The Call of Christ as Spiritual Mobility

3 Epiphany B  January 21, 2018

Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 62:6-14

1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20

 Lectionary Link

 

A calling from God can bring significant changes in one's life.  Remember Abraham?  His calling took him from Ur of the Chaldees to the far way land of Canaan.  And Jonah, his calling to go to Ninevah brought him a detour of being fish food in the belly of a big fish at the bottom of the sea.

 

America is a nation of immigrants.  Only the Native Americans are original residents.  People from all across the world seem to think that they have been called to be here, and often for economic reasons.  I ask a Danish American why his father came from Denmark to South Dakota?  He said that his father was one of many brothers, and his grandfather had only one farm in Denmark, and that farm went to the oldest son.  So, his dad came to South Dakota for land to farm on.

 

Imagine St. Peter in Rome, on his way to his own upside-down crucifixion.  Can you imagine Peter thinking, "Wow, Peter you've come a long way from fishing on the Sea of Galilee.  This call to follow Christ and spread the Gospel has brought me to threaten the Emperor in the city of Rome."  Peter could not have imagined the changes and the adventures which came to him because of the call of Christ.

 

The call of Christ sometimes, is reduced to a religious vocation or specific ministry, or ordained ministry.  And it is that, but it is much more.  Peter would probably say, “the call of Christ is going to knock your socks off if you embraced the holistic life transformation of the call of Jesus.”

 

To have a holistic spiritual calling from Christ is to begin a path of social, vocational, geographical, and intellectual path of mobility.

 

Why weren't the fathers of Peter and Andrew and James and John upset about Jesus stealing their sons from the family fishing business?  Well, it could be that there were too many brothers for the business and so if a couple of brothers found something else to do, then that solved the passing on of the family fishing businesses.

 

Think about the social and intellectual transformation of Peter and his fellow fisherfolk?  Following Jesus made them into public speakers; it gave them the opportunity to travel and to use and develop people gifts which they did not know that they had.  It maybe gave them the opportunity to become literate, able to learn how to read and write.

 

When one thinks about the call of Christ, one should think about holistic mobility.  The Holy Spirit means mobilization in one's life.  The call of Christ is the holistic educational program of repentance.   Repentance is the translation of the Greek word, "metanoia," which means the renewal of one's mind.  This is what mobility means; it means perpetual change toward becoming more like Christ, and change may mean doing some things which may not be in logical continuity with what one has been trapped in.  I imagine that many people are "burned out" by their jobs because they feel locked in with no possibility for the kind of mobility that one needs to surprise oneself in personal and social development towards excellence.

 

We might be afraid of what changes the call of Christ might instigate.  I had a parishioner who grew up in a small town in Texas.  He thought that he would be stuck there forever.  But he became a glider pilot in the Second World War.  He landed those flying plywood boxes on rough fields at Normandy and in the Netherlands, and he survived.  And he was grateful that his military call him got him out of that little town and allowed him to see the world and he saw open to him many new directions for his life and business opportunity.

 

This illustrates something of the kind of mobility that the call of Christ can offer to us.  The call of Christ invites us to surprise ourselves in what we never thought possible.

 

We now seem to be locked in as individuals, families and as a parish by all of the restrictions of our pandemic.  And yet we pray afresh to Jesus, let your call come to us even in the middle of our dire circumstances.  Let your call come to us with spiritual wisdom for creativity in how to remain connected as a parish family and how we can best share the good news of God in Christ.

 

Our nation has just experienced the change of administrations; we do not need to be political to interweave Gospel values of binding wounds and bringing good tiding to the oppressed and the suffering with what our governmental organizations are trying to do for the health of the people of our country.  Let us respond in new ways to the call of Christ and perhaps we can know future amazement with the new life mobility that will come from responding to the call of Christ.

 

I hope and pray that the call of Christ will surprise us in new ways today.  Amen.

Call of Christ beyond Regional Biases

 2 Epiphany B  January 17, 2021
1 Samuel 3:1-10  Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 6:11b-20  John 1:43-51

 

One of the themes of the season of the Epiphany, meaning the manifestation of Christ to this world, is the theme of the call of God.

 

How did the Jesus Movement begin?  It began, of course, with Jesus of Nazareth.  But why didn't Jesus remain a solitary forgotten figure?

 

Jesus had the charisma to befriend.  He had the ability to lead, because he had the ability to attract followers.  The events of attracting followers are recounted in the stories of the calling of the disciples.

 

A calling is an originating event in one's life.  It is an event which gives profound insight about what one is supposed to do with one's life.

 

We've read the story of the call of the boy Samuel.  He was the marvelous birth child of Hannah who had been childless and she promised that she would give her child to God's service if she would conceive.  While being an acolyte in the service of the High Priest Eli, he received a call from God during his attempts to sleep.  He was not sure about hearing voices and Eli gave him advice on how to respond.  And Samuel grew up to become the judge who became the leader of Israel to reform Israel from the corruption of the sons of Eli.  Samuel was the crucial transition leader to the monarchy of kings Saul and David.  Samuel answered his call but in his ministry he had to keep being refreshed in a wisdom relationship with God to lead the people of Israel.

 

The Jesus Movement was given birth by the call of Jesus.  We have read today about the call of Jesus to Philip who immediately shared with his friend Nathaniel, who was initially skeptically because of regional bias.  When told about wonderful Jesus, Nathaniel replied, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"  Apparently the people of Bethsaida had some negatives views for the town of Nazareth.  Jesus does not get sidetrack by such bias, he seems amused and says, "I have been watching you from afar and I think you and I can have a very long term relationship.  Don't be impressed with this first encounter, you will find that I am like Jacob's ladder connecting the unseen world with the visible world.  Angels, or God's messages will go up and down upon me as the ladder connecting heaven and earth."

 

Why do we celebrate birthdays?  It is because we believe in our continuing lives as much as we believe in the importance of one's birth.

 

This is how we should understand the call of Christ.  We all may have had originating events when God's message because obvious to us for the first time.  

 

But what is the message of the Gospel of John?  The call of Christ becomes the habit of the continuous messages of Christ to our lives.  It is not enough to be nostalgic about an initial break through event;  we are to live in a continuous call of Christ.

 

Jesus updates the meaning of Jacob's ladder; signifying the messengers and messages which happen between the invisible abode and the visible life to guide in our efforts to help God's will in the invisible heaven become God's will on earth.

 

In John's Gospel, the Word from the beginning is God.  Word is essentially invisible; you can't see word even though we know the results of having the languages of word organize our lives.  That invisible word was made flesh in an exemplary way in Jesus.   So Jesus has become the ladder between the invisible world of Word as God, and the organizing and structuring of our world because we have language.  The angels on the ladder of Jesus are the continuous insights from the invisible realm of Word as God, into our lives because that Word as God is still seeking occasions to become flesh in our lives in how we speak and how we act with our body language deeds of virtue, love and justice.

 

Jesus saw Nathaniel from afar, he befriended him and even dealt with his small minded regional bias.  But then he promised to be one on whom the messengers of God, the angels would ascend and descend signifying the continuous communication which we have with the Eternal Realm of Word as God.

 

Let us thank God today, for the milestone of originating events of the call of Christ, but let us not live in the past.  Let us know Christ as the ladder of God between the eternal realm of Word as God on which we are engaged in continual and perpetual communication, as we are always praying, let the Word of God be made flesh again in us today.  Let us as a parish be renewed in the Word of God being made flesh in our parish life together in our mission in our time and place.  Amen.

Christ as Jacob's Ladder?

 2 Epiphany B  January 17, 2021
1 Samuel 3:1-10  Psalm 63:1-8
1 Corinthians 6:11b-20  John 1:43-51

Lectionary Page

One of the themes of the season of the Epiphany, meaning the manifestation of Christ to this world, is the theme of the call of God.

How did the Jesus Movement begin?  It began, of course, with Jesus of Nazareth.  But why didn't Jesus remain a solitary forgotten figure?

Jesus had the charisma to befriend.  He had the ability to lead, because he had the ability to attract followers.  The events of attracting followers are recounted in the stories of the calling of the disciples.

A calling is an originating event in one's life.  It is an event which gives profound insight about what one is supposed to do with one's life.

We've read the story of the call of the boy Samuel.  He was the marvelous birth child of Hannah who had been childless and she promised that she would give her child to God's service if she would conceive.  While being an acolyte in the service of the High Priest Eli, he received a call from God during his attempts to sleep.  He was not sure about hearing voices and Eli gave him advice on how to respond.  And Samuel grew up to become the judge who became the leader of Israel to reform Israel from the corruption of the sons of Eli.  Samuel was the crucial transition leader to the monarchy of kings Saul and David.  Samuel answered his call but in his ministry he had to keep being refreshed in a wisdom relationship with God to lead the people of Israel.

The Jesus Movement was given birth by the call of Jesus.  We have read today about the call of Jesus to Philip who immediately shared with his friend Nathaniel, who was initially skeptically because of regional bias.  When told about wonderful Jesus, Nathaniel replied, "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?"  Apparently the people of Bethsaida had some negatives views for the town of Nazareth.  Jesus does not get sidetrack by such bias, he seems amused and says, "I have been watching you from afar and I think you and I can have a very long term relationship.  Don't be impressed with this first encounter, you will find that I am like Jacob's ladder connecting the unseen world with the visible world.  Angels, or God's messages will go up and down upon me as the ladder connecting heaven and earth."

Why do we celebrate birthdays?  It is because we believe in our continuing lives as much as we believe in the importance of one's birth.

This is how we should understand the call of Christ.  We all may have had originating events when God's message because obvious to us for the first time.  

But what is the message of the Gospel of John?  The call of Christ becomes the habit of the continuous messages of Christ to our lives.  It is not enough to be nostalgic about an initial break through event;  we are to live in a continuous call of Christ.

Jesus updates the meaning of Jacob's ladder; signifying the messengers and messages which happen between the invisible abode and the visible life to guide in our efforts to help God's will in the invisible heaven become God's will on earth.

In John's Gospel, the Word from the beginning is God.  Word is essentially invisible; you can't see word even though we know the results of having the languages of word organize our lives.  That invisible word was made flesh in an exemplary way in Jesus.   So Jesus has become the ladder between the invisible world of Word as God, and the organizing and structuring of our world because we have language.  The angels on the ladder of Jesus are the continuous insights from the invisible realm of Word as God, into our lives because that Word as God is still seeking occasions to become flesh in our lives in how we speak and how we act with our body language deeds of virtue, love and justice.

Jesus saw Nathaniel from afar, he befriended him and even dealt with his small minded regional bias.  But then he promised to be one on whom the messengers of God, the angels would ascend and descend signifying the continuous communication which we have with the Eternal Realm of Word as God.

Let us thank God today, for the milestone of originating events of the call of Christ, but let us not live in the past.  Let us know Christ as the ladder of God between the eternal realm of Word as God on which we are engaged in continual and perpetual communication, as we are always praying, let the Word of God be made flesh again in us today.  Let us as a parish be renewed in the Word of God being made flesh in our parish life together in our mission in our time and place.  Amen.

Sunday School, January 17, 2021 2 Epiphany B

 Sunday School, January 17, 2021  2 Epiphany B

Theme:

The Call of God

The Bible teaches us that God like us.  How do we know?

God calls to be God’s friends.

The boy Samuel heard a voice in his efforts to try to sleep.  It was the voice of God calling to him.  Samuel was shocked to find out that God was interested in him.  When Samuel said, “Speak Lord for your servant is listening,” he accepted a friendship with God to become an important leader for the people of Israel.  He became the most important Judge of Israel and God used Samuel to select the first two kings of Israel, Saul and David.

God like us so much, God sent God’s son Jesus to live with us and Jesus like us and called us to be his brothers and sisters and friends.

Philip was so excited that Jesus called him, he told his friend Nathaniel.  Nathaniel was not so sure at first about Jesus, but when he met Jesus he became very excited.  Jesus had a special way of making friends.

You and I are called by Jesus to be his friends and we are also asked by Jesus to introduce other people to Jesus.  How do we do that?

How do you make a friend?

Take an interest in them.  Share your life with them, your story and your good news.  You ask them to share their story with you.  You care for them.  One of the best things we can share with our friends is what Jesus means to us and to our lives.  The best news we can give our friends is the knowledge that God loves them and that Jesus calls them into a special relationship with God to help them live their lives in the very best way for themselves, their family and for our world.

Sermon:

What church season are we in now?  Epiphany.  And what is the color that we use during Epiphany.  Epiphany sounds like a funny word; what does it mean?

  Epiphany is when you discover something and your life changes because of that discovery.

  As a baby, when you learned that you can walk; that is an Epiphany.  And when you learn how to read and sound out words; that is an epiphany because it changes your life.

  Do you know what one of the greatest discoveries is in life?  It is the discovery of a friend.  Friends change our lives; they share with us their time; they help us when we’re sad; they encourage us.

  Today, we read about a man named Philip and he had a friend Nathaniel.  And since Philip was Nathaniel’s friend, he wanted to share with him his best news.

  And Philip had some good news.  And what was that good news.  Philip had met a wonderful teacher named Jesus.  And Jesus was such a good teacher who had taught Philip so many wonderful things; Philip wanted to share his friend Jesus with his friend Nathaniel.  Why?  Because he knew that Jesus could be a friend and teacher to Nathaniel too.

  Nathaniel was not sure that he wanted a new friend.  But he decided to go with Philip and meet Jesus.  And Nathaniel found out that Philip was right; Jesus was a good friend and teacher and Nathaniel became the friend of Jesus too.

  Epiphany is about discovering Jesus as our friend and teacher.  Epiphany is about discovering each other as friends and sharing our very best news with each other.

  The word Gospel means, “good news.”  And as friends we share good news with each other.  And what is our good news?  That God loves us, God cares for us, God forgives us when we make mistakes, God gives us family and friends to share our good news with.

  So remember the word Epiphany…it is when we discover that God is our friend and God sent his Son Jesus to let us know about the friendship that we can have with God.  And that is good news.  Amen

Family Service with Holy Eucharist

January 17, 2021 The Second Sunday After the Epiphany

Gathering Songs: Hallelu, Hallelujah; Peace Before Us; Lord, Be Glorified; Awesome God

Liturgist:         Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

People:            And Blessed be God’s kingdom, now and forever.  Amen.

Liturgist:  Oh God, Our hearts are open to you.

And you know us and we can hide nothing from you.

Prepare our hearts and our minds to love you and worship you.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Song: Hallelu, Hallelujah (Christian Children’s Songbook # 84)

Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah!  Praise ye the Lord!  Hallelu, hallelu, hallelu, hallelujah!  Praise ye the Lord!  Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah.  Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah.  Praise ye the Lord, Hallelujah.  Praise ye the Lord!

Liturgist:         The Lord be with you.

People:            And also with you.

Liturgist:  Let us pray

Almighty God, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world: Grant that your people, illumined by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshipped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

First Litany of Praise: Alleluia (chanted)

O God, you are Great!  Alleluia

O God, you have made us! Alleluia

O God, you have made yourself known to us!  Alleluia

O God, you have provided us with us a Savior!  Alleluia

O God, you have given us a Christian family!  Alleluia

O God, you have forgiven our sins!  Alleluia

O God, you brought your Son Jesus back from the dead!  Alleluia

Liturgist:   A reading from the First Book of Samuel

Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him. The LORD called Samuel again, a third time. And he got up and went to Eli, and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down; and if he calls you, you shall say, `Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  Now the LORD came and stood there, calling as before, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening."

Liturgist: The Word of the Lord

People: Thanks be to God

Liturgist: Let us read together from Psalm 139

How deep I find your thoughts, O God! * how great is the sum of them!

If I were to count them, they would be more in number than the sand; * to count them all, my life span would need to be like yours.

Birthdays:   James Gabbard, Greg Parish, Ed Ludwick, Chad Church

Anniversaries:   Frank and Bethan Bath

  

Litany Phrase: Thanks be to God! (chanted)

Liturgist:

For the good earth, for our food and clothing. Thanks be to God!

For our families and friends. Thanks be to God!

For the talents and gifts that you have given to us. Thanks be to God!

For this day of worship. Thanks be to God!

For health and for a good night’s sleep. Thanks be to God!

For work and for play. Thanks be to God!

For teaching and for learning. Thanks be to God!

For the happy events of our lives. Thanks be to God!

For the celebration of the birthdays and anniversaries of our friends and parish family.

   Thanks be to God!

Liturgist:         The Holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to John

People:            Glory to you, Lord Christ.

The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, "Follow me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found him about whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus son of Joseph from Nazareth." Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." When Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him, he said of him, "Here is truly an Israelite in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael asked him, "Where did you get to know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you." Nathanael replied, "Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered, "Do you believe because I told you that I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these." And he said to him, "Very truly, I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."

Liturgist:         The Gospel of the Lord.

People:            Praise to you, Lord Christ.

Sermon – Father Phil

Children’s Creed

We did not make ourselves, so we believe that God the Father is the maker of the world.

Since God is so great and we are so small,

We believe God came into our world and was born as Jesus, son of the Virgin Mary.

We need God’s help and we believe that God saved us by the life, death and

     resurrection of Jesus Christ.

We believe that God is present with us now as the Holy Spirit.

We believe that we are baptized into God’s family the Church where everyone is

     welcome.

We believe that Christ is kind and fair.

We believe that we have a future in knowing Jesus Christ.

And since we all must die, we believe that God will preserve us forever.  Amen.

Litany Phrase: Christ, have mercy. (chanted)

For fighting and war to cease in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For peace on earth and good will towards all. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety of all who travel. Christ, have mercy.

For jobs for all who need them. Christ, have mercy.

For care of those who are growing old. Christ, have mercy.

For the safety, health and nutrition of all the children in our world. Christ, have mercy.

For the well-being of our families and friends. Christ, have mercy.

For the good health of those we know to be ill. Christ, have mercy.

For the remembrance of those who have died. Christ, have mercy.

For the forgiveness of all of our sins. Christ, have mercy.

Liturgist:         The Peace of the Lord be always with you.

People:            And also with you.

Song during the preparation of the Altar and the receiving of an offering.

Offertory Music:  Peace Before Us  (Wonder, Love and Praise  # 791)

Peace before us, peace behind us, peace under our feet.  Peace within us, peace over us, let all around us be peace.

Love before us….

Light before us…

Christ before us….

Doxology

Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Praise Him, all creatures here below.

Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Prologue to the Eucharist

Jesus said, “Let the children come to me, for to them belong the kingdom of heaven.”

All become members of a family by birth or adoption.

Baptism is a celebration of our birth into the family of God.

A family meal gathers and sustains each human family.

The Holy Eucharist is the special meal that Jesus gave to his friends to keep us together as the family of Christ.

The Lord be with you

And also with you.

Lift up your hearts

We lift them up to the Lord.

Let us give thanks to God.

It is right to give God thanks and praise.

It is very good and right to give thanks, because God made us, Jesus redeemed us and the Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts.  Therefore with Angels and Archangels and all of the world that we see and don’t see, we forever sing this hymn of praise:

Holy, Holy, Holy (Intoned)

Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Power and Might.  Heav’n and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 

Hosanna in the highest. Hosanna in the Highest.

(All may gather around the altar)

Our grateful praise we offer to you God, our Creator;

You have made us in your image

And you gave us many men and women of faith to help us to live by faith:

Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachael.

And then you gave us your Son, Jesus, born of Mary, nurtured by Joseph

And he called us to be sons and daughters of God.

Your Son called us to live better lives and he gave us this Holy Meal so that when we eat

 the bread and drink the wine, we can  know that the Presence of Christ is as near to us as  

 this food and drink  that becomes a part of us.

And so, Father, we bring you these gifts of bread and wine. Bless and sanctify them by your Holy Spirit to be for your people the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Sanctify us so that we may love God and our neighbor.

On the night when Jesus was betrayed he took bread, said the blessing, broke the bread, and gave it to his friends, and said, "Take, eat: This is my Body, which is given for you. Do this for the remembrance of me."

After supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, gave thanks, and said, "Drink this, all of you. This is my Blood of the new Covenant, which is shed for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Whenever you drink it, do this for the remembrance of me."

Father, we now celebrate the memorial of your Son. When we eat this holy Meal of Bread and Wine, we are telling the entire world about the life, death and resurrection of Christ and that his presence will be with us in our future.

Let this holy meal keep us together as friends who share a special relationship because of your Son Jesus Christ.  May we forever live with praise to God to whom we belong as sons and daughters.

By Christ, and with Christ, and in Christ, in the unity of the Holy Spirit all honor and glory

 is yours, Almighty Father, now and for ever. AMEN.

And now as our Savior Christ has taught us, we now sing,

Our Father: (Renew # 180, West Indian Lord’s Prayer)

Our Father who art in heaven:  Hallowed be thy name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done: Hallowed be thy name.

Done on earth as it is in heaven: Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread: Hallowed be thy name.

And forgive us all our debts: Hallowed be thy name.

As we forgive our debtors: Hallowed be thy name.

Lead us not into temptation: Hallowed be thy name.

But deliver us from evil: Hallowed be thy name.

Thine is the kingdom, power, and glory: Hallowed be thy name.

Forever and ever: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Amen, amen, amen, amen: Hallowed be thy name.

Breaking of the Bread

Celebrant:       Alleluia.  Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.

People:            Therefore let us keep the feast.  Alleluia!

Words of Administration

Communion Song: Lord, Be Glorified  (Renew! # 172)

In our lives, Lord be glorified, be glorified.  In our lives, Lord, be glorified today.

In our homes, Lord…

In your church, Lord…

In your world, Lord…

Post-Communion Prayer

Everlasting God, we have gathered for the meal that Jesus asked us to keep;

We have remembered his words of blessing on the bread and the wine.

And His Presence has been known to us.

We have remembered that we are sons and daughters of God and brothers

    and sisters in Christ.

Send us forth now into our everyday lives remembering that the blessing in the

     bread and wine spreads into each time, place and person in our lives,

As we are ever blessed by you, O Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Closing Song: Awesome God (Renew! # 245)

Our God is an awesome God.  He reigns from heaven above, with wisdom, power and love; our God is an awesome God.

Sing three times

Dismissal    

Liturgist:    Let us go forth in the Name of Christ.

People:      Thanks be to God! 

The Baptism of Jesus and Our Baptisms

1 Epiphany B  January 10, 2021
Genesis 1:1-5   Ps. 29 
Acts 9:1-7   Mark 1:4-11

Lectionary Link

Today on this first Sunday after the Epiphany, also the Baptism of our Lord and one of the four liturgically designated days for baptism, it behoves us to look at the meaning of baptism.   And first, we might distinguish between the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist, and the baptism which we Christians have practiced for centuries.

What does the Greek word for baptism mean?  It means to immerse.  When one is plunged into water, one disappears and it appears that one has been lost in becoming one with water.  One appears to have become the water.

What does the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist mean?  It symbolizes the identity of the divine with the human which happened in Jesus Christ.  For many centuries, seers, prophet and sages had been speaking about God using human words.  What was behind the use of human words about the great and more-than-human God?  There was the assumption that men and women could speak anthropomorphically about God using human words, human analogies, and human attributes for the divine.

The life of Jesus as representing the fullness of God and humanity in one Being, validated that ancient practice of using human words about God.  Jesus validated that human experience is an accepted way of knowing about God.

So, the baptism of Jesus was a significant moment in his life of the life of God being baptized into  an identity with human life.  In Jesus, we celebrate the direction of God toward humanity.  One of the names from Hebrew Scriptures with which Jesus is identified is Emmanuel, which means God with us.  How much is God with us?  Completely with us as is seen in the life of Jesus.

In the words of the Pauline writings, Jesus is God emptied into human form.  In the words of the Gospel of John, Jesus is the Eternal Creating Word of God made flesh.

Jesus was baptized, immersed completely into human life.  His baptism by John the Baptist is one of many events of the solidarity of Jesus with human life within a particular human community.  So, how far did the baptism of Jesus go?  What happens when someone is held under the water?  They die through drowning.  Immersion in water symbolizes a death.  In the case of Jesus, it was death to grasping a sole divine identity and coming out of the water, one can see his embrace of his full human identity.  This entire transaction is symbolic of what we profess in the incarnation, namely, that human experience is a valid way to come to know about God.  And as we know, the identity of Jesus with human experience took him into death.  To be fully human, one must die, and that is the identity which Jesus took with humanity.  And so, we confess him to be a most capable and valid representative for us before God on our behalf.

If this is the baptism of Jesus, what is the nature of your baptism and mine?  In our baptismal immersion, we express our identity with Jesus.  Immersed in the waters of baptism, we die with Christ and confess like St. Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ."  Raised from the waters of baptism, we confess, "I have been raised with Christ, to be part of a new creation, a new humanity, a new fellowship of people."

Today, let us remember our baptismal covenants, which we will renew today, as we use the Apostles Creed, the baptismal Creed as a confession of our vows.

Today, is a good day to cite the orthodox statement often called "theosis" or divinization.  It expresses the reverse identities which is expressed in the baptism of Jesus and in our baptisms.

The statement is: "In Christ God become human or hominized, so that humans might be divinized or made godly."  To state it in another way on the day of baptism:  Jesus became baptized fully into humanity, so that we might be baptized into Christ as sons and daughters of God.

Let this day be a birthday anniversary for each of our baptisms, as we offer our thanksgiving to God for Jesus Christ, as Emmanuel, God with us, who became baptized fully into identity with our humanity, so that we could be raised to know ourselves as sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ.  Amen.

Local Issues and Goals for 2021

 

This was submitted to the Ramona Sentinel, and a portion was published on January 6, 2021

 

What are the biggest issues Ramona faces in 2021 and why?

 

I think the biggest issues faced by our community have to do with the situational application of the main themes of the Serenity Prayer.  Having courage to do the things which are in our power, while having serenity about the things over which we have no control in this pandemic which confronts us as individuals, as churches, as businesses, as families, governing bodies, and as educational institutions.  The biggest issue which faces us is the uncertainty about how the changing situations of the pandemic are going to impinge upon our existence.  It is one thing to ask for serenity to accept the things that we cannot control, but the pandemic requires that we just keep accepting things that we cannot control for a very uncertain period of time whose duration is still very much a mystery.  In more ordinary grief situations, there are caregivers and support teams who are not a part of the impact of the loss.  The pandemic is so embracing and widespread to everyone, there is no one who is outside of the crisis to be modeling what “normal life” is like now outside of the crisis.

 

The biggest issue for us in 2021 is what I would call the maintenance of serenity as we face things over which we have no control.

 

Accepting things that we cannot control?  That is what the serenity project would be.  And when everyone is partaking of the same crisis with no outside caretakers who are exempt from all of the elements of the crisis, what can we do?  We have already seen much community discord instigated by the pandemic crisis.  We have seen the typical reactions to loss, including denial, anger, bargaining, depression and more.  In the continuing losses of this pandemic crisis, it is easy to be swayed by the emotions and the feelings of continual loss.

 

What is the outside mentor for us during a crisis in which all of us are trapped?  Science.  Science is the best method of actuarial wisdom which involves eschewing feelings to apply the methods of statistical approximation.  With dispassion, one asks what are the probabilities based upon what we heretofore know?  In medicine, in business, in education, in politics, in emergency planning we allow ourselves to be guided by the very best actuarial wisdom.  It does not mean that we always get every response to probable outcomes correct, but it is the collaborative processing of best research and practical application of the same.

 

While it may sound very theoretical to say, look to science, we get the most practical advice on behaviors from the scientific communities.  And if we don’t think that we can trust what a political leader or pastor advises, then the most practical spokespersons are the doctors and nurses who are not dealing with a theoretical virus; they experience the immediate outcome of the pandemic and they are the most credible authorities.

 

What goals do you hope to accomplish in Ramona in 2021?

 

Since I am a priest who believes I can be a poet and scientist at the same time without contradiction, my goals would to be articulate faith as a way to promote the best practices for our community’s response to the changing conditions forced upon us by the pandemic, at its full tide effect and as it ebbs in its power.  Faith at its root means what one is persuaded about to the degree of unifying the total person in action toward hopeful outcomes.  A community goal would be to gain greater unity together in our persuasion about safe behaviors in our community.  A goal would be for us to understand the conditions of forced fasting from so many habits that we’ve taken for granted.  We have lost and had to give up so many things.  A religious fast has an intentionality about it.  A goal would be to teach us how we can come to meaning regarding what we are losing.  The main meaning might be the attaining of an empathy for people in our world who have lived prolonged deprived lives as their ordinary staple of existence.  A goal would be for us to develop appreciation for a different kind of presence, the virtual presence of Zoom meetings, phone calls, and other ways of reaching out.  We can appreciate that virtual presence is derived from the real face to face presence.  Another goal is to “take notes” on what we are learning in the times of our deprivation; what will we retain to bring with us to assist our regathering in better ways?  How much burning of fossil fuels has been saved by Zoom meetings?  Virtual meetings can actually expand participation because of ease of instant connection.  Another goal would be to visualize what the future fondness of gathered community will be like since the absence has intensified the heart’s fondness.  Another goal would be to do some American self-examination, as we compare how other countries have dealt with the pandemic: Would we rather sacrifice 1-2 persons per thousand for the sake of our open gathering habits?  What does that tell us about ourselves?  In 2021, a community goal should be to look at who is dying the most in the pandemic, and why are certain groups of people dying more than others?  Will it indicate that we unevenly divide the rewards and punishment for people in our country, because some have been forced to live more closely in harm’s way for economic reasons?  A further reality goal in 2021 will be to convince people that we are in a marathon and not a hundred-yard dash, so we have to be prepared to run accordingly.  The goal is endurance, and most of all, the practice of how best to endure together.