***** It would have been easy for the magi to go along with Herod. Herod probably would have even rewarded them, if they had returned to him like he asked. “Just come and tell me where the newborn messiah is,” Herod said. 

They could have obeyed his command. And then, when Herod went to where they said Jesus was, and killed Jesus, those magi could have said, “We didn’t know! We were only following orders! Herod is the king, after all!”

But they chose the harder thing. They chose to disobey Herod. They did NOT tell Herod where Jesus was… and scripture doesn’t say what happened to them after that. They returned to their own country, but then what? 

 Did Herod send troops after them? Did they go into hiding? I’m sure they never set foot in Judea again, at least not as long as Herod was alive and on the throne…

Every day, we are faced with decisions like that. Do we follow the crowd, or do we follow Christ?

Remember the decision you made the day you were baptized… and let that decision guide you today.

***** There are three aspects to baptism. The first is personal. In baptism, we recognize that God has created a new person; so there is a personal aspect.

In baptism, one has been born anew, or born of the Spirit, as Jesus says in John’s gospel.

Like those people I saw on instagram, who have made personal decisions to improve their lives, baptism is a personal decision to be a new you, to turn away from the person the world tries to make you into, and to be the YOU God wants you to be, the YOU God created you and calls you to be.

But there is also a social aspect to baptism. You aren’t just embracing a new version of you; you’re embracing a new world—the kingdom of heaven. It’s a world with new and different priorities. 

Again, we’ll hear more about this when we read through the Sermon on the Mount.

And then there is the institutional aspect. Ideally, baptism takes place in the midst of the congregation, because we aren’t just individuals who have been baptized; we are part of a community of baptized believers who, together, are willing to embrace the new and different way Christ calls us to. We are a community, a church, that is willing to be changed, and willing to be an agent of change.

I know; churches are not always known for being places willing to change, or embrace change, or be agents of change. Right?

Yet don’t you think God is calling the church to be something new and different than the church has been in the past?

It’s not that everything in the past is bad. I love learning about and celebrating the history of First Christian Church, and the history of our denomination, and the history of the universal church. 

But God is always calling us to grow and change, to move beyond where we’ve been and where we’re at, so that we can then help the Spirit in creating that new and different world, that kingdom of heaven, the kingdom that—every week—we pray will come on earth, as it is in heaven.

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This year, we at First Christian Church will embark on “New Beginnings,” a process that will help us discern how God is leading us, and what changes the Spirit might have in store for us.

My past experience with New Beginnings has shown me that it is Spirit-filled, Spirit-guided, and that it focuses on the many ways that a congregation is a blessing to both its members and to its community. It is a joyful experience!… as we examine the many wonderful ways that God has already changed us and changed others through us. 

Now, maybe for some, just the name “New Beginnings” is… scary… because they don’t want to begin again.

But God is always beginning something new in us and among us. That’s the very nature of the kingdom of heaven. And that’s the very essence of what our baptism represents.

For the one who is baptized, every day is a new beginning.

Let It Shine (John 1:1-18)

 ****** This little light of mine…

I learned that song in Sunday School and at church camp, and always thought of it as a children’s song, so it’s not one I sing much anymore… but the other day I heard a version of it that was recorded by Sam Cook and thought, “It’s more than just a children’s song…”

And it is so appropriate for today, Star Sunday, the Sunday closest to Epiphany, which commemorates the arrival of the magi, who followed a brightly shining star to Bethlehem, where they presented their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus.

John’s gospel does not talk about the magi. Only Matthew’s gospel talks about the magi.

But John’s gospel does talk about the light: the light that shines in the darkness, the light to which John the baptist testified. It is the true light of God, which enlightens everyone. It is the light of hope, peace, joy and love. It is the light of truth. It is the light of Christ.

That light shines in each of us. As followers of Jesus, we—like John—are called to testify to that light. 

Do you remember Robert Fulghum? The guy who wrote the essay, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten?” 

In another one of his essays, he described attending a lecture, and at the end of the lecture, the speaker asked if there were any questions.

After a moment’s pause, Fulghum raised his hand, stood up, and asked a question that he said he often asks when anyone invites people to ask questions.

The question he asked was: “What is the meaning of life?”

Fulghum wrote that most people don’t take him seriously when he asks that question. Usually, people chuckle, and they start putting on their coats and getting ready to leave.

But he said he would ask that question, because—who knows?—maybe someday, someone would have an answer. 

And one day, someone did.

The speaker was Alexander Papaderos, a priest who grew up on the island of Crete, a place that was invaded by the Nazis, but which resisted their takeover.

After looking at Fulghum for a moment to see if he was sincere, Papaderos held up his hand and said: “I will answer your question.”

And then Papaderos told this story:

***** When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote mountain village.

One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place.

I tried to find all the pieces of the mirror and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece. . . . 

I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine—in deep holes and crevices and dark closets and behind walls. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find.

. . . As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just child’s play but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light—the light of truth, understanding, and knowledge—is there, and that light will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it.

I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world—into the dreary places in the hearts of men—and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about.

This is the meaning of my life.

[Robert Fulghum, It Was on Fire when I Lay Down on It, Random House, 1999]

I often think about this story.

When I read in scripture about the light that has come into the world, I think about this story.

When I read that the darkness has not and will not overcome that light, I think about this story.

When I read that Jesus, the light of the world, said to his followers, “YOU are the light of the world,” I think about this story.

And I reflect on how well I am doing when it comes to letting the light of Christ shine through me, and how well I am doing at being a piece of a mirror that reflects that light so that it reaches the darkest places, and I wonder if I could be doing more, or if I am too often hiding that light under a bushel basket.

***** Light has almost always been a part of worship. In Exodus, scripture talks about an eternal flame in the place of worship that is a sign of God’s presence, a flame that was fueled by oil. In Leviticus, that sacred fire is also mentioned, except there, it is fueled by wood. I guess it doesn’t matter what the fuel is; yet no matter what type of fuel is used, there is an important thing to note, and that is that someone must tend the flame. Someone must keep it going.

And this is so important that both Exodus and Leviticus give instructions on how to keep the flame lit and burning.

Centuries later, the apostle Paul wrote in the 2nd letter to Timothy that Timothy should “rekindle the gift of God that is within” him. 

Did Paul think that the light of God in Timothy had gone out, or was in danger of going out? I don’t know that it was quite that bad; but Paul was trying to encourage Timothy to let the light within him shine. “God did not give us a spirit of cowardice,” Paul wrote, “but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.”

Perhaps it is cowardice that makes us lower the flame, or keep it hidden under a bushel basket. How can we let our light shine brightly, letting the power and love of Christ be seen in us and through us?

***** Every year, on the Sunday closest to Epiphany, we give out stars with words on them. And today, we have a star for each of you.

These stars are meant to guide us, just as the star guided the magi to Jesus.

These stars are meant to encourage us, just as Paul encouraged Timothy when he told him to rekindle the flame within you.

These stars are meant to inspire us, to reflect Christ’s light of hope, peace, joy and love into the world.

The stars are in a basket, and you can take one when you come up for communion. Or, if it’s easier, you can come up and grab one after worship. 

If you are worshiping with us online, you can wait until the next time you are here in person to get your star… or, we have set up an alternative way for you to get a star-word, which you can find on our Facebook page…

Each star has a different word. The hope is that the word on your star will, in some way, help guide you on your faith journey in the coming year.

Since many of you already have a star from last year or the year before, I invite you to ponder whether there is a connection between the different words on your stars. All things exist in balance. For example, if last year your star had the word “gentle” on it, and this year your star has the word “strength,” you might ponder how you can balance gentleness and strength in your life. 

Or maybe last year’s word was “rest,” and this year’s word is “work.” 

And if someone close to you—perhaps someone who is a part of your household—gets a word, you may want to share your words with each other. You don’t have to, but you may want to… and you can ask: do our words complement each other? Or are they opposites and we somehow need to figure out how to balance?

Your star word may be a challenge for you. Or, it may be an affirmation. Or, it may be a comfort, or encouragement. That’s for you to figure out.

Take your star home with you, and when you pray, listen to what God might be telling you that relates to your star word.

This isn’t magic. It’s just wood and ink from a sharpie pen. But perhaps the Spirit can work something good in you as you meditate on your word and listen for what God is trying to say to you.

And hopefully, it’ll all help you let the light that is in you shine just a little brighter.

I should point out, it isn’t always easy to keep the flame lit and the light shining. There are too many trying to put out your light. 

The light that shines in you represents everything good about you! It illuminates the YOU God created YOU to be!

But some will say that you are too religious. Or too loud. Or too quiet. Or too gay. Or too masculine. Or too feminine. Or too skinny. Or too fat. Or too old. Or too young. Or too Mexican, or Indian, or German, or whatever your ancestry is…

And you might be tempted to turn down the flame a little, to dim your light, to hide who you are, to conceal the person God created you to be.

But this world NEEDS you to be the person God created you to be. This world needs your unique gifts and talents. The world needs you to let your light shine.