Monday, April 22, 2013

Sermon 4-21-2013 Mark 8 and Galatians 5, baptism


Galatians 5 (gifts of the spirit)
Mark 8 (take up your cross)
Good morning friends. It is good to gather in worship with all of you this morning. After a week marked by bombings, an explosion, and a massive manhunt, it is right to come together in prayer, in worship, and to commit to one another again to follow the prince of Peace. Today we particularly focus on Christ's calling in our lives, as we welcome LL into our community in the ritual of baptism, the ceremony that marks formal entrance into the Christian community.

In the Easter season, we are surrounded by the New Testament stories of baptism-while we don't have any stories of Jesus baptizing people, as soon as Easter happened, there are all sorts of stories people being marked with water as part of the new community. Paul was baptized after his experience on the Damascus road. Peter baptized Cornelius and his whole household, after he saw the sheet descending, and learned that what God has called clean, no one should call unclean. Phillip baptized the Ethiopian Eunuch, who heard the gospel while riding in a chariot, saw the water nearby, and asked to be dipped right away.

Since the beginning, this ritual has marked entrance to the community of believers.

And so too then, do we come to the water this morning, claiming with these founders of the faith our commitment to Jesus, our willingness to follow Christ. In baptism we claim for ourselves the title of disciple- committing ourselves to Jesus as savior as Lord, making the public declaration that we are on God's side, and that we will do our best to follow faithfully where God calls us.


So considering that this is the theme of our service this morning, I was delighted at the two texts that L chose for her baptism, for in a profound way, they exemplify what it means to be part of the church.

In Galatians we are invited to eat the fruit of the spirit.

This list of attributes that Paul outlines here is emblematic of baptism because it is both a promise from God and a commitment from us. Its possible to read it either way- “you know them by their fruits” would suggest that if you demonstrate love, joy peace patience, kindness goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self control (how many times do you think I should do that this sermon? Should I get faster each time?) As I was saying, we could argue that those who demonstrate the fruits are the ones who have the spirit of God. I've used this in arguments before-I can't help welcoming gay and lesbian people into membership, or women into leadership, they have demonstrated the fruit of the spirit, who am I to withhold my welcome when God has filled them with the Holy Spirit?

But Paul insists we have agency here-we can choose to walk by the spirit, we should keep in step with the heavenly guide laid before us, we should not become conceited, or provoke each other, or envy each other. These fruits of the spirit are the results of hard work-of digging and planting and watering and pruning ourselves, such that we cultivate the viritues of love joy peace patience kindness goodness faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

Sometimes we talk about baptism as a destination-coming to Christ or accepting Christ or receiving the holy spirit. And it is-it is one of those faith milestones that should be remembered and celebrated. But just like a wedding is the beginning of a marriage, not a destination in and of itself, in the same way to be baptized is one step on the journey of shaping ourselves in the image of Christ. The step of committing publicly to try and walk in the path he laid out of faithful love, patient kindness, joyful goodness, gentle goodness and peaceful self control.

And baptism is not just a commitment to a divine self improvement project.

Baptism is about pledging allegiance in a more profound way, as Christ makes clear in the text from Mark that L has brought before us this morning.
This is a significant moment in Mark's story-we're about halfway through the Gospel, and we are turning from the feel good 'look at Jesus do miracles' theme to the 'Jesus is going towards Jerusalem' part of the story. Just before this, Jesus asked the disciples who they say he is, and they answered correctly- “You are the Messiah”. But when he said that the son of man must suffer, and be killed, Peter took him aside to rebuke him. And Jesus responded with this clarion call: “if anyone would become my disciple, they must take up their cross and follow me.”

Now, Jesus is not known for easy invitations-give all that you have to the poor, and come and follow me. Do not worry about tomorrow. Give to everyone who asks of you, and loan without expectation of repayment. Stay with me. But “Take up your cross” is surely the hardest challenge in the New Testament. Come to Golgotha, and join me at the top of the hill. For it is on that path that you come to Easter Sunday.

It is a sobering invitation, and it is one that Christians through history have lived out in the most literal reality-from the martyrs of the early church who were thrown to the lions, to the people in our present day who proclaim the good news at the risk of their lives.

We all hope that our Christian walk does not involve carrying a cross quite that literally. But we are all called to consider the seriousness of giving our lives to Christ. This world asks for loyalty-loyalty to pleasure and power, to fame and fortune, loyalty to American Idol or the latest video game. Loyalty to a country willing to torture it's enemies and bomb distant lands with weapons from far above.

In the waters of baptism, we pledge allegiance to a different path, where we challenge the powers and principalities, the authority of this world, pledge to give up shallow comfort of today for the deeper richer relationship with God that is possible when we reach for the edge, and look beyond, beneath and around the material. In baptism we pledge to follow where Jesus leads, through the valley of the shadow of death, to challenge the broken things of our world, the forces of racism and poverty and violence, building relationships in frightening neighborhoods, in poor countries, with broken people at the risk of our own comfort and our own agenda.

Not of course, that we'll always live up to it-

We wandered last week with Peter and Paul, reflecting on the challenges of conversion-acknowledging
that even after making the baptismal commitment, we are still human beings, with all of the silliness and struggle that implies-we have much to learn and grow as we walk with Christ. And none of the disciples, the first time through, went with Christ and the Cross. But that is the target. And as we aim high, we find ourselves bearing fruit, and growing in faith, and more and more looking like Christ who loved the poor and lived for his friends and died for the sins of the whole world.

So we come again to the water, remembering the invitation that is always there, to drink from the living water, to return to God, to bear the fruit of the spirit, to become Christs disciples indeed.
May it be so.
Amen.

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