Genesis 12:1-4a
John 3:1-17

It was Christmas Day 1989, and I imagine my family, like most families, was settling in for Christmas dinner. It was just another Christmas for us, but across the world, the Romanian Dictators Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu were being executed, after a hasty trial, for crimes against the Romanian people. The entire nature and horror of those crimes would not emerge for months and years, but for the first time in a generation, the Romanian people could breathe the breath of freedom.

It was January 1992, and I was finishing my studies at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy. One of my last requirements was a missions course that was being offered during the January term. J-Term courses were intensive, three-weeklong courses that met every day for those three weeks. The course was taught by Nazarene missionaries from the Azores who was home on leave. I had to take the class as a graduation requirement, so I signed up.

The first day of class arrived, and I went to the appointed classroom full of suspicion. I wondered what these Nazarene missionaries would teach this nice Catholic boy. Little did I know that one class would change the direction of my life.

The class would focus on world missions but with a particular emphasis on the work in the orphanages of Romania. The course instructor, who remains a very dear friend to this day, would be bringing us firsthand accounts from the field. Her daughter and friends were in Romania on a mission trip to bring what aid and comfort they could to the children in a particular orphanage far away from the media attention in the Capitol City of Bucharest.

Remember that this was back in the day before Al Gore invented the internet, so communication was difficult. But we heard stories of the work being done there, and something inside me stirred. I had felt this stirring before, but this was new. This was to leave my comfort zone and “Go from my own county.”

Today we have two stories of movement and change. We begin with the story of Abram from the Book of Genesis. Abram, who would later become Abraham, is called by God to leave everything he knows, his family, his home, his flock, everything, and go to a place he has never heard of.

It is an interesting use of words here. God does not call Abram to a particular place; nope, God calls Abram to leave everything for a “land that I will show you.” Abram does not know the destination. God is calling Abram not only to leave everything but to trust in the destination that is not certain. God calls Abram to step into the dark without light and trust that God will guide him along the right path.

Abram is like most of the people God calls ordinary. Abram is home, doing a job living a life he has chosen, and, by all accounts, is pretty happy. They were not native to the land they occupied, but people traveled in those days to find better land to graze their livestock and raise their families.

I am sure Abram had dreams and aspirations, but this call came along and changed it all. Genesis tells us that God called Abram, but what does God’s voice sound like? A couple of weeks ago, we heard of Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness and God’s voice coming from the sky, saying, “this is my son in whom I am well pleased.” Was it that sort of voice? Did anyone else hear it, or was it just Abram?

How did Abram, or for that matter, how do we know it is God’s calling and not us sounding like God, calling us to do something? We want to be sure; we need to be sure. That thing was stirring inside of Abram to Go and do. So Abram started listening to that still, small voice inside of him and tested it to see if it was God. Abram determines it is God’s voice, he listens to God, and his life changes forever.

Abram is called to change his location; Nicodemus is called to change his mind.

Not all of God’s calls are to do extraordinary things like found nations of people or raise the dead. Sometimes, God calls us to change our minds. God calls us from the wilderness of ignorance and darkness into the bright light of knowledge and love.

In the Gospel passage, we hear from John Jesus meets Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a teacher and a council member, so he has to come to Jesus in secret. Nicodemus is afraid of what will happen if he is found out. Many people feel this way and are uncertain about stepping out of their comfort zone to ask another to come to church. What will they say? What if they ask me questions I cannot answer? My faith is private, and I want to keep it that way.

Nicodemus was not afraid of discomfort; he was scared for his life. If he were found out, he would be put out of the Temple and shunned, basically ending his life. But he desired knowledge and sought out Jesus for the answers.

Nicodemus was an educated man and believed a certain way. Some people like things in black and white, and they do not want to think about things differently. Because of their privilege, some people want things to remain the same as they have always been, and when challenged in their narrow belief, they make fun of those who believe differently and call them things like woke.

Change can be difficult, and realizing that the way you have always thought about something is not necessarily that way can be jarring to one’s system, and we do not always react as we should. But then enter outside forces that think like you do and constantly preach the message you want to hear. Maybe your church does or the news network you listen to. You are so deep in the belief that the very thought that you might be wrong seems impossible.

Then along comes this guy named Jesus who says we have to love everyone. Surely, he does not mean everyone. He must mean people who look like me, talk like me, love like me, and think like me. Surely, he will allow me to continue to hate and persecute those who are different. Surely, he will let me hate people I do not understand because I am so unsure of my own skin that I have to persecute them to feel better about myself. Surely, he means that I can persecute those who do not think the same way I do and force them to believe the way I do. Jesus is not saying that everyone deserves to be loved and forgiven; he cannot be saying that!

But that is precisely what Jesus is saying. I mentioned last time that if your God hates the same people you do, it’s time to find a new God.

The call to discipleship is a call to change. Once we decide to follow Jesus, we must do just that; follow and following requires action. We must be willing to see things differently and through this lens of love for God and everyone. We do not have to like others or support their actions but must love them.

In January 1992, I felt something that I determined was God’s voice. I left all that I knew and all that was comfortable and, for a short time, put myself into an uncomfortable position. I left my country and traveled to Romania, where I worked for a month doing what I could. As I said earlier, that yes to that stirring changed my life in ways that I still have not figured out. It opened my eyes and my perspective and changed the way I thought and think about so many things.

Abram listened to God’s voice and became the father of a great nation that changed how we now look at the world. We are, in a sense, inheritors of that call to Abram and are part of that great nation of believers. Like Abram, we are being called to “Go from our own country” of darkness and ignorance. We are being called into the light and to help others find that light. We are called to come and see what God is doing in the world and what our part in that is. The critical piece is that we are looking, listening, and not standing still.

We have questions like Nicodemus, and we can find the answers. We are being called to challenge our beliefs that we thought were true and might have been at the time, but now, not so much. We are being called to examine and reexamine our beliefs and our thoughts. St. Paul said that when he was a child, he thought and acted like a child, but now that he is an adult, he needs to think and act like an adult.

We must be open to the idea that not everyone thinks the way we do and that we might be wrong. We must be open to the concept of change. As much as we want them to, things cannot remain the same forever; things must change. Faith is not a static practice; it is ever-moving and ever-evolving. Nicodemus asked questions, and although he did not get a direct answer from Jesus, he was put on the path of enlightenment and discovery. But it began with questions and seeking answers. Do not be afraid to ask questions and challenge the answers and your beliefs.

Don’t worry about having all the correct answers or doing things the right way; God does not call the equipped; God equips the called. If we say yes when God calls, we will be prepared, and there are a ton of examples in scripture to back that up. So don’t worry about your preparation or lack thereof; just say yes to the call and enjoy the ride.

Amen.

Matthew 5:1-12

Every so often, there is a clamor for the 10 Commandments to be placed on the walls of courthouses around the country. If memory serves, there was a judge in a southern state that felt the 10 Commandments were more important than the Constitution when it came to the laws of the land. Then I read where a minister asked, why do we put the Commandments on the wall, not the beatitudes?

Chapter five of the Gospel of Matthew begins what has been called the Sermon on the Mount. Mountains play a rather significant role in the life and ministry of Jesus. Just before this passage, Jesus is tempted by being brought to the highest mountain in the area and shown all the lands. The tempter tells him that if he worships him, he will have all of this. There are several other occasions when Jesus is on a mountain teaching and preaching, but there is something special about this one.

We have come to the point where Jesus is ready; he is prepared to begin his ministry. He met John and called for folks to repent. He has wandered in the desert for 40 days and been tempted. He has called his disciples, those that will be the closest to him over the next several years, as he lays out a vision for the Kingdom of God.

There is a connection to the history of Israel as well. I mentioned that Jesus had been in the desert for 40 days already. After John baptized him, Jesus went out in solitude to prepare for his ministry. He spent that time wondering if you will in the desert and being tempted. This parallels the time the Jews spent after the Exodus in the desert. You will remember they spent 40 years wandering and faced all sorts of temptations.

But today, he stands on this mountain and lays out for us what he has in mind, his ideas, and his vision for the Kingdom of God, which he says is at hand. He stands as Moses stood on the mountain when he gave the law written by God’s hand. But this law, this fulfillment of that law of Moses, is not punitive but rather the new way for us to bring God’s kingdom right here.

It is important to note that at the very outset of Jesus’ ministry, he stands tradition on its ear. God’s kingdom, God’s love will not be directed to the upper wealthy but rather to those on the margins, those on the underbelly of society; blessed are the poor, the meek, and those who mourn. These come right at the start of this whole thing. Jesus is showing a preference for those we do not like to see.

But it sounds weird to say blessed are the poor, the meek, and those who mourn. So how can we find blessings at those times in our lives? We need to start by looking at the word blessing or blessed.

Like most words in translation, there are several meanings, and it is up to the translator to choose the correct word that conveys not only the meaning of a particular word but the meaning of the phrase the word is part of. So, for example, the Greek word translated here as blessed could also be translated as happy, happy are those… But it could also be translated as blissful.

So unlike the law that Moses gave, these ideals that Jesus is offering are not something we are measured against or feel guilty if we do not live up to. There may be more to what is happening here than what we see on the surface.

What if, and hang in there with me, Jesus encouraged us at the outset of his ministry rather than an impossible standard to live up to? What if, rather than another list of things to feel guilty about, Jesus encourages us for the long journey ahead?

We have already seen in the preceding chapters that Jesus has gone into the wilderness and proclaimed the kind of Messiah he will be. He calls together a community that will be with him to help him in the coming weeks, months, and years. He spends time teaching and healing and then, in this chapter, tells us full-on what he is going to do, changes everything.

Jesus is calling the world to repent but not in the sense of “shame on you, you dirty sinner,” but rather, “get on board, turn around and follow me.” Jesus is presenting us not with a measuring rod of failure or success but a glimpse of the community of faith. A glimpse of what we can be.

I believe that Jesus was not specifically talking to the poor, the meek, those who mourn, and the rest, but instead, he was speaking to us, the community. What if Jesus said, “blessed is the community who makes room for the peacemakers. Blessed is the community who makes room for the meek, those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, who are poor in spirit. Blessed is the community who makes room for those who mourn at the brokenness of the world, who is unstained by the impurity of the world. Blessed is the community who knows persecution is inevitable and still decides to make room for those the world thinks are unimportant.”

Since the time of Moses, the law has been used as a stick to keep people in line; many religions and many Christian faith groups today continue to use the law to keep people in rather than encourage them to create communities built on love and support.

Jesus is ushering in a new way to be a community. Jesus is not abolishing the law of Moses but instead changing the focus away from the juridical aspect of the law towards grace and mercy. We must remember how radical this sense of community was, where there was room for everyone without exception. A place where people would be nourished and helped without question. A community where we grow together and journey together.

But all will not be bliss if we adopt this ideal of community. The final two blessings are for those who will be persecuted for following this new way, and we will; we are. Not everyone has or will see things in this way. Many cling to the law because it gives them a sense of superiority over others and this, sadly, includes many of my colleagues in ministry. But I cannot be concerned with what others think, nor should you.

Getting caught up in the things that divide rather than the things that bring unity is very easy. As followers of Jesus, we are called to a particular way of living our lives which is summed up relatively well in the Prophet Micha, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Amen

Matthew 3:13-17

I am not sure, but I was probably a month old, but shortly after I was born, I was brought to the Church to be baptized. I was dressed in a white garment, denoting my innocence that I still carry to this day. My family and some friends gathered around the marble font that was at the back of the Church; the priest read some prayers, promises were made on my behalf, and water was poured from a gold seashell over my forehead with the words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I had been part of an ancient ritual that we still practice today.

Today, we gather on the banks of the Jordan River and see John the Baptist, dressed in his ragged clothing, calling people to repentance and a change in their way of life. When Jesus comes, John hesitates; he tells his cousin that he should not baptize him, but that Jesus should be the one doing the baptism. Jesus tells John that he must baptize Jesus to “fulfill all righteousness.” And so, John Baptized Jesus.

Immediately after, the heavens were opened, and a voice was heard, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Scripture also tells us that a dove landed on Jesus’ shoulder; the dove is often the symbol used to denote the presence of the Holy Spirit. This is one of several theophanies or epiphanies that we encounter in Scripture, moments when Jesus reveals that he is God, not just at that moment but from in the beginning.

But why did Jesus have to be baptized?

To answer that question, we need to look at a few things. First, what is the nature of baptism? What does baptism do? And the most fundamental question is, what does baptism mean?

The answers to each of these questions could be a sermon or a lecture in and of themselves, so I will try to summarize 2,000+ years of theological study and understanding; you might want to hold on, this might get a little bumpy.

Water is the ordinary means of baptism, and water is vital to life. We need water to sustain our life and the life of all of creation. Water is the substance that joins creation together; without it, creation will cease to exist. We use warm water to clean and sanitize and cool water for refreshment. We find peace beside the still water, and very often, the sound of gentle water falling during a rainstorm calm and soothes us.

Water is also essential to us in the life of the Church. In the introductory words of the baptism service, we hear these words, “we are initiated into Christ’s holy Church, … incorporated into God’s mighty acts of salvation and given new birth through water and the Spirit. All this is God’s gift, offered to us without price.” The Rev. Taylor Burton-Edwards explains, “Baptism is the ordinary means of rebirth and initiation into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Scripture tells us that God created all of creation, including humanity, to be good, but that goodness was distorted when sin entered the picture. Sin distorts the image of God contained inside of each of us and degrades the whole of creation. In baptism, we reject the power of sin and begin our journey as disciples of Jesus Christ.

The baptism ritual begins with a series of questions asked by the minister and answered by either the person being baptized or their parents, Godparents, or guardians if they cannot answer for themselves. The questions ask if we renounce wickedness, reject evil, and repent of sin; accept the freedom and power of God to reject evil, injustice, and oppression; and confess Jesus as Savior, trust in his grace, and promise to serve him as Lord alongside all who are part of the universal Church.

But baptism is only the beginning. Rev. Burton-Edwards explains, “Baptism starts that process of breaking us away from sin’s power, but it is sanctifying grace throughout our lives that actually accomplishes it.” Baptism makes room for God’s grace to begin to work within us.

Now just a quick bit about the so-called “original sin.” We often hear this term, which relates to that first “sin” of humanity in the garden. You will remember I talked about this recently and said that the original sin was pride and arrogance. This sin is what distorts the image of God in humanity and degrades all of creation.

The idea of original sin is that we not only carry a propensity to sin but that we are somehow tainted with that first sin. It would be like someone in your family, say, your father committed a crime and was sentenced to prison. For whatever reason, he could not fulfill the sentence, so the court told you that you had to finish it. Not only do you have an association with the crime because it was your relative that committed it, but now you have the guilt of that crime.

Theologically this is not the case. At baptism, we are not cleansed of something that happened eons before we were born by people, even if they did exist, that we did not even know. This idea that we must be cleansed from something beyond our control does not line up with my understanding of a God who loves and cares for me. Why would I carry such a sentence before I can do something about it? It is theology like this that has done damage to people and the witness of God’s love for all without exception.

As I have said, baptism prepares the way for grace to begin to work in each of us. Through the grace of baptism, we are entering a covenant relationship with God, and God is entering a convent relationship with us. Baptism gives us the tools to walk in the light rather than the darkness, but we have to choose to use those tools and learn how to use those tools.

“Baptism is not an act that imparts something just to you,” Burton-Edwards clarifies. “It is an act that brings you into a spiritual relationship with the whole body of Christ. In which you are becoming one with them and they are becoming one with you.”

Just a quick bit about baptism and church membership.

In a United Methodist Context, baptism makes one, regardless of age, a member of the Church universal, the denomination of The United Methodist Church, and their local congregation. In the United Methodist Church, there are two types of membership: baptized and professed.

Professing members are those who have been received into membership by profession of faith and those who were baptized into the Church but have made a public profession of that faith by confirmation of the promises made at your baptism and by reaffirmation of those same promises.

Let us now turn our attention back to Jesus and the Jordan.

John’s baptism was about repentance and confessing sin, so does John consider Jesus, a sinner? Did Jesus consider himself a sinner and in need of repentance? Scripture mentions nothing about sin as it relates to Jesus’ motivation to be baptized by John. Jesus’ baptism is more likely a signal of identification of Jesus with God’s kingdom, which John says is at hand and which Jesus will shortly proclaim and inaugurate. In this way, repentance is not only preparation but a response to God’s presence among us.

But wait, there’s more.

Jesus’ baptism signals his humility in submitting to God’s call through John. Jesus fully identifies with all those coming to John seeking deliverance and preparing for the suffering to come for God’s chosen servant.

John is saying there is no longer confidence in the Jerusalem authorities as the exclusive arbiter of God’s redemptive activity. Jesus’ baptism by John anticipates his own denunciation of the temple authorities and his crucifixion at their hands.

Our baptism may signal for us a turn from the power of sin and death, but it is often less clear what false gods in our lives we are turning from and what new ways we are turning towards. Jesus’ baptism signals his denial of the power of sin over him generally and a refusal to bow before any power but God, including the power of empire that dominates Jerusalem. Our baptism signifies our commitment to his story, his ways, and his fate as our own.

Water is an integral part of the story for the reasons I have mentioned and a few theological reasons. Creation came out of water. Water was the first element created by God. Water became a sign of the covenant made between God and humanity through Noah. Salvation for Israel came from the parting of the waters during the exodus from Egypt, and it is through water that the redemption of humanity in the earthly ministry of Jesus began.

Jesus’ baptism formally marks the beginning of a new stage in God’s action as creator. A new time is brought forth, and the realization of God’s intentions not only for humanity but for the whole of heaven and earth, whose unity, disrupted by human disobedience, is now being restored by the obedience of God’s son and servant.

Matthew’s story of Jesus contained in his Gospel is not just about the salvation of humanity and is not just about our transport from earth to heaven. Instead, this is a story about the reconciliation of the whole of heaven and earth.

This is what the idea of a new creation is all about and why the baptism of Jesus is not just an event for him. On the contrary, this action of Jesus submitting through humility to John is the beginning of fulfilling God’s purpose for the whole of heaven and earth.

Our baptism prepares us to continue and participate in this redemptive work. So let’s get busy and get to work.

Amen.