The Gospel:
Mark 1:4-11 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Prayer: Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise today and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that have you inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation and that you will empower our application. Amen Message: So, as I begin my Message this morning I feel like I need to make some short introductory comments. We are living in very fluid and unprecedented times. I will leave comments on the American political circumstances to other people with greater insight and wisdom than myself. I will say however that we have never faced, or perhaps I have never faced, a time when the call to a deep commitment, in prayer, to our ever-increasing understanding of the Christian principles was never more needed or evident. The backdrop of the ongoing political process will inevitably affect and influence our personal sense of the need for inner peace and security. We need a deep sense of God's participation in our lives. We need to be able to establish our trust and confidence in God's activity and presence in our lives. As I write this message I have a sense that it would probably be better suited to a small group study or gathering of people who would have the time to interact, interchange, and engage in discussion over the ideas I will endeavor to share this morning. Perhaps this will be the first, in a series of messages, around the ideas that I hope to share. I can't help but think back to the series that we began at the beginning of 2020. How relevant and pertinent the two questions from that series are again at the beginning of this new year of 2021. What is that you are doing Lord? And What is my part in it? I could spend quite a bit of time this morning recapping some of those thoughts and ideas from that Series. But I going to move on this morning and I am going to introduce a concept that I believe that the Lord wants me to spend some time developing for myself through this year. I am going to trust that, in sharing it this morning, it may provide guidance and hope for us all. If I were to create a title for this message, and perhaps several of the messages which will happen through this coming year, that title would be: "The well within - an examination of the resource and my relationship with the indwelling Holy Spirit." You can see why this would be a good topic or subject for a small group study group, right? How can I possibly do anything more than just touch on the broad concept in this message this morning? I will only have the opportunity to touch the sides of the idea in the short time I have today. So, perhaps instead of just talking about it, I should get down the work of identifying the central points of my message. Here we are on the first Sunday after the Epiphany and this Sunday we are celebrating The Baptism of Our Lord. Last week we celebrated Epiphany the fact that the Lord Jesus was recognized as the coming king by the Magi. Now, in today's Gospel reading, we have fast-forwarded in Jesus' life and we hear that Jesus is experiencing John's Baptism of repentance in the wilderness. That Baptism is significantly marked by the appearance of the "spirit like a dove" and the voice from heaven proclaiming Jesus as the beloved. As we are all aware Baptism is one of the Sacraments of the Episcopal Church. We also know that we, as good Episcopalians, lean into St Augustine's understanding of a sacrament. In the 5th century, St Augustine described a sacrament as ‘an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace.’ Our Anglican tradition recognizes Holy Baptism and the Eucharist (or Holy Communion) as the two great sacraments given by Christ to his Church. In addition to these two, there are other spiritual markers in our journey of faith that can serve as the means of grace. These include: Confirmation. The adult affirmation of our baptismal vows Reconciliation of a Penitent. The opportunity for private confession Matrimony. Christian marriage Orders ordination. Ordination to the diaconate, priesthood, or episcopacy Unction. The anointing, with holy oil, of those who are sick or dying. Today we are concentrating on the Sacrament of Baptism. In the case of Baptism, the outward and visible sign is water, in which the person is baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; the inward and spiritual grace is union with Christ in his death and resurrection, birth into God’s family the Church, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit. At this point, I need to provide you with a little background to my approach this morning. Last weekend as Emma was preparing to return to her life in Marion and Bucyrus we were sitting having a conversation and she asked me a question that brought me up short. Emma was talking about how she was feeling disconnected, from the Lord, because she was unable to attend worship. I was, to use a good Australian expression, "gobsmacked." I was stunned and found myself at a loss for words. As hard as many of you might find it to believe I just didn't know what to say. I had to say to her "I don't know what I would say." I went on to explain to her, that I realized, that I was in a privileged position and that I hadn't even stopped to think about it. Since, March when we had our first suspension of in-person worship, I have not missed worship. I have been in the Sanctuary every week except for three Sundays when I chose to take some time off. I should add that Jim has not had a single Sunday off and Paul was only off when he was sick with the virus. I have spent this past week considering and evaluating Emma's question. I have to admit I have still not completely reconciled the question within my heart and mind. But some of my thoughts led me to prepare this message this morning. The second realization that I had, in my conversation with Emma, is that I don't really understand what most of you have been going through over the past few months. I don't comprehend it. I am very sorry if I have given the impression to any of you that I think this is an acceptable situation. I hope that no one feels that I think that you all should be just fine about the loss of community and opportunity for fellowship that we all understand is at the heart of gathering as the people of God in this place. If you feel that I have been offhand or casual with you about worship and the fact that you are not being able to be here I am really sorry. What I do understand is that for many of you living as you are in the midst of all the challenges and deprivations, we are going through, it must be hard to not be able to come and join in worship. That life-giving worship that we are all so familiar with and which brings us such a touch of the grace of the Lord that we all need now. I am sorry. So, having acknowledged my own inadequate understanding of your situation, and my sorrow, I would like to offer a potential word of encouragement. What might we find in the celebration of the Baptism of Our Lord and in our own Baptism we might find this Sunday. First of all, I would like to encourage us to remember St Augustine's definition of a sacrament: ‘an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace.’ What is the inward and invisible grace that Augustine is talking about? Let's briefly look at the reading from Genesis for this morning: "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. " We understand that at creation the Holy Spirit was present and brought the light of creation over the darkness. Darkness cannot overcome light, but light can and does overcome darkness. At Baptism, we understand that the Holy Spirit has come to dwell within us. That is the inward and invisible grace. The Holy Spirit flows into our innermost being and is available to us. The Holy Spirit brings the light into the darkest parts of our being. That light cannot be overcome. In the Newsletter, this week, in my Mike's Musing spot I said this: "Our light has come. Not only has he dwelt among us, but he has also chosen to dwell within us. The light within us has the power to dispel the darkness, not only from our own hearts and minds, but it also has the power to overcome the darkness of our world." I know that I am mixing a lot of different imagery here this morning, but I want us to consider one more image. I hope it is not one image too many for us all. I want to take us to another scripture and spend a few minutes seeing if it can aid us in comprehending this mystery. We are all familiar with the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well. Jesus meets the woman and engages her in conversation. Central to that conversation is the well, as the source of the water that is needed, not only by this woman but by all humanity. Jesus indicates to the woman that he has water that will refresh and renew her life. Water that will never run dry. Can we see the picture of Baptism here? At the beginning of this message I talked about the "well within." Now, I am going to ask if we can attempt to carry the image that Jesus uses of "water from a well that refreshes, renews, and never runs dry." Can we then consider how the Holy Spirit provides us with an endless supply of refreshing, renewing water in our lives? Am I asking too much for us to see the Holy Spirit as that well? A well which contains the water of unceasing refreshment and renewal. Can we see the Holy Spirit as the inward and invisible grace dwelling within us as a well that provides the ongoing refreshing and renewal that we need now and always for the rest of our lives? I hope that as we get to the end of this message that I haven't confused us all too much. If you have questions or reflections please call me or email me. Can end by asking how we are using the well within. Do we come to that well and draw from it the resource that we need to live in the darkness of the world around us? Can we come to this well and draw from it the grace we need to overcome the darkness of our inner selfishness and our self-centeredness? Can we draw on this well to overcome our need to demand our rights over one another? Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, "Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage." When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: `And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage." When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. Prayer: Lord, you have promised that when two or three gather in your name you will be present with them. We depend on that promise today and pray that you will move among us. Lord, we pray that have you inspired Mike's preparation, that you will enliven his presentation and that you will empower our application. Amen Message: As most of you probably know our daughter Sarah got engaged just before Christmas. So a lot of our time and thoughts through this Christmas season have been concentrated on preparing for a wedding. I have to admit that one of the most pleasant opportunities I have as a Priest/Pastor is to travel alongside people as they prepare for and then participate in The Celebration of a Marriage. Now, I haven't had as many opportunities to walk that path as I have to walk alongside people who are preparing to farewell a loved one at the end of their loved one's life. Funerals have outnumbered weddings since I have been here at Church Church. But that hasn't been a bad thing or a sad thing for me. Both journeys have their blessings. Both have opportunities to celebrate other people and their impact on our lives. It is interesting to me, that I have four couples who have approached me and asked if I would be willing to celebrate their marriages here at Christ Church through the coming year. I am not sure how many of those will come to pass but I am filled with hope and anticipation of the new life and commitments these potential marriages point towards. As I talk with couples about their weddings I find that those who come to me and ask me to walk alongside them in preparing for Marriage have lots of questions. Because this is not something many people have done before they find themselves in a "foreign" feeling place. They find that as they go through the process there are many times of uncertainty. One of the interesting things for me is that people who have decided to get married find themselves walking into a place where they compare their "life experience" with their hopes and dreams. I find that one of the first questions I ask couples is "why do you want to get married?" Another, which usually follows that first one very closely is "why do you want a Christian or religious wedding?" I want to establish in my mind and to try to help them to understand what they are committing to when they come to Christ Church for a wedding. In the world, we live in, marriage doesn't have a great track record. Many younger people are choosing to live together without the traditional Wedding as a formal recognition of their relationship. A couple of generations ago this practice was widely frowned upon. There was a public price to pay when people didn't take the step to formally and legally recognize their living arrangements. These days people may frown when they hear that couples are not getting married but there certainly isn't a public outcry. As we walk through the steps of marriage preparation couples have the opportunity to talk to someone about their goals and expectations. They get to verbalize and hear each other talk about what they know and what they hope for. They also take some time to consider what they have experienced or seen in marriages around them. One thing that becomes obvious as they interact is that they begin to evaluate their hopes and expectations of each other. Many times they discover things that they either did not know or only had a vague inkling of about the other person. It is often only when they sit down and talk to one another in this kind of setting that they learn very important things about each other. Now, I have to say at this point that it is only after the wedding and a few months into the marriage that some things are revealed, some things are tested and some things are confirmed. There is no substitute for the experience of being married. As we enter this new year I believe, that many of us, are feeling some of the same feelings and anxieties that couples feel when they come to prepare for marriage. Some of us are feeling very tentative about what this year might bring. We are coming to this moment and we are comparing our life experiences with our hopes, dreams, and expectations. We are learning more about what this year might hold for us and we are to decide if we are willing to commit ourselves to the upcoming year. I would also like to suggest that we, as Christian believers, as followers of Christ, should be approaching this year with a slightly different expectation than our fellow travelers on this journey. There is plenty of reason to be feeling unsure and anxious about the coming year. The year we have just been through certainly challenged some of what we thought were certainties for us. We are a little less optimistic and hopeful than we were a year ago. I am sure that we would like to stand with Isaiah in the proclamation he makes in the Old Testament reading this morning. "Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will appear over you." But I would suggest that we are still a little hesitant, we are hoping and we are expectant. We are just not sure yet that we can proclaim those verses with certainty yet. Wouldn't we all like to be able to stand alongside Paul and proclaim as he does in the reading from Ephesians 3:7-12 "Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God's grace that was given me by the working of his power. Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, and to make everyone see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him." I am sure there is a part of each and every one of us that would like to have that kind of impact with our lives and our witness. For many of us, we just have never had that experience and we are not sure where we would start or how we could start. I am so glad for the couples who come to me and talk about marriage and want to get involved in planning their weddings here at Christ Church. Many of them have not experienced healthy marriages. Many of them have very good reasons for not committing themselves and their partners to what they may consider an antiquated institution. But they come anyway and they commit themselves to their hopes, dreams, and expectations. They remind me of the wise men in the Gospel this morning. They begin a journey with a very vague understanding of what they are doing and what they expect to find. They come to the people they expect should be able to guide them and ask directions only to find that those people have to dig into their ancient records to find the directions they are seeking. They are not living lives of expectation and anticipation of the coming of the Messiah. Then they experience the so-called leader of these people asking them questions about how they knew that the child would be born. They follow in anticipation, they continue to follow, even when those who should have known better than them know nothing, and they go on to complete their journey and discover the reality of their hopes, dreams, and what they are anticipating. As we enter this coming year are we going to be led by our hopes, our dreams, and our anticipation or are we going to let our experience of life up to this point dictate what kind of life we will live. I am so glad for the couples who come to me and ask me to walk with them along the path of preparation for marriage. Because every time I walk that path I am reminded of what the true hope, the true dream, and what great expectation we can have of marriage. It also reminds me of the hopes, dreams, and expectations we have in the Gospel of Christ to give us new life. I truly hope that this morning and in the coming days of this new year we will all experience the joy of Christ's coming into our lives, and into our hearts in a new and refreshingly powerful way. |
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