Spirit Scenes: Baptism of Jesus

Genesis 1:1 - 2:4

In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.  Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness God called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

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Mark 1:4-11​

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

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Do you remember your baptism? In our tradition we baptize believers, which means that when a person comes to realization that they want to be a disciple and follower of Christ, at whatever age that may be, they request, on their own, to be baptized.  That is not to discount the power of infant baptism.  There is also something quite beautiful about someone's parents placing them in and among the family of God.  Theologically infant baptism also makes sense; that before we are even aware of God's mercy, God reaches out to us and covers us with grace- calling us children.  

However you were baptized- its all good... and if you want to be baptized, come see me later- but there is richness in the symbolism during believer's baptism; of being submerged fully in water, where a human can not survive alone for long, and then coming up to take that first deep breath of air- life begins anew, refreshed, spirit filled.  Do you remember? 

Jesus, as his formal ministry begins goes to John in the Jordan, comes up and takes that first breath of air- and sees the heavens tear apart- in Greek, the word literally means ripped open!  The only other time Mark uses this word is at the moment Jesus breathes his last on the cross, and the veil of the temple is ripped in two... torn apart.  The word serves to bookend the ministry of Jesus in powerful imagery.  And as the heavens are torn apart, the spirit of God, the same spirit present in creation hovering over the waters, encouraging life to begin, speaks- "well pleased... Good job."

I've been thinking about this all week... about my own baptism, about coming up out of the water and taking that first breath of air, and, though the congregation was applauding and my pastor was all smiles, I didn't see the heavens torn apart, and I didn't hear God say "well pleased... good job."  I won't say I was disappointed about not seeing the heavens torn apart- I mean, I'm only me- not Jesus- but I will say I thought there would be "something" that would happen beside just a feeling that I did what God wanted me to do.  I thought taking that first breath of air was going to feel freer, or bigger, or that perhaps I would see the world differently.  That's what they told me. "Once you're baptized, Linda, everything will be different- your life will begin anew! 

Of course much did change that day.  I didn't realize it then, but it was the beginning of my call to ministry.  It was the first time, since my confirmation in 8th grade (yes I was raised presbyterian) that I had stood in front of a group and talked about my faith.  My friends and family who were not church members were also invited, and they saw me go against the traditions I was raised in, or at least express them in a different way- a way that came through revelation, or the Holy Spirit showing me something new- an epiphany, if you will.  It lead me to want to get to know better the teachings of Jesus, to be always looking for signs of the Spirit, to intentionally communicate with God, so that, should God ever desire to say, "well pleased" or "good job" I could recognize God's voice.  

But it also lead me to want to get to know other disciples in a deeper, more intimate way.  I was obviously making a public statement, saying that it wasn't just the Christian faith I was a part of, but this specific local congregation.  Just as Jesus's disciples and followers needed to learn to know and come to trust each other, I would now have to do that with this band of disciples whom God had placed me with.  And I don't know about you, but trust is a rough one for me.  I wasn't raised in the Brady Bunch (sorry if I'm dating myself)- so allowing people past the walls I had up was going to be a real issue- or so I thought.

As it turns out, the congregation of people God had placed me in was the perfect one to not just grow in knowledge of God, but in knowledge of myself, and what gifts I have, and what God may have for me in the future.  It was a process to be sure, and I wanted to leave more than once when things got too close, or when I got hurt.  But God kept bringing me back to that little group of believers.  Over 30 years later, most of us keep in touch- though we are spread all over the country now.

Now, I don't profess to know all of your stories- or what has brought you to this congregation at this specific time in your life.  I can't tell you for certain what God may want to teach you in this place, or what God may have for you in the future much beyond "God loves you exactly as you are, no matter what."  But what I can tell you with certainty, is that if God has brought us together in this place, then we are to get to know and learn to trust each other as a congregation of Christ.  That we need to let people past our walls.... (slowly.... take a breath... some of you are already crossing your arms, 'what does she think shes talking about- no ones getting in here...") Listen, if we are to do ministry as we talk about, if we are to work together, and commune together in harmony, we need to be able to relate to each other in the best way possible.  There needs to be a trust, that no matter what happens, I'm going to continue to love you, and want the best for you, and work to help you as best I can... your 'stuff' is important to me, because you are important to me.  

Think about it, Jesus's disciples hung out together all the time! They knew what made each other tick, they knew about how Peter argued with his mother in law, and John took too long getting ready to go anywhere cause he had OCD, and how those Zebedee boys were always playing pranks on people, but they "didn't mean anything by it." It's part of being in community. 

This is the first Sunday in 2018.  Every year for the past six years our church has been undertaken major things in our church life- from calling a new pastor, which is a major shift in any church (its not just me) to joining a new region, to adopting a new church governance system, every year it seems, has brought another change.  And while all of the things we've done have been in the name of following the Holy Spirit, and have definitely been life giving to our church, I can't help but feel as if we need to take a year to just breathe.... to build relationships... to enjoy each other's company... to pray together, laugh together, and learn about each other.  I'm not talking about stopping any of our present ministries, or shutting everything down that is making such a difference in the lives of so many, but what I am talking about it living into those things and becoming even better versions of who we are right now, instead of taking on anything new... 

It's like, every year for the past 6 years, we have saved for and taken a major trip somewhere, one year to the grand canyon, one to Florida, a cruise to Alaska.... what if this year, we learn to enjoy our 'backyard'- maybe use the pool and fire up the barbecue- get out the croquet set and put up the volleyball net- hose off those lounge chairs in the garage... What if, for one year, we took a breath from doing, and learned to be and enjoy who we are.

If this sounds good to you, let me let you in on 5 words that keep circling in my head and heart that I'd like to focus on this year that could help us learn to "be" and, coincidentally, they all start with the letter B... believe, breathe, balance, belong, & behave.   ("oh, I liked all of them up to that last one... ") Believe, breathe, balance, belong, & behave.  Over the next several weeks well be looking at these five words as they pertain to our community of faith- and how we can live and grow into the band of disciples that God has designed us to be- because truly, I believe God has amazing things for us to do together as a people- the world needs healing, and peacemaking, and so much love... we have the opportunity to do so many things in God's name.  So let's learn how to work together- live together- be together.  

Because that same spirit that ripped open the heavens and hovered over the waters is here with us today- in us, among us.  Let's learn to recognize that Spirit in each other, and know the voice of God so well that we can recognize it... well pleased... good job...