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By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector
In the Gospel lesson this morning Jesus saw Philip and extended to him the invitation that he had already made to others, “Follow me.” Philip not only followed him, but encouraged Nathaniel to follow also. When something makes sense, we want others to share in it.
Last week we baptized three babies and in essence told them to join us in following Jesus. There is something vitally important to us here that makes us come week after week. Something of the “holy” touches us here and leaves us wanting more and that something attracts others also. It’s Jesus. Jesus has touched our lives and they will never be the same. We bless the bread and wine that becomes his mystical body and we also become his mystical body. We are encouraged to do good and to be good. We form a community that has the love of God at its center and it’s so important to us that we come back time and time again to find its healing, wonderful quality. Jesus simply said “Follow me.” It’s an invitation that has been called out loud and clear through the ages and many have responded and invited others to do so as well.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was someone who heard Jesus’ invitation. He accepted it and like Philip called others to follow. And many did. King is looked to as a modern day prophet because like the prophets of old he called a nation to account for its inconsistent justice. It’s incorrect to stand here and say that King’s message was delivered only to African Americans. His message was delivered to all people through the prism of the African American experience. People oppressed because of the color of their skin. People denied rights, attacked and killed, denied housing and jobs without cause. People whose human dignity was trod upon. King’s words held a nation accountable for actions and words that extended cruelty and words and actions that were not extended that could have helped alleviate the pain. He followed Jesus along the way and invited others to do the same. He marched and led others in the march.
Oppression of any kind diminishes the oppressor as well as the oppressed. King’s words were to the release of the captives of both sides of oppression. People who hate are captive of the destructive force of that emotion. People who hurt others damage their own souls as well as the bodies or lives of the people they hurt. Racism is an ugly disease that impacts the person of color but infects the soul of the racist. It is a fearful disease that wreaks havoc in the spirit of a person and in a people. It sees enemies where there are none, and inspires shameful actions against innocents.
Dr. King’s prophetic words gave hope to people of color that they would indeed overcome. But it also gave hope to white America that we too could overcome the hate that boiled inside and destroyed our dignity even while we were attacking the dignity of our brothers and sisters. Jesus was the incarnation of God’s love and justice. He asked us to follow him. It’s not too late to follow. Can we follow? Yes we can!
This week is an incredible week. The convergence of themes and actions hit spiritual chords of unprecedented hope even as we face unprecedented challenges. Dr. King, the check will be cashed on Tuesday. The echoes of Dr. King’s dream still reverberate down the mall in Washington as the inauguration events begin to take place. This is also the week designated as Christian Unity. What a nice dream that is also. The exhilaration felt by so many Americans, indeed the global citizenry, is impossible to describe. It certainly goes beyond our new President. The exhilaration taps into the ecstasy of being able to surpass our own fears and join in the desire to create a world that people of faith have always thought possible. Peace and Justice for all people. Opportunities on an equal basis. There are still plenty of dreams, but when one is achieved, why not hope for more.
The role of the prophet is a lonely one. It is a dangerous one. The Biblical prophets discovered rejection and sometimes death. Jesus discovered betrayal and execution. But the biblical prophets demonstrated that their voices spoke with God’s voice and God’s voice cannot be stilled. The resurrection of Jesus demonstrated beyond compare the power of God’s word made flesh. God’s word cannot be killed or stopped. It carries on through the work of other prophets. Every age has had the voice of God ring out and Dr. King had a loud clear voice that carried on that bold tradition.
The quotes that we read from several of the written works of Dr. King are timeless and stirring. They call us to reach for our higher selves. We are all capable of the goodness these words call us to. We are able to let go of that which holds us back and allow us to follow Jesus without fear. Jesus told Nathaniel that he would see “greater things than these”. “You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the son of Man.”
Visions of heaven. Seeing the messengers of God active in the world. It’s a beautiful image. It’s something to hold onto. The world is a complex place and in no way can we minimize the problems faced by the world in terms of the economy, the warring factions, terrorist threats, lingering racism, greed and corruption in business and government, the environment. But we cannot give up hope either. To do so is to lose everything. Joy is a foothold to hope. And hope creates visions that inspire up to reach higher and achieve beyond our wildest dreams.
I listened to a talk given by a man a couple days ago. It became a personal witness of his discovery of hope. Before he discovered the hope within, he was imprisoned by despair and an anguish that would not leave him alone. He decided that he would commit suicide and had several ideas on how to do it. The method he finally chose was to go to the Manhattan Bridge and jump. He spoke of the moment he stood on the side holding the rail looking down at the water so far below on that June day five years ago. He tried to tell how it felt to let go of the rail and the free fall he experienced. The impact shattered an arm, broke his ribs, punctured his lung and broke his legs. But amazingly he surfaced. He told of a moment of clarity in which he did not want to die. He waved his remaining good arm while drifting in the East River for almost an hour before he found himself in the path of the Staten Island Ferry where he was spotted and rescued by the Coast Guard. He assured us that we didn’t need to go to that extreme to learn what he did. He described how wonderful his life is now and shudders to think how close he came to losing it, but also how devastating despair can be. No one needs to tell him how fortunate he is, and he says that he better than anyone can tell us how fortunate we are to find hope before despair can claim us. On a lighter note, he said the New York Post picked up the story and described the attempted suicide of a deranged, middle aged man. While he couldn’t quibble with the word “deranged”, he was furious at being described as “middle aged.”
Hope is what keeps us going. We cannot lose it and the prophets call us to remember the visions of heaven that are within our reach. How difficult it seems to be to hear that message that offers nothing but life’s abundance.
This historic week fulfills a promise of equality in a President whose own background unites two races. He will most certainly be judged by the content of his character, and so must we all. Skin color is no indication of the heart that beats within. Our actions even more than our words tell who we are and whose we are. Jesus calls us to “Follow Him.” The prophets are the drum majors and the stirring beat calls for a lively march. Can we do it? Yes we can. Amen.
© 2009 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector
“In the beginning... a wind from God swept over the face of the waters.” The word for “wind” in both Hebrew and Greek also means “spirit”. The Creation story is beautiful and a mystical image of God’s spirit moving all things into being - a spirit of life, a spirit of love, a spirit of light.
The images of spirit and water echo in all the readings today connecting us to the Gospel story of the Baptism of Jesus. The Gospel story of Jesus connects us to the baptism of Marlee Elizabeth Spiro, and to all of our Baptisms. We opened the service by saying that there is one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one God. The continuation of Baptism is a sign of our unity with past, present and future. It points to a single promise of everlasting life, not only for us individually, but for the world.
The opening of Genesis might even be seen as the Baptism of the earth in creation with Spirit and water. The very act of Baptism is the paradoxically setting apart and bringing together. When we baptize Marlee shortly we are blessing her and setting her apart for her place in the life and service of God in the Christian tradition. We are bringing her together with the worldwide community who shares a basic belief in God and takes the teaching of Jesus as its guiding principles. A community who shares in the promise of eternal life and understands the resurrection of Jesus to be the proof of that promise. In all the world there are many traditions, and this one is ours. And into this tradition we baptize Marlee. We set her apart and we join with her in community.
In the Gospel lesson, John the Baptist stands at the Jordan River preaching a life of repentance and renewal. Repentance means to turn direction and in this case turn from ways that are harmful or painful to ways that reflect God’s love and justice. The ritual cleansing of the water symbolizes the washing away of the past regrets and ushers in a new beginning. And in this beginning, the Sprit of God blows over the waters to make it so.
When Jesus approached John on the banks of the Jordan, he left us a puzzle. Or perhaps it was the writer of the Gospel of Mark that left us a puzzle, namely, what was Jesus repenting? As he was being baptized what in him was being washed away?
There are a couple answers that are debated. One is that it was not his sins, but ours being washed away. Another response is that since the act of baptism is a bringing into community, that Jesus entered this action as a visible demonstration of becoming one with us in our spiritual work. There are certainly more, but I like the one that recalls the connection that Jesus himself later makes between John the Baptist and the prophet Elijah. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says, “If you are willing to accept it, (John) is the Elijah who was to come.” (Mt. 11:14)
The prophet Elijah anointed his successor Elisha in the presence of his students demonstrating that his ministry was at an end and that Elijah would continue in his place.
On the banks of the Jordan John, in the image of Elijah, anoints Jesus in full view of all the people gathered there as the one who was to come after him, the thong of whose sandal he was not worthy to tie. It was a transfer of authority, a setting apart for the continuation of God’s work in the world. John had always said that someone else was coming and that he would have to decrease as the One is to come, must increase. This Baptism of Jesus was a public demonstration that John’s words had come to pass.
So, why this long explanation? Because we’re doing the same thing here. This is how our Great Teacher did it, and this is how we’re doing it. It’s a little too chilly to find a river, in fact some day it might be fun to stand on the banks of the Passaic, but not today.
Marlee, we need you. We’re anointing you and baptizing you, not that you have anything to repent yet, but to join in a life that commits to faith, justice and peace. A life of integrity among people, and grounding for yourself. We have a promise from Jesus that the Spirit of God is with us and always will be. The same spirit that blew over the waters in Creation stirs in us and connects us to God. We are made of water and the spirit carries us also. Join us in our witness of God’s love and the desire to do all that we can to bring the light of God into a world that often chooses darkness. We’re not perfect. As a community or as a worldwide church. Even the most casual glance at our record shows our mistakes. Some of them have been enormous and caused a lot of pain. But we also have the legacy of spiritual greatness and amazing acts of kindness, generosity, and integrity. We continually pray that God strengthens us in what we do well, and guides us away from the mistakes we make and set us back on the right path. One of the promises made by Jesus is that forgiveness is always available if we’re wise enough to see our mistakes and want to change.
Each of the Gospels has a version of what happens next that don’t quite agree on some details. In this lesson, however, when Jesus came out of the water he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove on him.
It’s yet another sign of a new beginning and the presence of God.
In the second lesson we read today from Acts, Paul meets up with some people who he saw as disciples or followers, presumably of Jesus. He asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit and they didn’t know what he was talking about. Having been baptized by John, they only went so far. When Paul baptized them in to the name of Jesus, they had the felt the fullness of the Spirit and according to the lesson began to speak in tongues. Speaking in tongues plays an important role in the work of Paul, and yet in one place he says that is a particular gift only given to some. That others have other gifts, but speaking in tongues isn’t for everyone. I believe there are two uses of the phrase “speaking in tongues”. One is the literal vocalizing of strange dialects that we can witness even today. But that’s one of the gifts that Paul says is given to some, not all.
Another way to read that phrase is the speaking in a language that is available to everyone. In the scriptures speaking in tongues becomes an analogy for speaking with conviction. When we’re uncertain of something we’re talking about we pause or stutter and in different ways present a very unconvincing argument. When we speak with conviction, there is no hesitation. When we speak from the heart, words are there and sometimes words come from places that can only be inspired by the Spirit of God. When we speak from conviction our whole being is involved. Our heart, our mind and our body.
Baptism is an invitation to conviction. To grow in faith and speak with conviction about it’s place in our lives. To take seriously the scriptures and what they have to teach us. To take seriously the fellowship and traditions that we vow to uphold. To take seriously our opportunity to wrestle critically with matters of faith that challenge us. To take seriously others who share this road with us. To see Christ in them and see in all people no matter what faith they follow the imprint of the love of God. We’re baptized into a faith that calls us to deepen and grow, to learn and question, to struggle and challenge and when we’re tired feel the wind of God at our backs. The Spirit of God is always with us, guiding us and giving us life. Talk about it with conviction. Welcome Marlee and breathe deep the Spirit of God. Amen.
© 2009 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
By The Rev. Bernard W. Poppe, Rector
The story of Jesus as a twelve year old is not one that we hear very often. It’s a rich one and curiously, of the four gospels, only Luke has it. That fact alone makes the story of particular interest. Why did Luke choose it? Did the other Gospel writers have access to this story? How did Luke who was not even a disciple of Jesus learn it?
Gospel stories always have tantalizing questions that cannot be answered, so we have to look at pieces of the story and glean from them important lessons and truths that speak to us.
Much of the story is believable, but some of it stretches a bit. Jesus was missing for four days. Even the most self absorbed child could have figured out that this was going to be a problem. When Mary and Joseph finally did find him, and get after him a bit, he chides them for not guessing where he’d be. I can see where that would also have been a problem for Jesus. I know what I would have gotten if I had answered my parents that way.
However, setting some of those issues aside, some of the details surface as particularly important. First the time and place of the event. Jesus is in the Temple of Jerusalem during Passover. The temple was the center of the city and the center of it’s life. In its December issue, National Geographic has a rendering of the temple complex based on archeological finds and descriptions from the Bible. It’s enormous in scope and gives a picture of how much of the everyday life went on in the Temple area. Markets, residences, places for animals, travelers, commerce, so many things. Within the huge complex was the sacred area for the ceremonies and religious teaching. This particular place would figure large in Jesus’ ministry in terms of his own preaching and teaching. It was here that he would turn over the tables in anger accusing the leaders of making the temple a den of thieves instead of a house of prayer. It was here that he would heal people on the Sabbath and be criticized for working on that holy day. It was here that he would enter the gates as the crowds shouted Hosanna and spread palms branches in his path, and it was in this very place that he would come to be tried and condemned to death, also during the Passover. The temple plays a large role in Jesus’ life and this incident certainly foreshadows it. It’s also interesting to note that it took his parents three days to find him. Numbers are important to Biblical writers and their uses are usually intentional. More foreshadowing.
Then there is Jesus’ age. He’s twelve. This is the time that most Jewish boys began preparing for the ritual entrance to adulthood called Bar Mitzvah. Learning at the feet of the elders is yet another way of demonstrating Jesus’ humanity and following the laws and traditions his people.
The Gospel story says that “All who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” The amazement of those around him is a constant theme in Luke’s Gospel, and he seems to want to make it clear that these amazing qualities of Jesus appeared at an early age, but also that he increased in wisdom as the years went on. This suggests that Jesus did not know all things from the time of his birth, but that like any human grew and learned.
The Gospel closes with the observation that Mary treasured all these things in her heart. Other translations say “pondered these things in her heart.” Just as she pondered the message from the angel announcing the birth of Jesus, just as she pondered the gifts of the Magi, just as she pondered some of his teaching. She did a lot of pondering, our Mary. And God certainly knows she had much to ponder.
But I’d like to consider for a moment one aspect of this story that might connect us to Mary and be worth pondering. And that is the question, what happens when Jesus goes missing, or appears to? Mary certainly got angry with the words, “Your Father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” It’s painful to think of Mary and Joseph and the others with them, for that matter discovering that Jesus is missing from their caravan and making the decision to return to Jerusalem. The time that elapsed was four days. For a parent searching for a child four days must have seemed an eternity. The agony of self blame for not making sure the child was with them when they left, the worry about what might happen in that large, busy city structure. Where would the boy stay? Or eat? Who would be watching out for him and protecting him? That kind of pain is a parent’s worst nightmare.
For a person of faith, the worst nightmare is looking for Jesus in the midst of pain and struggling and not finding him or feeling him close by. It’s not uncommon for a person to feel abandoned by God when tragedy strikes. It’s not uncommon to feel angry at God when awful things happen. Later in the Gospels Jesus’ own friends Mary and Martha would get angry with him when their brother Lazarus died, saying that if he’d been there, it never would have happened.
When our souls are in pain, it’s a lonely feeling. We search for meaning and reasons and come up short. We look for a way for the pain to stop and it won’t. We turn to God, in what we hope might be prayer, but the prayer more often resembles accusation. And the loneliness continues.
There are also times that are not in the midst of tragedy, but simply time of feeling adrift and wondering where God is. Faith is an up and down thing. I think all people of faith feels times of spiritual strength and then times of spiritual emptiness. I’ve certainly felt that way and that might be why this story speaks to me in the way that it does.
As a story, there are holes in it, as I tried to point out! But as a spiritual illustration, it works quite well. At the time of celebration, Jesus is plainly in sight, but as the caravan left, they went a full day before they realized he was gone. That’s important. For people of faith, we can go on for quite a while not even realizing that something or someone is missing. We get caught up in the hum drum of everyday, or issues or any kind of busyness. This happens in relationships also. Without paying attention, an empty feeling creeps in to a point where at some point down the road, the discovery is made and then panic rises because now we can articulate what’s missing. Sometimes in relationships that point is too late. At other times, it happens in time to make a difference and for healing to come in. As it is with people, so it is with God.
And then the search begins. How do we reclaim that good relationship we once enjoyed? Where do we look? How long will it take? These are also tantalizing questions without answers until we begin.
For much of the time leading up to Christmas I was pretty sick with Bronchitis, but before it set in I was able to go to a holiday party. What usually happens, happened again, namely when someone I was just introduced to asked what I do. I explained and caused that deer in the headlight look in the person who asked. They immediately felt compelled to make excuses about why they didn’t go to church and assured me that they were spiritual, just not religious.
I don’t enjoy being a walking guilt trip for unsuspecting party goers and I assured the man that I was not on the liturgical police force and that his secret was safe with me. One of these times, when that happens again, I’m going to summon the courage to ask how that spirituality is nurtured, if not in community? Walks in nature are fine and are indeed spiritual experiences, but not even the grand canyon can engage a person in conversation and challenge them to articulate and grow in their spiritual understanding. This gospel image of Mary and Joseph returning with the caravan (since it was unsafe to travel alone) to search for Jesus makes sense. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community of faith to raise a believer. We cannot do this alone. There are many communities available, to be sure. But a community is important to make the journey and continue the search. Others allow us to share the excitement of our discovery, the pain of our confusion, or the struggle to form questions. Helping others is another way of helping ourselves find deeper truths. The search for Jesus has to be intentional.
When they found him, he told them he’d been there all along. Right where they left him. If we’ve left Jesus behind, the chances are he’ll tell us the same thing. “I’ve been right here all along.”
Spirituality is a relationship with God. In the Christian faith, Jesus is the prism through which we form that relationship. The gospel stories cultivate the ground for the seed of our faith. The spirit of God gives it life. It doesn’t always seem clear, but when we’re struggling, there are others around who can help us search. When we are stronger, we can help others who need us.
In this Christmas season we celebrate the word made flesh. That word gives us much to ponder and be amazed about. Mary treasured these things in her heart and Luke wrote about them, so we can treasure them in ours. Amen.
© 2009 St. George's Episcopal Church, Maplewood, NJ
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