Only Love Will Do

Based on 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

        1 Corinthians 13 is popularly called the “love chapter.” It is perhaps one of the most familiar scripture passages in the Bible, particularly among those who rarely attend church or have any engagement with the Bible. That is because it is quite likely that if you attend a wedding in which scripture reading is involved, 1 Corinthians 13 will be one of the readings. Millions of people heard this passage if they tuned in to the wedding of Prince William and Princess Catherine back in 2011. The sermon at the wedding, preached by Rev. Michael Curry, who is the primate of the Episcopal Church here in the United States, was based on this passage. It is not a surprising choice that this passage about love is read at a wedding in which a couple celebrates their love with each other and commits to remain in this loving relationship for the rest of their lives.

But in its original context, marriage was not on Paul’s mind. He does address marriage in chapter 7, encouraging people not to marry, but if they choose to marry because they can’t control their sexual passions, then he gives ethical guidelines on how marriages should go. But in this part of his letter to the Corinthian church, the issue he is addressing is the divisiveness in the church that he has heard about. When Paul writes this chapter about love, it is the context of a church that was divided and not getting along with each other. They had gotten things twisted, so Paul is trying to straighten things out so that the church can be what God intends it to be, a community of mutual love that proclaims the gospel in word and deed to an unbelieving and dysfunctional world.

The focus of chapter 12, which we have looked at over the past few weeks, is around the importance of all the spiritual gifts that people in the church have been given as determined by the Spirit. Paul stresses that every person has a gift. No one is left out. And each gift is intended to be used for the common good, for the flourishing of the community. Paul is specifically thinking about the body of Christ, the church. But I have been inviting us to extend this vision beyond the body and asking us to consider what it would be to use the gifts we have received for the common good of society, and not just the church. If we have to start somewhere, the church is a good place to start. But I do believe that God’s intention is that the whole world be saved, that all of human society be transformed into the beloved community, where every person is able to thrive. But, again, Paul stresses in chapter 12 that we all have been given a gift as determined by the Spirit, that this gift is meant to be used for the common good.

This is certainly an important reminder for us. Each one of us is gifted. The gift which the Spirit has given us is important and it matters. Why would the Spirit give someone a gift that was of no use or benefit? Nor was the gift you received random but was intentionally given to you. Because we all have been given a gift, we all have a responsibility to use the gift we have for the common good. We all have to be engaged in community life. Sitting on the sidelines is not a responsible choice. We all have to use the gift we have. When everyone is engaged, using their gift as they are able, the whole community is functioning and this produces the common good, the kind of society that we all want to be a part of.

Then, Paul shifts away from talking about our giftedness and starts calling us to express equal mutual concern for one another. Using our gifts for the common good is critical. But it’s not just about doing, doing, doing. It’s not just about being busy and productive all the time. Paul reminds the Corinthians, and us, that a healthy community is one where there is equal mutual concern for one another. We must not pass over that word “equal.” We all know what it is like to experience cliques. In our own friendship circles we can have mutual concern for each other, but what about those outside our circles? Even those who are members of the body of Christ who aren’t in our circles? If we aren’t careful, people even in the church can be overlooked. Paul challenges us to not leave anyone out but to have mutual concern for every person in the church. We need to celebrate with each other. We need to grieve with each other. Paul is calling us to embody a community that is more than just doing things together. We are to be a community that actually cares about each other. And every person is included in our care, not just our besties.

I know that Paul is focusing on the church in these instructions. But, again, I invite us to expand our view a bit, just to wonder what would be like if we lived in a society in which equal mutual concern for all was the norm? It seems so far-fetched as a possibility. But I want to be hopeful that the loud voices that fuel divisiveness represent a minority view and that most people in our community do care and want to build a community of mutual care for each other. But it starts with us. By God’s grace, how could we include more people in our practice of mutual care?

Paul lifting up the value of mutual concern for one another paves the way to chapter 13, where Paul takes the conversation to a deeper level. In the midst of their divisiveness, Paul reminds the church in Corinth that each person has a gift that is equally valuable. He has urged them to have equal mutual concern for one another. Now he is urging them to shift their focus from all of that and instead pursue what Paul calls the more excellent way. That more excellent way is the practice of love.

For Paul the matter really comes down to motive. What motivates you to use your gift for the common good? What he is pointing to is that people can do good things for the wrong reasons. And when that happens, something is off. There’s something that just doesn’t seem right. I thought about my own experiences of doing good things, but my heart wasn’t really right. I was doing good things but not really out of love. It was more because it was my job. I’m a pastor so I’m paid to do good. That’s in my job description. Sometimes I’ve done good things because people expect that of me. I try not to disappoint people. And I have observed others who do good things. But it came across to me as a bit patronizing, like that person is pitying me or others. What they were doing was good and helpful but it felt a little ungenuine. As I reflected on my own times where I was doing good but for the wrong reasons and have observed this in others and the vibe I picked up from them as they were doing their good deeds, I came up with a couple of questions that could be helpful to ask ourselves from time to time, so that we can check ourselves about what is motivating us to use our gifts for the common good.

These questions are meant for my own reflection about my motivations for what I’m trying to do in the world. They aren’t meant to question the motives of others. It’s not wise to try to judge what motivates other people. But it is wise to reflect on our own motivations. It may not always be easy. It requires us being honest with ourselves. If we are willing to do this and become clear about what is our primary motives for doing good in the world, it can help us live with more integrity.

So, for example, do you do good things for others because you have a need to be needed? Maybe you have heard the word “co-dependence” before. It’s a relationship in which you find your meaning and purpose dependent on caring for and meeting the needs of the other person. And if this person leaves you, you find yourself with no sense of purpose. You need that person in your life so that your life has meaning and purpose. What happens when that person is gone?

Here’s another question. Do you do good in the world to feed your ego? Do you do good things because you crave being patted on the back, praised for how good a person you are, or to convince yourself that you are indispensable, that no one else can do what you can do? I have known people who are doing things for others, but if they don’t get properly acknowledged or thanked for the good things they are doing, they get their feelings hurt. Now, don’t get me wrong. Everyone needs affirmation. Everyone wants to be appreciated and not feeling like they are being disregarded or taken for granted. But if your primary motive for doing good is so that you can then receive praise and thanks from other people, so you can feel good about yourself, what happens if you don’t get any praise?

Paul is asking us to consider what is our motives when we use our gifts for the common good. He says that even if he does incredible things with his gifts, if he doesn’t have love, if he is not motivated by love, then what he does falls flat. Something is off. What Paul is trying to say to us is that love is the motive that endures. When we are motivated by love to care for others then the response of the other person is not as important to keep us motivated. We don’t need to have the other person respond in kind or give our lives meaning and purpose. We don’t need to have the other person express appreciation for us and tell us how good we are. Paul urges us to do good for love’s sake because this is a motive that is not dependent on what response we might get from others. Paul is telling us that love is the one thing that sustains our motivation to use our gifts for the common good. Not thanks, or praise, or honor and glory. Love and love alone.

“No good deed is left unpunished.” Hyperbole perhaps. But there have been times where we do good and our actions are misunderstood or the results are disappointing. We work hard at something, and nothing seems to work. Things don’t change. The problems we confront are so large and sometimes we are discouraged. We sometimes find ourselves carrying heavy burdens. Or there are obstacles that prevent us from doing the things we want to do. Paul knew what that was like. He writes about all the suffering he had to endure when he was using his gifts in the world, including shipwrecks, people throwing rocks at him, times of hunger, of being ridiculed. But Paul pressed on even through the hard and discouraging times. It was love, his love for God and his love for the church, that kept Paul going. It is love, along with faith and hope, that can keep us engaged, even when it’s hard, using our gifts for the common good.

E Pluribus Unum

Based on 1 Corinthians 12:12-31

E Pluribus Unum, “out of many, one.” That is our nation’s motto. It simply expresses the core of our national identity, and what makes the United States different from other nations. We see it in our tendency to use hyphens in identifying groups of Americans. We identify African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Latin-Americans, less commonly European-Americans, which is one example of how Europeanness or whiteness is understood to be the norm and it is non-white ethnicities that are to be hyphenated. Be that as it may, we don’t conceive “American” to be an ethnicity, like English, or French, or Japanese, or Chinese. We often say that America is an idea, a great experiment to see if it is possible to have a nation that from the beginning was comprised of people who came from many nations and ethnicities, even as our constitution failed to fully incorporate African slaves and the indigenous peoples who already lived here. It is an idea, e pluribus unum, that has a complicated history, and an ideal that we are still trying to achieve in all its fullness.

I remember when I was younger being taught that America was like a great melting pot. All these different peoples, different ethnicities, and races, somehow all become assimilated into the American way of life. But then I heard a different metaphor that made more sense to me. It was the idea that America is like a great bowl of gumbo. It’s all the different ingredients thrown together into a gumbo that makes it taste so good. This image lifts up appreciation for difference, and how the differences make America unique as opposed to the idea of assimilation and conformity, the minimizing of difference with the image of the melting pot. I’m still biased toward the metaphor of America as a bowl of gumbo than a melting pot.

E pluribus unum, could also be a motto for the church, the body of Christ. I thought of that motto when reflecting on this passage from 1 Corinthians. That’s what Paul is saying to the church in Corinth. Although they are comprised of Jews and Greeks, slaves and free, they are united through baptism and through the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. Their differences don’t disappear. They retain their differences even as they are united as one body. Maybe my bias is showing, but I would like to think that Paul would be ok with identifying the church as like a bowl of gumbo. All the differences united in one body is part of what makes the body of Christ a rich, dynamic, impactful global presence. For, indeed, the body of Christ is a global body, not bounded by ethnicity, language, nation, or political arrangement. The body of Christ reflects the diversity of the human race. In reality, the body of Christ truly is e pluribus unum.

Just think about the rich diversity in the body of Christ. Paul specifically names Jews and Greeks, slave and free. This touches on ethnic diversity and the diversity of social status. That was the diversity present in the church in Corinth. But there is so much more. I don’t know if it can be said that every ethnicity on earth is somehow represented in the body of Christ, but I think it’s pretty close. The wealthy and well-connected to the lowest and poorest caste in India has representation in the body of Christ. But that’s not the only diversity. We are a diversity of many histories and cultural traditions, from our own traditions here to the traditions of central America, Russia, Ethiopia, Syria, the Philippines, and more. We have a diversity of communions, Protestants, Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox. We have literally thousands of different Protestant denominations and non-denominational churches. We have a great diversity of theological differences. We hold a diversity of moral and ethical positions. There are a variety of spiritual gifts, which we talked about last week. It is astounding how diverse the body of Christ is.

At the same time, we are united in baptism and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Any Christian you meet anywhere in the world is a person who has been baptized one way or another. When you meet a Christian of any cultural tradition, ethnicity, language, or theological persuasion, you are in the presence of someone who is possessed of the Holy Spirit. The experience of baptism and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is what all Christians have in common. It is important to claim this common bond that we share with all Christians everywhere.

As we affirm the unity that is ours through baptism and the presence of the Spirit, Paul also reminds us that we need the diversity of the body, a diversity that God has determined to exist. This diversity, not only in spiritual gifts but in all the ways we are diverse, is on purpose. God has designed maximum diversity in the body of Christ so that God’s purpose can be fulfilled. As Paul says, if the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If we had only one cultural tradition, how could we relate to the variety of cultural traditions in human society? If we had only one language, how could those who speak other languages communicate with us? If we all held the exact same theological, moral, and political positions on all matters, how would we be able to find common cause with those who do not hold the same positions? As it is, the body of Christ reflects the diversity of the world so that the witness of Christ can resonate and be communicated to all of human society.

We see an example of this in the book of Acts when the apostles receive the Spirit and then immediately begin to proclaim the mighty works of God in the native languages of all who were gathered in Jerusalem. People were amazed that it was in their own native language that they heard what the apostles were saying. God intends for the body of Christ to be as diverse as possible so that the diversity of the human community can resonate with and experience the mighty works of God in their own, native ways.

All that said, it appears that the core issue that Paul is addressing with the church in Corinth is the issue of dissension. Paul makes it clear in vs. 25 that there ought not be dissension in the body of Christ but that there be equal concern for all. Paul calls for mutual concern for each other. Paul is saying to us that our energy is not to be spent on enforcing uniformity. Nor are we to fixate on our differences and either boost our own sense of superiority or regard ourselves as lacking or not good enough or irrelevant. Paul urges us to set aside hubris and comparing ourselves to others and instead to recognize the reality that we are one body. I love how Paul says in vs. 15, if the foot should say “Because I am not a hand, I don’t belong to the body” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. Whatever we say about ourselves and our relationship with one another as Christians doesn’t change the reality that we are in relationship. The unity we have in Christ is not something we create. The unity is a given. God has determined it to be so. The dissension that Paul saw in Corinth and that we see in the church today reflects a failure in acknowledging the unity that exists by God’s own doing. Paul is calling us to acknowledge the unity that God has already forged and to relate to each other based on this real unity that God has provided.

We see how Paul sets aside any focus on the diversity of difference in the body of Christ. In this passage we are reflecting on today, Paul says quite a bit about the diversity in the body and how all the different parts of the body, all the diversity we have in the body of Christ, is there by God’s own design to fulfill God’s purposes in the world. But then Paul shifts to talk about mutual concern for one another. For Paul, it is not enough just to appreciate the diversity within the body of Christ or to tolerate all our differences. Paul calls for a community of mutual care, one in which if one part of the community is celebrating, then everyone celebrates with them. If one part of the community is grieving, then everyone grieves with them.

I want to confess something. There have been times when I have witnessed parts of the body of Christ who are flourishing, making big impact in the world, transforming lives, doing incredible ministry, and my response has been one of jealousy or dismissiveness. Or sometimes feeling inferior or even a failure. Celebrating their success and effectiveness was not happening. And then there have been other times where leaders who were able to build incredible ministries fell due to a moral failure and rather than grieve how this has impacted the lives of so many and has hurt the community, I have felt some kind of vindication, that this fallen leader had gotten too big for their britches, that they weren’t all that. I didn’t grieve for them or the impact that had on the ministry or all the people that had looked up to and followed that leader, or the hurt inflicted on the community. I’m not alone in this. Pride and hubris, feelings of inferiority and irrelevance wash through the body of Christ. This sinful poison was present in Corinth in Paul’s day and continues to course through the veins of the body of Christ today.

There is an antidote. Paul speaks of it in chapter 13, and we will look at that next week. It is the pursuit of the greater gifts of faith, hope and love. Love is the antidote. Love expressed by celebrating with those who celebrate and grieving with those who grieve, of mutual concern for each other, this is what overcomes those feelings and attitudes that stir up dissension in the body and that causes the body of Christ to be dysfunctional. May God forgive us when we remain in our dysfunction, and may God give us grace to express equal concern for all who belong to the body of Christ.

As we practice mutual and equal concern for all who belong to the body of Christ, let us not neglect those who do not identify as Christians. What would our community be like if the equal concern for each other as Christians also included our fellow citizens, indeed every person in our community? What if we had equal concern for every person in society? That is asking a lot. And as we observe and sometimes perpetuate the dissension, the divisiveness, the dysfunction, in our greater community, our nation, and the world as a whole…my goodness. Yet, is it not desperately needed in these times, mutual concern for one another? Not just our own tribe, or political persuasion, or shared moral views, but mutual and equal concern for every person. To attempt that kind of equal mutual concern would absolutely transform our society. To actually manifest e pluribus unum, I can’t even begin to describe to you how radical that would transform how we live together as the human community. But oh how I wish we lived in that kind of community. It is a vision, indeed a divinely ordained vision, in which to strive. Only love will get us there. And we will talk about that next week.

Gifted for the Common Good

Based on 1 Corinthians 12:1-11

This weekend we remember and celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King and his leading role in the civil rights movement. He has been identified in many ways: prophet, visionary, communist, rabble rouser, black Moses. He identified himself as a Baptist preacher. And oh how he could preach. His oratorical skills were incredible. He moved a nation with his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. His visionary leadership went beyond equity for black Americans. He wanted to see a world devoid of racism, militarism, and economic exploitation. He dreamed of what he called the beloved community. It is that vision of beloved community that inspires me personally and has come to guide my work as a pastor and with the Shalom Zone. I believe that beloved community describes God’s dream for human society, even all of creation. This vision of beloved community has been an inspiration for millions of people all around the world.

That’s important to keep in mind as we remember Martin Luther King. This was not a one-person movement. King didn’t advance civil rights all by himself. Countless numbers of people in big and small ways did their part. King was able to cast a vision of what can be in a way that inspired the multitude to action, to build a society that reflected that vision. The advances of the civil rights movement and the work of realizing the dream of the beloved community is a group effort. It is about people being engaged in their communities, being engaged in politics, making economic choices, helping people in need, offering grace and forgiveness, doing what you can for the common good. The revolution of love that King called for must be a group effort.

The civil rights movement and the living legacy of Martin Luther King’s dream are examples of what Paul has in mind when he spoke of the spiritual gifts. Paul said that each of us have been given a spiritual gift, as the Spirit determines, and that those gifts are to be activated in our lives for the common good. Let’s break this down.

First, each one of us has been gifted. You may say to me, “I don’t have a spiritual gift, or if I do, I don’t know what it is.” I understand. The gifts we have may not be obvious. It may take some discernment to identify what your gift is. You may have to live some life and have some experiences that call upon you to respond, and in that response, you discover what your gift is. You likely will have someone who knows you point out to you what your gift is. For those who don’t think they have a spiritual gift or don’t know what it is, I want to assure you that you do have a gift. You can find spiritual gift inventories that can help you identify your gift. You could look at the different lists of spiritual gifts like the one we heard today, and reflect on those gifts. Which ones resonate with you? Also, keep in mind that the lists of spiritual gifts we find in the scriptures are not all inclusive. It could be your gift isn’t listed. For example, some people have the gift of hospitality, of creating a space where people feel welcomed and safe to be themselves. But that gift isn’t in any of the lists. What I would say is, your spiritual gift is how you are naturally compelled to act for the common good.

Second, we didn’t get to choose our gift. Many of us provide our beloveds a wish list as Christmas is approaching. That wish list could also be called a shopping list if we aren’t careful, especially if the wish list is very specific about what we want. But we also hope that we will get a couple gifts that weren’t on the wish list. That is, a gift that we didn’t think of that is just right. Sometimes, though, we get a gift that, well, it also wasn’t something we thought of. That gift will either sit somewhere collecting dust or find its way to a white elephant gift exchange. Let’s not forget that a gift is by definition something we didn’t choose. Even if we provide a highly detailed description of the gift we want, someone has to decide to get the gift. We don’t get a gift for ourselves. That’s not a gift, that’s a purchase. The Spirit has determined what gift we are to have. We may have our preferences of what kind of gift we want, but in the end, we receive the gift we have been given.

Third, the gift we have been given is meant to be used for the common good. The Spirit didn’t randomly give you a gift. The gift you received was given with intention and purpose. What a shame if you kept that gift on the proverbial shelf or somewhere in the attic collecting dust. Nor was your gift given for your own personal glory, to impress people, for your own personal benefit, or anything like that. The intent of these spiritual gifts is so that we can use these gifts to impact society, so that the world will be more like how God wants it to be.

When we use our gifts, this is how God is manifesting in the world. We believe that God is present and active in the world, not sitting somewhere removed from the world watching to see how things work out. Nor does God just magically make things happen. Even miracles involve the actions of people. Creation itself is involved in any miracle. The world that God dreams is manifested through the actions of people. God is present and active in the world through us. We are in a relationship with God. We fulfill God’s purposes for the world when we activate the spiritual gifts that God has given us. Our gifts are meant to be used so that God can work through our actions. This is why it is important for us to not only know what our gift is but to activate it in our lives. This is how the world God dreams of is manifested in the world.

For those of you who know what your spiritual gift is, I hope you are encouraged to activate that gift for the common good. Your efforts may seem small but remember that what you do is actually God working through you, so it matters and it makes a difference. All the ways each of us engages with society adds up and collectively makes a difference. I know that there are times when we look at the state of the world with its brokenness and ugliness and worry about where things are headed, what kind of world our kids and grandkids will endure. I worry about it too. But I also imagine what the world be like if there was no one trying to make the world better. It truly could be so much worse if God was not active in the world through our lives.

So, I want to end with a quote from someone who deeply shaped the spirituality of Martin Luther King. It was said that wherever he went on his travels, King would take with him two books: the Bible and a book written by Howard Thurman entitled Jesus and the Disinherited. Howard Thurman was a mystic, a poet, one who was deeply committed to the work of reconciliation, of creating a world that reflected beloved community. I invite you to reflect on this quote, especially if you are not sure what you have to offer, what your gift is or how you can make a difference in the world.

“Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” What are you passionate about? What do you do that gives you energy rather than saps your energy, that makes you come alive? Whatever that is, there’s a good chance that this is a manifestation of your spiritual gift. So do that, not just because you enjoy it, or that it energizes you or makes you come alive, but because that is how God is able to work through you to make a difference, to realize God’s dream of the beloved community.

Remember Your Baptism

Based on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

“Remember your baptism and be thankful.” These are the traditional words that accompany the action of coming forward to the baptismal font, dipping your finger in the baptismal waters, and claiming anew the baptismal covenant that you entered in to. “Remember your baptism.” Do you remember yours? This is where I got stuck for a long time. I don’t remember my baptism. Probably like most gathered here, I was a baby when I was baptized. I have been told about my baptism. It was at the church I grew up in, St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Oklahoma City. Rev. Mack Stokes was the pastor who baptized me, who four years later became a bishop. My mom said I didn’t cry. That’s all I can tell you about my baptism. I sometimes envy those who got baptized when they were old enough to remember it. When they go before the font and are told to remember their baptism they can go back in their mind’s eye to that place, visualize who was there, feel the sensation of the water on their heads, or even their whole bodies if it was full immersion. Those folks can remember their baptism and be thankful. But not those of us who were baptized as infants. It’s like we got cheated. The best we can do is remember that we were baptized; that getting baptized was something important for our parents. That we are baptized is something we are to be thankful for. We just can’t say much about how it happened.

Today, we remember Jesus’ baptism, a baptism that was remembered differently by the gospel writers. As Mark tells it, Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan and just as Jesus was coming out of the water, he saw the heavens ripped open. It wasn’t a gentle parting but a violent rending. That’s the way Mark describes it. And then the Spirit like a dove descends on Jesus, and he hears the voice from heaven saying, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” As Matthew tells it, John resists baptizing Jesus, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” For John the gospel writer, he doesn’t explicitly say that Jesus was baptized. Instead, he relates that John the Baptist saw the Spirit descend on Jesus like a dove, and then John heard the voice say to him, “He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.” Why John the gospel writer refrains from saying that Jesus was baptized was maybe to avoid the problem of why Jesus was baptized in the first place, a problem that Matthew addresses head on when he tells of John and Jesus having that conversation, with John asking the question that the rest of us have. If the baptism John is offering is for repentance, then why is Jesus getting baptized? Jesus answers the question by saying he does this to fulfill all righteousness. In other words, it’s just the right thing to do.

So far, we have heard Jesus’ baptism described in three different ways by the gospel writers. Luke has his own version of events. It is similar to Mark’s version…brief. But Luke adds a couple of details that are important. He begins by saying, “When all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized…” There is no dialog with John. Luke doesn’t even explicitly say that John baptized Jesus, we just assume that’s what happened. What Luke does give us is the image of people standing in line to receive the baptism of repentance, so that they can experience a fresh start, a clean slate. And Jesus got in line with the rest of them. Did Jesus need a fresh start or a clean slate? No. But he didn’t stand apart while everyone else got in line. As an act of solidarity, Jesus got in line with everyone else. Jesus participated in baptism with the people. Solidarity.

The second detail Luke gives us is that after Jesus was baptized and was praying the heavens opened, the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” For Luke, he stresses that Jesus prayed. In key moments throughout his ministry, Luke notes that Jesus prayed. He prayed at his baptism. He prayed before he chose his disciples. He prayed before he told them the first time that he would be crucified. He prayed at his transfiguration. He prayed before he taught his disciples the Lord’s prayer. He prayed before he was betrayed and arrested. He prayed when he took his last breath on the cross. There is one place in Luke’s gospel when after Jesus had done many healings, Luke says that Jesus spent the night alone in prayer. This is one of the major points in Luke’s telling of the gospel, that Jesus took time to pray, especially in key moments of his life.

Jesus’ baptism was clearly a key moment. Jesus is praying and then the heavens are opened, and the Spirit descends upon him. It seems it was the act of Jesus praying that caused the heavens to open and the Spirit to come down to empower him for his ministry, and to hear the voice of his Father say, “You are my Son, my beloved. I am so proud of you.” Jesus receives empowerment and affirmation because of his praying. That came in handy because immediately after his baptism the Spirit drives Jesus out into the wilderness to be tempted by Satan. After passing those tests, Jesus began his public ministry. At thirty years of age, the time of preparation was over. The time had come for Jesus to fulfill his destiny, to do what God had sent him to do. He needed the power of the Spirit. He needed to hear that affirmation from his heavenly Father. Prayer caused that to happen. Prayer opened the heavens for blessings to come down. In the same way, when the disciples were gathered in the upper room, as we read about in the book of Acts, they were praying together when all of a sudden, the Spirit came upon them like the sound of a mighty rushing wind, with tongues of fire alighting on each of their heads, like they were human candles. Prayer caused that to happen. So, when we pray, perhaps the heavens are opened, maybe the Spirit descends on us, we may even hear a reassuring voice saying, “You are my beloved, you are forgiven, be encouraged, there is hope, all will be well, I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Prayer makes these experiences possible. How good it is that Luke adds this detail of Jesus’ baptism.

Today, we have an opportunity to renew our baptism. When we renew our baptismal covenant, we don’t get baptized again. As United Methodists, we believe only one baptism is enough. Baptism is an action of God by means of water and in the power of the Holy Spirit. God doesn’t need a do-over. But we can renew our baptismal covenant as often as we wish, in an attitude of prayer, following the example of Jesus. Renewing our baptismal covenant is just like when a couple decides to renew their wedding vows. It is an opportunity to remember what was promised and to recommit to those promises.

It is a good thing to come back to our baptismal covenant, to remember that we are baptized. Our baptism was a watershed moment in our lives. It didn’t seem like a watershed moment to you if you were baptized as a baby or even as a child. But it was a significant moment in your life, whether you were aware of what was happening or not. It was at your baptism that the people of God publicly witnessed God claiming you as one of God’s own children. You were marked publicly as a child of God. We claim this identity anew when we renew our baptism, that we are children of God. When we were baptized, we were initiated into a covenant with God that we live out of for the rest of our lives. We get baptized once, but the implications of that baptism play out for the rest of our lives. We do not live out this covenant on our own. In fact, a good definition of the church is this: the church is a community where we help each other live out our baptismal covenant. This covenant journey begins at baptism and concludes when we stand before the throne and hear God say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” All through that covenant journey we are never alone because God is with us, and we have our brothers and sisters in Christ to help us along.

So, it is good to renew our baptism from time to time. It makes sense to do it on the Sunday that we remember that Jesus was baptized. It also happens near the beginning of the year. Now is a good time to start fresh. And it’s not just because it is January. We are also in winter. This is the time when, for us in the northern hemisphere, the earth is sort of in reset mode, a time to prepare and get ready for the burst of growth that will be unleashed in the spring. Winter is the prelude to the vitality of spring. Maybe for us right now can be the prelude to a season of spiritual vitality and renewal. Remembering our baptism can be a part of that prelude to spiritual renewal.

Renewing our baptism with prayer opens the heavens for the Holy Spirit to come down upon us again. We can perhaps feel God’s presence as we touch the baptismal waters. Maybe we will hear in our hearts that affirmation of God’s love, to hear God say, “You are my son, my daughter, and I love you.” We need to hear that affirmation now and then from those close to us, our family, our dearest friends, to be told, “I love you.” We need to know that somebody loves us. It makes a difference. In the same way, it makes a difference for us to know that God loves us, and to hear God say that in the quiet of our hearts.

Renewing our baptism also gives us the opportunity to reclaim the authority we have to be ministers of Jesus Christ in the world. If you think I’m the only minister in this room, you are wrong. The church I grew up in listed all the church staff in the bulletin, the senior pastor, the associate, director of music, youth director, etc. But at the end of the list, it had listed for minister “the congregation.” We are all ministers by the authority of the baptism we have received. When it comes to ministering in the world, of sharing the love of Jesus and helping others in Jesus’ name, you don’t need my permission. You have all the authority you need. Reaffirming our baptism reminds us of the authority we have to be ministers of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.

In a moment, we are going to participate in the renewal of our baptismal covenant. I will invite you to come forward as you feel led to do so to stand before the font and to touch the water. Please don’t feel obligated to come forward. If you have not been baptized, don’t let that stop you. Come forward in anticipation of your own baptism. I would love to talk with you more about what baptism means and arrange for you to experience baptism yourself in any way that would be meaningful for you. If you are listening to this message at home, I invite you to come up with your own way to remember your baptism, and to be thankful.

Rise and Shine!

Based on Matthew 2:1-12

Sunshine is a premium in Ohio during the winter. We can go for days even weeks, without seeing the sun. You watch the news, and the news anchor is prodding the weather forecaster to tell us, “When will there be any sun?” This guy I know was joking, “Partly cloudy means cloudy.” I don’t know about you but when the sun breaks through the clouds this time of year it immediately energizes me.

I remember a time several years back when I was sitting in my office at the church I was serving at the time. It was early February. I don’t believe the sun was seen for the entire month of January. That morning, through the blinds of my office window, I finally saw sunlight. It was so bright! It was so good to see the sun. It lifted my spirits instantly. To this day I still have a clear memory of that moment. It was at least fifteen years ago. To see the sun after being behind the clouds for a long time is a joyful experience.

It is in that spirit that we hear these words from the prophet Isaiah, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” In a time of darkness and gloom, a time of oppression, of exile, of loss, the prophet offers a word of hope. Jerusalem was destroyed. There was no king from the line of David sitting on the throne. Much of Israel was living in exile in Babylon. Things were grim. But it would not always be that way. God will act. God will make things right. The glory of the Lord will rise again over Israel. There will be a restoration. For Israel there will be a new dawn. The prophet proclaims a word of hope. It is this hope for a brighter future that gives us the possibility to stand up and face our future. Without this hope, all is lost.

In an interview with the BBC, Martin Luther King said, “I have my moments of frustration, my moments of doubt, and maybe temporary moments of despair, but I have never faced absolute despair because I think if you face absolute despair, you lose all hope, you have no power to move and act, because you really feel there is no possibility of winning.” Hope is necessary to survive tough times, those times when everything is grey and cloudy, when nothing seems to be going right.

We have a basis for hope…the God of hope. We know that God is with us. We know that God loves us. We know that God has provided for us the way of salvation, the promise of eternal life. We know that God keeps God’s promises, that God’s will will be accomplished, that God’s reign of peace and justice will be established. Or, as someone else has said, “the arc is long, but it bends toward justice.” We know that love wins in the end. These beliefs provide for us a foundation on which we can stand and face the future with hope. This is what makes it possible for us to respond to the words of the prophet. We can rise and shine for the glory of God is shining on us, on our hearts.

This Sunday, we are recognizing the day of Epiphany, which actually falls on Jan. 6, the twelfth day after Christmas. Jan. 6 for us now has the distinction of being a day we remember the U.S. Capitol being overrun by a lot of people who had become convinced that the presidential election was fraudulent. What an epiphany that day was for a lot of the world as they looked on in dismay. Epiphany is one of the first Christian holidays. It’s been around longer than Christmas. For the first couple hundred years of the church’s existence, there were only two major holy days: Easter and Epiphany. It was on Epiphany, still is for Eastern Orthodox Christians, that the birth of Jesus, the visitation of the magi, and the baptism of Jesus are all celebrated. As the years went by, the church in the west started spreading these events out. Now we celebrate the birth of Jesus on Christmas, remember the visit of the magi on Epiphany and then remember Jesus’ baptism the following Sunday.

When we use the word “epiphany” these days, it is when someone has an epiphany, an “a-ha” moment. It’s when you suddenly “see the light” or gain a new insight. These epiphanies tend to show up when we least expect it. Maybe that “a-ha” moment happened while you were lying in bed in the middle of the night. Or you were in the shower, or driving down the road, or something catches your eye. Whenever it is, something clicks, the dots are connected, and you suddenly see things in a new light. Things suddenly make sense. You have clarity.

An epiphany may provoke excitement, even joy. You have been struggling with some question, a mystery that you just can’t solve. Every answer you come up with doesn’t quite fit. But then someone asks you a question that shifts your perspective on the problem you are trying to solve. Suddenly, the solution appears right in front of you. It all makes sense! Problem solved. Epiphanies can also sometimes provoke anxiety. It may trouble the waters. That’s what happened to a lot of people as they watched the Jan. 6 insurrection unfold. For those who had an epiphany that day that our democratic foundation is fragile, was an anxiety generating experience. Not just anxiety, but actual alarm and fear about what that event was revealing about our politics, even the binding of our union. This epiphany has impacted our perspective about where we are as a country. How will we move forward together with this breakdown of trust in the election process? What will the mid-term elections be like this coming fall? Epiphanies sometimes stir up anxiety and more questions.

An epiphany came to Herod and the rest of Jerusalem when some astrologers from Persia showed up asking where the king of the Jews was so they could pay him homage. This came out of nowhere. For generations the people had been praying for, longing for, the day when Israel would have a king that was not appointed by Rome, a king from the line of David, who would be the messiah, the anointed one who would restore Israel to its glory and finally get Rome off their backs. And then, suddenly, it was happening! A king had been born and no one knew about it! How can this be? What do these astrologers from Persia know? Their presence has turned everything upside down. The status quo has been interrupted.

We can understand why Herod was troubled by this epiphany. He was currently the king appointed by Rome. There can be only one king. So, he knew that his rule was under threat. This was a problem for him. The people of Jerusalem were also fearful. Even though this was something they had hoped for, now that it is happening, this meant Rome would take notice. That might mean a military assault to squash any insurrection in order to assert Roman control. The epiphany that the king of the Jews had been born did not signal a time of peace but of revolt. The waters were troubled by the news. Something had to be done and, if we read further in Matthew’s gospel, we know what the response from Herod was…the slaughter of boys under the age of 2 while Jesus and his parents fled to Egypt for asylum.

So, we get why Herod and the people of Jerusalem were fearful and upset. But why were the magi filled with joy? In the scriptures we read that when the magi saw the star stop over the place where Jesus lay that they were overcome with joy. Why? What did they know? It was not uncommon for dignitaries from other nations to go and see future heirs to the throne to pay homage. For the magi to go and pay homage to Jesus is not strange. But why would this be a joyful occasion? Why the future king of Israel causes the magi from Persia to be overjoyed isn’t clear. Maybe they were joyful because they were looking at the one who would restore Israel’s sovereignty and limit the power of the Roman empire. Maybe there was something about that star that stopped where Jesus lay. It signaled to them that the royal line this baby represented would never end. Who knows? But for whatever reason, the magi were overcome with joy as they paid homage to the child, presenting gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. For them, this epiphany prompted by the star that stopped, was a joyful experience.

I came across this prayer that had this line, “Each day is Christmas because we receive from you the gift of another day with Jesus.” That’s true. Each day is a gift. Every morning we have another day to unwrap and enjoy. It is true that Jesus is with us through the whole day. I knew all this, but this prayer also sparked in me an epiphany. It was the idea that every day I can put myself at the manger in simple adoration that God came to us in human flesh. We can celebrate the birth of Jesus every morning. I guess we can’t keep up the Christmas tree and holiday lights year-round. But we don’t have to only celebrate the birth of Jesus one day a year. We can celebrate that God is with us as a human being every day.

Let’s return to that line Isaiah spoke; “Arise, shine; for your light has come.” This is not a suggestion the prophet gives us. It’s a command. It is as if your mom is knocking on your door telling you to wake up, it’s morning, time to get moving. Rise and shine! We are to get up from our beds of gloom and discouragement and to shine, to reflect the glory of the Lord that shines over us. What does this mean? How do we do this?

Part of it must be an act of will. We have to choose to rise and shine. In our times of discouragement, confusion, sorrow, and anxiety, we have to decide for ourselves to claim that God’s glory is over us. We have to determine for ourselves that we are in the light of God. We have to decide for ourselves to walk in the light of God. We have to cling to the hope we have that God is with us and that God’s grace is sufficient for this day. And then we have to get up and go.

There is a story told by the missionary Lesslie Newbigin who was doing his ministry in India. One early morning, before the sun was up, he and a group of others were walking up a hill, the top of which was a popular site for pilgrims to pray. As they got closer to the top of the hill, another group was going down the hill. The group that was going down was facing east. And as the sun was just coming up, the sunlight was reflected off the faces of those approaching them. This give Lesslie an epiphany: when we turn ourselves toward Christ, the one who is the light of the world, we reflect the light of Christ out into the world.

We can’t do anything about cloudy days in Ohio. There’s not much we can do about the cloudy and grey times in which we live, with all that is happening in the world today. But we can rise and shine. We can return to the manger and pay homage to the Christ child, maybe with a little joy in our hearts as we simply adore him, Christ the Lord. And then as we move through the day with our eyes on Jesus, we can reflect the light of Jesus out into the world. We can let our little lights shine.