Sermon from January 22, 2006

Every year Time magazine selects the man or woman of the year. Some years I applaud their selections and other years I groan. But this year, well, this year is something else.

As Time magazine says, “These are not the people you expect to come to the rescue. Rock stars are designed to be shiny, shallow creatures furloughed from reality for all time. Billionaires are even more removed, nestled atop fantastic wealth where they never again have to defrost dinner or fly commercial. If these guys can decide to make it their mission to save the world, no one has a good excuse to stay on the sidelines anymore.”

Time is talking about Bono and Bill & Melinda Gates. Bono, in 2005, “charmed and bullied world leaders to forgive 40 billion dollars of debt owed by the poorest nations in the world.” Gates gave a 29 billion dollar endowment dedicated to research and economists and people in the field. They work hand in hand to end global poverty.

For Bono, the change happened in his life when he volunteered at an orphanage in Ethiopia right after a Live Aid Concert in which he had performed. He realized what he had done at Live Aid was a drop in the bucket.

It was a time of transformation for him that really didn’t live itself out into action until a decade later. He now meets with political, world leaders and visits churches. He talks to churches about the life commitments of Christ and the fact that there are over 2000 references in the Bible that deal with caring for the poor.

Bono, Melinda & Bill Gates have all risen to a new call. They have dared to step outside their comfortable realities to see the world as it is. They have delved deep within the waters of truth and passion and pain, love and connection. They have risen out of the waters with a calling that they will not let go of. On this day we also remember a gifted prophet who would not waiver from his call to stand with the poorest of the poor, to stand for civil rights, at any cost. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a force whose spirit for justice will not die. With people such as these, how can we be apathetic, hopeless? Could it be we don’t know who we are?

It is time we claim our identity as children of God.

Matthew tells the story of Jesus’ baptism. John was reluctant. Jesus was certain. Jesus was plunged deep into the waters of the Jordan and when he rose out of the waters, the heavens parted and a dove lit on him – symbolizing a new creation. Then, a voice announced in a very public way, “This is my son, the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Jesus was willing to plunge into the muddy waters and as he came out of those waters, he experienced blessing and a newness of creation.

Jesus’ baptism offered him two things. First of all he knew he was loved. God was pleased with him just because he was – Jesus hadn’t started his ministry yet. There was nothing he had done to receive God’s pleasure. He just was. God’s love, unconditional, abundant, overflowed.

Secondly, Jesus was told who he was. His identity was not a secret to him or the crowd. It had been announced. He was the Son of God. With this announcement of his identity, his ministry began.
God blesses us too. In that blessing is unconditional love. In that blessing is a moment of embracing who we are . . . not only embracing it, but claiming it. We are not Bono, or the Gates’ . . . but as Christians we are called to not sit on the sidelines. Right now seeds are being planted in your souls. It might take a decade for them to blossom, but water them and nourish them.

Cherish the love that God offers you. Let yourself be soaked to the bone by the water of life. But that is only the beginning. For once you now God’s love, you can do no less than claim your identity as a child of God. Begin to prayerfully ask God to help you decide your identity – who God calls you to be. Psalm 29 was at first a Canaanite song of celebration to God who offers rain. The Psalm is grateful for the hugeness of God seen in wind, rain and fire. A God who is in charge of the whole cosmos. It makes us wonder what role we can have in the midst of God’s hugeness. Are we passive people, waiting for God to act?

Why should we do anything but lay back and enjoy the ride? But you see the Hebrew Psalmist adds two verses to the Canaanite hymn – “May God strengthen his people. May he bless his people with peace.”

We are reminded in I Corinthians why these verses are important. Christ strengthens us and we strengthen Christ’ work. We cannot set on the sidelines. We are called to see, really see, our world and really see ourselves. Katrina knocked us into reality as we understood in a real way the ways that racism and classism is lived out. As we remember Martin Luther King, we are reminded that the horror of racism, classism and homophobia exist and we need leaders, strong leaders to stand up against them.

In the Chronicles of Narnia, there is a character, Eustace. He is not really a very likeable character. He is greedy and grumpy. In one of his adventures, Eustace discovers a magic cave full of treasures. He is so excited that he falls asleep and dreams great dreams in the midst of his find. When he wakes up, he finds out that he has become exactly what he acts like – a dragon. He surveys his knobby, scaly skin and his huge feet and he is horrified. Aslan, the Jesus figure, tells Eustace to dive into a lake. Eustace does. As he comes out of the water, he finds himself in pain – he is stinging. His scales are coming off. Then he peels layers upon layers off. Underneath it all is his skin, his real self. It is shiny and smooth as a newborn’s skin. For in a way he does feel like a newborn.

Buechner in Wishful Thinking talks about baptism. “Baptism consists of getting dunked or sprinkled. Which technique is used matters about as much as whether you pray kneeling or standing on your head. Dunking is a better symbol, however. Going under symbolizes the end of everything about your life that is less than human. Coming up again symbolizes the beginning in you of something strange and new and hopeful. You can breathe again.” Baptism happen in so many ways in our lives. I challenge you to go forth, claim who God has called you to be and breathe as if for the first time in your life – the sweet spirit of Christ.