Remember Your Baptism

sermon by Carrie Eikler
Isaiah 43:1-7, Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Epiphany 1

I don’t know how you spent your New Year’s Eve, but we spent ours in a two room hotel suite outside of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. (and unless you have family you haven’t seen in a while living in Minnesota, I don’t suggest going there in the end of December). Squeezed into these two small rooms were six adults and four children under the age of six. After an hour of swimming, and a feast of pizza, we thought the kids would conk out right away. That, we found out, would not be the case.

Finally around midnight, one child on a bed, two on the floor, and one on a blow up air mattress we adults watched the clock grow towards midnight, a new year. Much to the shagrin of our less playful families members, we started in a game of charades close to midnight, quietly getting each other to call out the movies or books or people we were silently acting out…all very subdued so we wouldn’t wake the children. And then midnight arrived, we toasted and kissed, we whispered Happy New Year, sang Auld Lang Syne, and surprisingly, we went back to the charades.

Now this might not sound like an exciting new years eve, but no matter what you’re doing, it is hard not to get a bit excited at the New Year. It a new start for new hopes—a new beginning, like our gathering hymn said this morning: “a time to remember and move on.” And yet, even with all the hope we have for 2010, there’s the little voice in our heads convincing us it will be just the same as 2009. Those resolutions you make will fall away by Groundhog Day, to be halfheartedly returned to as your Lenten focus to give up ice cream or to pick up exercise.

But naysayers be quieted, let’s live in the excitement of a new year! Which makes is seem like a poignant time to enter into the season of Epiphany, after Christmas and the birth, the New Year and our hopes, Epiphany comes. In the season of epiphany the church explores the manifestation of Jesus as the Christ. Until Lent begins, we’ll study stories about Jesus revealing himself as the Messiah. Today, at the story of his baptism, next week at the wedding of Cana, calling the disciples, speaking the beatitudes.

The baptism of Jesus. Today, firm in our new years resolutions, we see a new beginning, a new thing, a new ministry. But unlike my family’s restrained calling out of New Years greetings, quiet charades with quiet movements trying to coax out an answer, God bursts onto the scene with this beginning. Jesus comes up from the water, the heavens are opened, and a voice calls from the heaven, “You are my Child, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And to seal the deal, a dove lands on his shoulder. It might not have been as colorful or raucous as the ball dropping on Times Square, but it was a clear announcement. Something new is about to happen.

Martin Luther, often known as the Father of the Protestant Reformation, once spoke passionately: “Remember your baptism!” Now, most people were still baptized as babies early in the Protestant Reformation. For those of us here who were baptized as adults or youth, it is likely that we remember our baptisms. But I don’t think Luther was implying that we should remember the temperature of the water, or the dress you wore. I’d venture to guess he might not even mean for you remember that fuzzy feeling you got as you stepped out of the waters, or emerged from the font.

Luther wrote, "A truly Christian life is nothing else than a daily baptism once begun and ever to be continued." Maybe we are called to remember each day who we are, and how beloved we are. To be reminded that this baptism of Jesus, is a baptism for all of us. That this is the beginning, something you are invited into.

And through the water lapping and the heavens opening and the dove descending and the Godhead speaking, I wonder if we hear the words of the Lord through Isaiah: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. 2When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” Are we getting it now? Is it starting to make sense?

How lucky for those who heard it, who experienced an audible word in some way. Often in our lives we may remember our baptisms, but strain to hear the word. To remember we, too, are beloved children of God.

This idea of being children of God…I don’t think I understand the magnitude of it. I don’t know if I can comprehend the blessing in that. But given what Christ calls his beloved children to, I don’t think it is all supposed to be a blessing like we think. I was torn from my reflecting on the scriptures this week with a phone call from Matt Crum. He had a prayer request regarding information he received, particularly relevant to his social justice work with World Vision. There is suspicion that as many as two hundred children have been forced into the child pornography industry, here in Monongalia County. This is human trafficking. This is modern day slavery. And it is likely happening in our own communities.

Now we can’t say for sure that this is happening to the suggested degree in our county, but we can say with confidence human trafficking is happening in communities close to us. Our own denominations have taken steps to bring about awareness of this issue, advocating faithful responses to this modern day slavery.Research shows that between 14,000 and 18,000 human beings are brought to the US to work. Lured by the promise of work or safety they are forced into slavery. It’s not just in far away lands.

So here is the question I’ve been dwelling on, and maybe you can help me think about it. Does Jesus’ baptism have anything to say about modern day slavery? Does being called a blessed child of God and human trafficking connect in any way? What do we do when we dwell with God’s word and the reality of this World crash together like this? Oh, and I should mention the additional bit of providence, that as I wrestled with the connections I found out that tomorrow is, in fact, Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

Initially it may seem like a stretch to connect the two. Or maybe it seems too obvious and easy to say that we are all children of God and God’s children shouldn’t be treated this way. And that’s true. But when we remember our baptism and remember Christ’s baptism at the beginning of his ministry--the beginning of him revealing himself to the world--I come back to that double edged blessing. When we claim the title of disciples, we claim not only our promise, but also our responsibility.

But the reality is that many of us here already feel that responsibility acutely. In fact, we feel it so much that we wear ourselves thin thinking of how to address every ill we come across. We struggle with this broken world and instead of walking into the waters of our baptism we want to plunge into the water to keep out the noise, and drown in our sorrows that we can’t do it all.

I think that’s where hearing God’s word for us, each of us, is important. If something comes to you and it feels like the heavens ripping open, booming voices rattling within you- when you feel you aren’t gingerly stepping out of the waters of our baptism, but bursting out, then I think that’s a pretty good sign that this is God’s word for you. But I also think that word can come more gradually, like a crack in our hearts slowly opening as our baptismal waters rush through. I think it's the constant awareness and discernment and prayerfulness to hear that word that follows us in our baptism that makes us faithful and attentive disciples

We each have something to do in this world, I’m convinced. Maybe remembering our baptisms means committing ourselves to that search.

If the issue of human trafficking causes the waters of your baptism to shake you up, hear that word and claim your responsibility. If it troubles you, but for whatever reason you aren’t able to face it head on, then face it with your prayers. Either way, we are called to remember our baptism; This is no New Year’s resolution, when we think in terms of changing into what you want to be-the new you. It’s about growing in our realization of who we are—a child of God, beloved. Instead of a once a year promise, I think remembering our baptism is daily acknowledgement of our oneness with God, our answer to Christ’s call to discipleship.

I’ve invited Matt to come share with you a bit of his experience with the issue of human trafficking, and his response to hearing how this may be a reality in our own backyards.

[Matt]

During our time of waiting worship, bowls of water will be passed through. You are invited to dip your finger into the bowl, or simple gaze at the water before passing it on, as a remember of your baptism, the daily calling to discipleship. If you have not yet been baptized, you may do the same and reflect on the invitation Christ gives to all to come and join him and Christ's community in through this powerful sacrament.

Benediction -
Leave today with these words, a Fransiscan prayer, ringing in your ear

God, bless me with discomfort at easy answers, half-truths, and superficial relationships, so that You will live deep in my heart.God, bless me with anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people and the earthso that I will work for justice, equity and peaceGod, bless me with tearsto shed for those who suffer so that I will reach out my handto comfort them and change their pain into joy.God bless me with the foolishnessto think that I can make a difference in the world, so that I will do the things which others say cannot be done.

Go in peace...