Who's Who?

A sermon by Brent J. Eelman

January 7, 2007

Abington Presbyterian Church

Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22

    As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, ‘I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ 

    Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’* 

When I was ordained to the ministry, my father delivered the charge to me.  I do not remember the exact words that he said, but I remember the message with which I left that day.  He quoted Dietrich Bonhoeffer, saying that the primary task of the church is to wrestle with the question, "Who is Jesus Christ for us today."  There is also a second question that we need to wrestle with: "Who are we?"  Both are rooted in our baptism. 

I

 Who is Jesus Christ for us today?   In the gospel of Luke, we have two answers. The first is from  John the Baptist.  John was a wild looking individual.  His descriptions in the gospels indicate that he was not a person who accepted the social norms of his day.  He was probably from an Essene community.  This was a commune that believed the coming of the messiah was immanent.  The Essenes also believed that the Messiah would appear in the wilderness, just as God was present to Moses and the Hebrew people on their journey in the wilderness.  Preparation for the Messiah's coming involved separation and rejection of the way of the world, hence different clothing, diet and belief. 

John the Baptist answered the question: “Who is Jesus?”  with his vision of the messiah: a powerful leader or ruler who would come in judgment.  The messiah would judge people on the basis of their faithfulness to God.  He would divide between those who were acceptable and those who would be condemned to eternal fire.  John the Baptist's messiah was one who came in judgment: radical judgment and condemnation.

But there is another answer to our question of the identity of Jesus in this account in Luke. We read that after Jesus was baptized, the heavens opened up, and a dove descended in bodily form. Bodily form meant that all who were present could see that dove, and we can infer that all heard the voice from the heavens declare: “This is my son, the Beloved.. I am pleased with him.”  This is a different facet of the messiah: one who enters the world not in wrath and judgment, but in terms of endearment and pleasure in God.  

Which perspective of Jesus is right?  They both are.  Jesus, the messiah as proclaimed in the gospels, cannot be limited to one identity or the other... rather they are held in tension in his being.  The story of the gospel, and the story of the church beginning in the Acts of the Apostles gives an account of a Christ and spirit that is not captured in a simple definition, idea or concept.  Judgment is presented in a spirit of love, and the love of God also judges our shortcomings and sins, while forgiving them.  Who is Christ for us today?  The judging Messiah, God’s beloved son who came to save: that is the beginning of our answer with which we should struggle daily. 
 

II

Who are we?  There is a story about a young boy who was in church one morning, and saw a baptism for the first time. He was greatly interested in it, and the next morning proceeded to baptize his three cats in the bathtub!

The first kitten bore it very well, and so did the young cat, but the old family cat rebelled. It struggled with him, clawed and tore him, and got away. With considerable effort he caught it again and proceeded with the ceremony. But the cat acted worse than ever. Finally, after barely getting her splattered with water, he dropped her on the floor in disgust and said: “Fine, be an Atheist.”

 It is obvious to most of us that we should not be baptizing cats.... but there is also something else that is wrong with this young man's theology.... baptism doesn't make you a Christian, nor does the lack thereof, make a person an atheist.  Baptism is about our identity and our calling or vocation, just as it was about Jesus vocation.  Just as we ask the question, who is Jesus Christ for us today, the second question with which we must wrestle is “who am I.” At the heart of that question is our baptism.   Who are we?  

The study catechism begins to answer that question with words that I believe are offensive to our modern ears.  "We belong to God."  When we baptize a child, parents are making a most radical affirmation:  They are proclaiming:   “This is not our child.  This child belongs to God. We are entrusted by God to care for this child.”    Just as Jesus, is affirmed and claimed as God's son, the Beloved, so we are claimed as God's children.... completely claimed.

At the conclusion of this service, during that final hymn, we will sing about the cross of Christ.  The cross was the ultimate fulfillment of Christ’s baptism.  You will be invited to come to one of the fonts and dip your hand inside and take a glass droplet with you.  I encourage you to take it with you everywhere you go as a reminder of who you are in your baptism. You are God’s.  You belong to God. 

Each of us has so many claims upon us... our families, our jobs, our communities, our country, our clubs, our hobbies, our political beliefs, our teams, our schools, our friends... we live in the tension of these anxiety producing claims upon our identity and time.. The droplet is a reminder of the first and final claim upon your life... you belong to God.. in baptism God claims you  as God's own.  Nothing comes before that claim...  It is a claim that judges us... but it is also one that assures us.. that we too are God's children.. and we are beloved...  This is good news... But a message that defines our identity and life struggle.. Amen.

 
*The New Revised Standard Version Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pennsylvania,  www.apcusa.org