Beloved (Mark 1:1-11)

This is how the gospel of Mark begins. There is no birth story, as in Matthew and Luke. No shepherds, no angels, no magi. 

Mark’s gospel gets right into it. “This is the beginning—the dawn, the inception, the new birth—of the good news.”

And it is good news. It’s good news for all those who have heard only bad news in their lives. It’s good news for all those who have suffered under the empire’s oppression. It’s good news for the least, the lonely, the outcast; It’s good news for all those who have been told that they are unworthy, unlovable, that their lives don’t matter.

For them, it is GOOD NEWS.

It is the good news of Jesus Christ, the son of God.

In Mark’s gospel, it begins with John proclaiming a baptism of repentance. 

Next week, I’m going to talk about repentance. I’m going to talk about why repentance is a good word, a word of hope. I’m going to talk about why Jesus himself needed to submit to a baptism of repentance, even though he himself was without sin.

But today, I want you to notice what happened as soon as Jesus was baptized…

As soon as Jesus emerged from the waters of baptism, the water still dripping off his head and his body, he heard the voice from above, pronounce him, “Beloved.” He heard that pronouncement, and he recognized the truth in it, and he knew himself as God’s beloved.

So, before anything—before the miracles, before the healings, before any parables were heard, and before any confrontations with the authorities—Jesus knew himself as God’s beloved child.

He didn’t have to prove himself first. He didn’t have to face temptation first, he didn’t have to spend 40 days in the wilderness first. That came next. That came after.

First came the knowledge, the pronouncement, the awareness, that he was beloved.

That means that his status as God’s beloved was unconditional.

His status as Beloved didn’t depend on all those other things, because he hadn’t done all those other things yet. He hadn’t done the miracles, the healings, or anything else, yet. 

So it wasn’t, “because you have proven yourself, you are beloved.” 

And it wasn’t, “because you have followed the right path, you are beloved.”

And it wasn’t, “because you have done what you are supposed to have done, you are beloved.”

The pronouncement that he was beloved came first. Before anything, Jesus knew that he was beloved.

And because we are all Christ’s brothers, sisters, siblings, we are united in Christ, and we share that belovedness. 

That’s where it begins. For all of us. 

Knowing that we are loved, that we are beloved.

The first step in ministry, the first task, is knowing yourself as beloved; knowing that you are loved unconditionally by God, and that nothing will ever keep God from loving you. It all starts with that affirmation.

I hope that, when you arrive here at First Christian Church for worship, or for any other activity or event, you feel loved. You feel affirmed. 

I hope that, even before worship starts, you get a sense that you are beloved. I hope you feel that love and that affirmation from the way you are greeted and welcomed. I hope you feel it from the design of the building, from the signs and the banners. I hope you sense from the vibe that is present here, that you are beloved.

Because the worst thing our church or any church can do is make someone feel that they are not beloved; the worst thing we can do is make someone feel unloved.

Many years ago, when I was still quite new to ministry, there was a particular teenage boy who, most of the time, was quite happy, but every once in a while, he would withdraw physically and emotionally, and I could tell something was eating at him.

One day, he wanted to talk, and I of course was ready to listen. It took him a long time to say what was on his mind; but finally, through tears, he told me that he didn’t think anyone would ever love him, or that God would ever love him, because he was gay.

Can you imagine believing that you would never be loved, not by God, not by anyone, simply because of who you are?

That is one of the worst abuses of the church: making people believe that they are not beloved, not loved by God, not worthy of love, not worthy of blessing.

The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, son of God, is knowing that you are loved. You are beloved.

Which means that the first task of ministry, and possibly the most important task of ministry, is letting people know just how much God loves them; letting them know that what Paul says in the eighth chapter of Romans really is true: that nothing can ever separate you from God’s love.

This is a life-changing, life-saving message.

I’ve been told by people that the affirmation and love they received from church literally saved their life. I’ve been told by some high school youth who went to church camp that the love and affirmation they received at church camp literally saved their life. They’ve told me that they wouldn’t be here today, if it weren’t for that.

That is ministry done right. If we in the church do nothing else, but let people know that they are loved, then we will have done what we are supposed to do.

This weekend, we celebrate the life and ministry of Martin Luther King, Jr.  King knew how important love is. King preached about love, and the love of Christ was made present through him in a powerful way.

King spent a lot of time explaining about agape love, the unconditional, selfless love that is prominent in the New Testament. It’s the love that one has for the neighbor, the stranger, and even for the enemy. It’s the love one has for those who are different: those who don’t look like you, talk like you, live like you.

It’s the love that is manifested through justice; as Cornel West said, justice is what love looks like in public.

King knew that what we needed to repent from in our society is the idea that some people are more worthy of love, while other people are less worthy of love.

That idea—that some people are more worthy of love than others—manifests itself in all kinds of evil, from racism to sexism to classism. When laws are passed that take away rights from immigrants, or from transgender individuals, that all stems from the idea that some people who are different from me are less worthy of love than I am.

And if I actually believe that I am more worthy of love than others, then it becomes easy for me to insist that others don’t deserve the same rights, the same privileges, the same opportunities, that I have.

King knew that, in this country, we do not treat all people as beloved. We never have. Some are treated as more beloved than others. Some are given more rights than others. Some are treated as more good than others. 

This is, of course, contrary to the message of the gospel, and contrary even to the stated ideals of this country.

I’ve been fortunate in that I’ve had many opportunities to learn about the privilege I have in our society, and to understand some of the ways that I and people who look like me are treated as if they are more worthy of love than others.

One time, I took a group of church youth on a weekend camping trip. We made reservations at a privately-owned campground, and when we arrived, it was evening, and it was hard to see the campsite numbers, so I drove around very slowly trying to read the signs and find which campsite was ours.

When I finally found it, I parked, and walked to the office to check-in; but before I got there, the manager of the campground marched out of the office and confronted me, saying, “You know, this is a family campground; we have children playing, and we don’t need you driving through here recklessly.”

Knowing that I had driven extra slowly and carefully, I was baffled and upset by his demeanor. Why was he yelling at me, and treating me so rudely?

I walked back to the campsite greatly disturbed. The youth who I brought were still in the car, waiting, and I told them how the campsite manager yelled at me, and that I had no idea why.

But then I looked at the youth in my car. One was blond, one was Asian, one was Black; and without really saying anything, I could see in their eyes that they had experienced this before, and they knew exactly why this campground manager was being rude and disrespectful. 

When that campground manager looked in my car, he did not see three kids who were all equally worthy of love. He did not see three lives that all mattered the same.

We ended up not staying there. Instead, we drove down the road to a nearby state park, and the ranger at the entrance station gave us a friendly greeting when we arrived. 

I asked, “Can we stay here?” She looked in my car, gave us a great big smile, and said, “Of course you can!” and she warmly welcomed us to the park. In her eyes, we all mattered, we were all worthy of love, and we felt welcomed and affirmed.

We still live in a world where some lives matter more than others; we still live in a world where some people are deemed more worthy of love and respect than others; we still live in a world where some enjoy privileges that others do not have.

Our job in the church is to let every person, no matter who they are, know that they are loved, that their life matters. 

And we are called to especially reach out to those who have been told by the world, in one way or another, that their lives do not matter. We are called to show love to those who have been denied love. We are called to work for justice on behalf of those who have been denied justice.

It’s what the Torah instructs. It’s what the prophets require. It’s what Jesus commands in the Sermon on the Mount…

I am still learning how to love my neighbor as I love myself; I’m still learning how to treat every person as a beloved child of God.

It’s not always easy.

So I am thankful that God has never given up on me, and that God is always willing to lead me to greater love…

And I’m thankful that God forgives me when I fail to show love as I should, when I fail to act in a way that lets others know that they are beloved.

And I’m so thankful that, even with my shortcomings, God still loves me, and still calls me beloved, and that nothing will ever change that. Nothing will ever change God’s love. Not for me, not for you, not for anyone.

Don't Hinder The Spirit (Acts 2)

 You wake up in the morning. No work. No school. No plans. How do you decide what you’re going to do that day? What guides you as you plan your day? (And don’t say “Jesus.” That’s the obvious right answer, and I hope it is true for you much of the time, but I know it’s not true all of the time…)

I have to admit that, sometimes, I’m guided by what will look good on social media. What activity can I do, what destination can I go to, that I can post pictures of, and which will get me the most likes and follows on social media?

I like to hike, and a lot of people like hiking pictures. So that works. And my motivation to go hiking has nothing to do with social media. However, sometimes the destination I choose, I choose because of social media. 

If you look on my facebook page, the cover image is an up-close picture of the backside of the Hollywood Sign. I have facebook friends and acquaintances and friends-of-friends following me on facebook from all over the country, and even some from other countries, and a picture of the Hollywood Sign from above it that I took on a hike sure earns me some “cool” points. 

It’s also cool that I sometimes teach at Catalina, and post pictures from there. The ability to post pictures from beautiful Catalina on instagram is probably one of the factors that motivates me to accept teaching jobs there, if I’m being honest. I could teach anywhere; I don’t have to wear myself out going to Catalina. My decision to go there is guided by the possibility of getting a really cool instagram photo. 

But that’s not the only thing guiding my decision. Because the school at Catalina is such a small school, I pretty much teach the same students every time I go, which means I’ve developed good relationships with them, and I can see that I’m having a positive impact on their lives. That doesn’t happen at many of the schools where I teach, where everyday, I’m with a new group of students. So that is also a motivation. That is also something that guides my decision-making. 

It just goes to show that there may be multiple reasons why we make the decisions we make; why we choose the things we do. And those guiding factors may be a combination of good and not-so-good; a mix of selfless and selfish motives.

What else guides me? Well, probably a lot of the same things that guide you. My desire to be healthy guides me to exercise; my desire to experience comfort and enjoyment guides me to ice cream and chocolate chip cookies.  

Maybe you’re guided by fashion. Time to go shopping for cool, trendy clothes!

Maybe what gets you moving is excitement, thrill, adrenaline. Let’s go bungee jumping!

Our decisions, the choices we make, the paths we follow, are all determined by a variety of factors.

I’ve just finished John Dominic Crossan’s newest book, Render Unto Caesar. There’s a section where he writes about Luke and Acts, which really are one book which has been divided into two parts. And he mentions how much God’s Spirit is the motivating force for Jesus and the disciples. 

It is the Spirit who guides and directs and leads. So many times in Luke and Acts, it talks about Jesus or the disciples being led by the Spirit, or taken by the Spirit, or driven by the Spirit, or sent by the Spirit…

The Spirit is the motivating force; the guiding force.

And it is the Spirit who baptizes. We are baptized in the Spirit. We’re baptized in water, but we are also baptized in the Spirit.

Because when we are baptized, the Spirit takes over our lives. When we are baptized, the Spirit becomes our guide. When we are baptized, we accept the Spirit’s leading, and all those other motivations become secondary. 

Well, they do still sometimes get in the way, don’t they? When the Spirit tries leading us one way, we do still have a tendency to turn and walk the other way… don’t we?

Which is why it’s so important to remember our baptism… and so important to practice being open to the power and guiding force of God’s Spirit.

Sometimes, the Spirit leads us to some surprising places. At Pentecost, the Spirit undid the separation of people that took place at the Tower of Babel, when people were divided by language.
At Pentecost, even though they spoke different languages, the people are brought together.

Later on in Acts, Peter is praying and meditating, and he receives an unexpected vision from the Spirit. The Spirit draws Peter’s attention to a group of people called Gentiles. Both Jewish and Roman society emphasized the importance of roles and boundaries, and the boundary between Jews and Gentiles was one that was firm.

Yet the Spirit told Peter to make no distinction between Jews like himself, and Gentiles. 

At first, Peter resisted that leading of the Spirit. He was guided and motivated by the importance of boundaries and distinctions that existed in society. 

But the Spirit persisted, and Peter kept his mind open, and eventually Peter was convinced.

But then Peter had to explain it to others. “I know it sounds crazy,” he said, “but this is what the Spirit showed me… and who am I that I could hinder the Spirit of God?”

And all the people were amazed at what the Spirit was doing among them.

The Spirit led the apostle Paul to a similar understanding. Paul, who was once a persecutor of Christians and a defender of traditional religious and cultural distinctions, eventually learns that, in the Spirit, there is neither Gentile or Jew, slave or free, woman or man.

This statement was actually an early baptismal creed, and it expresses an idea that went against everything people understood about society! Jews and Gentiles were to be kept separate; Men and women each had their own, distinct, separate roles; and slaves were clearly inferior to those who were not slaves. 

Roman culture maintained these distinctions. Jewish tradition maintained these distinctions. But now, guided by the Spirit, Paul affirmed that there are no distinctions for those in the body of Christ.

And when the earliest followers of Jesus were baptized, they affirmed that in the body of Christ, all are equal. Radically equal. Gentile and Jew: equal. Men and women: equal. Slave and free: equal!

Guided by our own interests, our own motivations, we often resist the radical inclusivity of God’s Spirit. Guided by our own desires, we often hinder the work of God’s Spirit. 

Maybe we, too, need to spend a little more time in prayer and meditation, like Peter, so that when the Spirit presents us with a radically new idea, we, too, will say: “Who am I that I could hinder the Spirit of God?”

When it comes to ministry, there are times when I am guided by my own wants and desires and preferences. And there are times when I’m guided by all that I learned in seminary, about the “right” way to do things.

But sometimes the Spirit leads in a direction that is different than my own wants and desires… and sometimes, the Spirit even leads in a direction that is different from the “right” way I learned in seminary.

And I continue to be amazed at what the Spirit is teaching me and where the Spirit is leading me, at least when I allow myself to be open to being taught and led.

In seminary, and through the church, I was taught that there is one baptism. This, I still believe to be true. You are baptized into the body of Christ, no matter if you were baptized as an adult, a youth, or an infant; and no matter if you were immersed or sprinkled. God’s Spirit is not limited or hindered by the mode or method or timing of one’s baptism.

If someone comes to me wanting to be baptized, but they’ve already been baptized (whether or not they were old enough to remember that baptism), I will suggest to them an alternative - a confirmation or reaffirmation of that baptism.

But if they are insistent, and it really does seem to me that they are being led by the Spirit, I will relent, and agree to the baptism.

Because who am I to hinder God’s Spirit?

Over the past several weeks, I’ve been having conversations with one of our young people about baptism. It turns out that he was already baptized in another church, but in a manner that didn’t seem “real” to him. He says he wasn’t even sure what was happening.

“So I asked: “Do you want to be baptized again?”

He said: “Yes.”

But then, he thought about it, and later, he said that being baptized a second time didn’t feel right. On his own, he came to the same conclusion that I had been taught in seminary: that a baptism is valid, and that God’s Spirit works through any form of baptism, no matter where, or what form, it takes. 

We might be tempted to say that the human motivations involved were less than sincere, but who are we to say that the presence of the Spirit was inadequate? How can we possibly say that?

So I said to him, “What about a confirmation?”

In churches that baptize infants, a person is confirmed when they are old enough to make their own decision; to make their own the promises that were said on their behalf when they were baptized. 

He said, “Yes, that sounds good.”

And I realized: throughout this whole ongoing conversation, and throughout all this young person’s thinking and mental wrestling and discernment, the Spirit was present. I could tell that God’s Spirit was working in this young person, as he struggled to figure these things out. And I admit, it was beautiful to see.

So, today, Rajal Sardar comes to be confirmed in the Christian faith, to add his “yes” to the baptism that has already taken place in his life. 

It is a “yes” by which he agrees to allow the Spirit to continue leading and guiding his life - the Spirit that is already present and at work in him.

It is a “yes” by which he affirms his commitment to the way of Jesus.

It is a “yes” by which he expresses his support for the ministry of this wonderful congregation, this Spirit-filled and Spirit-led congregation - a congregation that is one part of the body of Christ, seeking to enact God’s wholeness here in our neighborhood, and around the world. 

Those who say “yes” to the ministry of the church support the work of the church through participation, prayer, giving, and a commitment to mission - that is, working to bring wholeness to our fragmented world.

Rajal will be joined by his sister Rahail. [invite forward] When I was talking with Rajal about these things, Rahail asked if she, too, could be confirmed. I said that maybe we could do a reaffirmation of faith for her instead of a confirmation, although, to be honest, there isn’t much difference; a confirmation is for someone who hasn’t yet had the opportunity to say “yes” to their baptism; a reaffirmation is for someone who wants to say “yes” again.

Rahail is inspired and motivated by her love of Jesus as well as her love for her brother. Of all the signs of the Spirit’s presence - of all the gifts of the Spirit - love is the greatest gift of all. And who are we to hinder the Spirit of God?

Changed Hearts and Lives (Luke 3)

 

Baptism

On the Sunday after Epiphany, the lectionary always gives us a baptism scripture. So today, it’s not just me preaching about baptism; it’s thousands of preachers all over the world, all preaching on baptism today, which is kind of cool. It’s just another reminder that the church isn’t just our small community gathered here; it’s millions of believers all over the world.

It’s good for me to preach on baptism, because doing so is a challenge. I never feel that I quite fully understand the significance of baptism. 

But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means I’m always asking questions, always looking to grow in my understanding. 

I have a lot more questions now than I did when I was a kid. When I was younger, I didn’t know what questions to ask. When it comes to baptism and almost any theological issue, maturity comes not from finding all the right answers, but from finding the right questions.

What does baptism mean? What is its purpose, its significance?

I thought I knew, on the day I was baptized. I was about twelve years old, and I had attended a baptism class with other youth my age, led by our pastor Ken Scovill. 

That class was mostly about learning about the church; I remember learning about deacons and elders and what they did. I remember memorizing the books of the Bible, and earning a prize when I did so. And there were other things we learned, like what it means to believe in Jesus, but, strangely, I don’t remember those lessons as well.

And then, on Easter Sunday, we were baptized.

But in the 39 years since that day, I’ve continued to ponder these things. What does it mean to be baptized?

Repentance

In seminary, I read about how theologians had different ideas about baptism. Many said that forgiveness comes about through baptism; others (like Alexander Campbell) argued that we are already forgiven, but baptism provides us the assurance of that forgiveness. 

And of course we discussed how some believe that infants should be baptized, while others believe that baptism should take place only after one is old enough to confess their faith. “Infant baptism” and “believer’s baptism.” One emphasizes the work of God in baptism; the other emphasizes a person’s response and affirmation to the work of God. And actually, baptism involves both: an act of God, and a person’s response.

For those who baptize people once they are old enough to confess their faith, we say that baptism into Christ is a baptism of repentance and forgiveness. This comes straight from how baptism is described in the gospel. Luke, chapter 3, verse 3, describes how John the Baptist proclaimed a “baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

But the Common English Bible leaves out that word, repentance. Instead, it uses the phrase, “changed hearts and lives.” And that’s one of the reasons why I like the Common English Bible. Churchy words like “repentance” have acquired so much baggage over the years; but the original meaning is often quite simple. Repentance, for example, simply means a “change in one’s heart and life.”

Biblically speaking, to repent means to change one’s heart and one's life.

Changed Hearts and Lives

The scripture presents some clear examples of this happening.

First, notice how today’s scripture began by describing what authorities were ruling over the people at the time, how it was “in the fifteenth year of the rule of the emperor Tiberius—when Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea and Herod was ruler over Galilee, his brother Philip was ruler over Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was ruler over Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas…”

All these rulers, including the high priests, were servants of Rome, and they ruled not only over the kingdom; they also ruled the hearts and minds of the people. Hearts and lives were concerned with one thing: how to survive, how to get by, in the Roman world. And the ideals of Rome governed everything, including one’s heart and one’s mind.

But John the Baptist came along and reminded people that there is another way to live one’s life, another mindset by which one could live, and a different set of ideals one could follow. In other words, another kingdom. 

To live this alternative life, to adopt this alternative mindset, and follow the ideals of this alternative kingdom required a complete change of one’s heart and mind.

 And as a symbol of this change of heart, John invited people to be baptized.

People accepted that invitation. Tax collectors, whose very occupation supported Rome and its ideals, changed their hearts and lives, and were baptized. And soldiers, whose entire lives were committed to serving Rome and its ideals, were baptized, symbolizing a shift in their allegiance from the kingdom of Rome to the kingdom of God.

I’m sure there were tax collectors and soldiers and people from all walks of life who decided that this type of change was just too drastic, or too risky; but evidently there were some who were ready to make the change, and who were willing to be baptized.

And among those who came to John to be baptized, there was one question on their minds: “What should we do?”

The crowds asked, “What should we do?”

The tax collectors asked, “What should we do?”

The soldiers asked, “What about us? What should we do?”

In other words, how do we live out these changed lives that we are now committed to?

And John said: Whoever has two shirts must share with the one who has none. Whoever has food in abundance must also share. And to the tax collectors and soldiers, John said: don’t harass or cheat anyone. Stop oppressing people for your own gain. Instead, do what you can to care for people…

Because then, as now, a lot of people who are in positions of power and authority sought out those positions for their own gain and their own benefit. But now, with changed hearts and lives, they are to exercise their authority for the benefit of others.

Because in the kingdom of God, there is an emphasis on making sure those who have been deprived of resources, those who have been oppressed, those against whom the economic system is rigged,... there is an emphasis on making sure that they are treated fairly, justly; 

…that they who have been cast down by society are lifted up and exalted, while those who have been lifted up and exalted in society humble themselves for the sake of the kingdom…

that all people are treated as humans, loved and cared for because of their inherent, God-given goodness.

In the kingdoms of earth, we talk about what makes a person worthy. People are so concerned about giving help to those who, in their eyes, don’t deserve it. Who deserves health care? Who deserves a living wage? Who deserves the right to vote? Who deserves to be welcomed in, and who still needs to prove themselves and prove their worthiness?

But in the kingdom of God, all people are worthy of love, worthy of care, worthy of a place in society, simply because they are human.

Understanding all this is part of the change of heart that comes with baptism. Because once we are baptized - once our hearts and lives have been changed - we no longer see a distinction between them and us. Those divisions are broken down.

So, those are some answers. I guess that’s a lot to think about. And I still have questions. After all, when we’re talking about changed hearts and lives, there are a lot of implications. 

A baptism story…

I came across a story this week I want to share with you. It’s told by Scott Cormode of Fuller Theological Seminary. He says:

“I once heard a man explain why Presbyterians emphasize baptism’s communal nature. He talked about the baptism of his daughter and how part of the service called for the congregation to make vows. The congregation promised to proclaim the faith to the children just as the parents promised to raise the child in the way of the Lord. 

“The man went on to describe what happened many years later, after his child had grown. One night she called him from Denver, where she had gone to live. She told her father that she was in trouble. She had gotten into drugs and made a series of choices that she now regretted. She called asking him to help her turn her life around. 

“But the man did not have a lot of options, a lot of resources. Circumstances were such that he could not move to Denver and she could not move back to his home. What was he to do? 

“That night he called an old friend who now lived in Denver, a man who had been a part of the congregation that had promised at her baptism to proclaim the faith to her. He reminded his friend of that vow. And he asked his friend to honor that vow. He asked his friend to be the family of God for his daughter that night and in the months to come. 

“His friend dropped what he was doing and attended to the girl and proclaimed the love of God to her when neither her father nor the institutional church could. When this man called on his friend he was drawing on the sacrament of baptism as a resource.”

Remember Your Baptism

It’s a cool story. The friend who responded helped a complete stranger, because of the change in his life brought about by baptism.

But I still have questions. Because doesn’t the love we as Christians are called to share extend even to those who haven’t been baptized? How do we live out that love to strangers, people with whom we have absolutely no connection? And doesn’t that last question contain a lie, since there’s no one to whom we aren’t connected? Aren’t we are all connected simply by virtue of being human? Didn’t Jesus call upon us to love even our enemies? How do we change our hearts and our lives so that that becomes possible?

Martin Luther - the 15th century reformer, not the 20th century preacher - believed it was important to remember one’s baptism. He was baptized as an infant, so he couldn’t do that literally, but he could remember that he was baptized, and ponder the significance of that - and that’s something he tried to do on a daily basis.

For me, asking these questions is how I remember my baptism. And the conversation continues… but not right now. I have a few more thoughts on baptism, but I’ll save them for next week. Right now, it’s time to enter into a time of prayer…