Not Just a Me and My Jesus Affair

Mark 1:9-15

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.” And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.

Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”

Today, we begin a Baptismal Journey.  And I’m not talking about Jeff here.  I’m talking about the Baptismal Journey that you and I have just committed to make over the next forty days when we said, “We will, and we ask God to help us.”  You see, Baptism for us Episcopalians and Lutherans, is not just a “me and my Jesus” affair.  Baptism for us is God adopting a new sibling into the family.  It is the Body of Christ (which is all of us together) incorporating a new member.  It is a new branch being grafted into Jesus, who is the vine… All of which are ways to understand that Baptism is something we all do together!  

But what is this “Baptism” thing that we are all now journeying toward together?  For Jesus, it was the beginning of his life’s work and mission to tell and show the world about God’s unconditional and unlimited love... a love stronger than death!  It was also the beginning of his life’s work demonstrating for people a WAY to live this life as a JOY rather than a slog.  To show us life isn’t meant to be put off until the sweet by and by!  It’s meant to be lived NOW!  Beginning at his Baptism he lived his life showing us that OUR lives are meant to be filled with abundance in THIS moment and every moment, and then to keep going that way beyond the limits of time itself!  The life God created us to live is meant to fill our present and our infinite future with love, peace, joy, meaning, and purpose.  

But before we get to all of that we’ve got a pitstop to make.  It’s the same stop Jesus made.  For forty days (not coincidentally the same number of days in the season of Lent) the Spirit DROVE Jesus to that wilderness pitstop to be tempted by Satan.  Thank you Holy Spirit?  Actually, yes, thank you Holy Spirit… and here’s why.   It was there in the wilderness that Jesus received EVERYTHING he needed to do what God had called him to do in his Baptism.  It was there in the wilderness, that Jesus did the spiritual equivalent of a chef sharpening his knives for the work ahead.  That’s why, if you really need Satan to be a red guy with horns, then the best way to think about Jesus’ time in the wilderness is imagining Jesus using Satan’s horns as a whetstone, sparks flying as Jesus draws the blade across the devil’s rock hard noggin day after day… the blade, over the course of those forty days, slowly coming to a perfect razor’s edge.

But it’s also really important to remember that out in the wilderness, Jesus wasn’t alone.  He was kept company by the wild beasts and waited on by angels.  For the particular baptismal journey WE are setting out on today with Jeff, THAT will be OUR role for the next forty days!  WE are to be the Wild Beasts!  WE are to be the Angels!  I’ll let you debate in coffee hour who are beasts and who are angels!  But angel or beast, we are called together as a congregation to dedicate ourselves to accompany Jeff and one another through these next forty days.  To do that we’ll need two things.  FIRST we'll need to show up.  That's 80% as we all know.  SECOND we'll need to talk to each other.  Again, Baptism is not just a me and my Jesus affair!

 

Then, having made it through those forty days we will come to the Easter Vigil where Jeff will be baptized and all of us, along with Jeff will affirm our baptisms.  That Saturday night however, will be NO different than the day of Jesus’ Baptism.  God, that night, will most certainly say from the heavens, “You are my Child, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” because that is what God says at EVERY Baptism!  And regardless of whether your baptism that night happened a minute ago or a century ago, we will all leave that night with the exact same calling from God that was given to Jesus at his Baptism:  We will be called as a group… as the Body of Christ… to go and tell the world about God’s unconditional, unlimited love... a love stronger than death... and to live our lives together, demonstrating for others a WAY to live this life… through self giving love, compassion, generosity, and grace... that leads to abundant life!

Every Lent (whether we have a particular Baptismal poster Child of God or not that year) is meant to be a Baptismal Journey for each and every one of us.  Every Lent is meant to remind us that we are Baptized Children of God… part of God’s family, a part of the Body of Christ, a branch grafted into Jesus the vine.  Every Lent is meant to remind us that God has declared each of us Beloved, up front, as a free gift and Every Lent we are called to live more deeply into the gift of abundant and eternal life we were created to live and Every Lent we are called remember and do all that... TOGETHER.  

It is TOGETHER that we are called to walk through these next forty days.  It is as the Body of Christ that we come together each week, to lean on one another, to laugh with one another, to support one another, and to encourage one another as we walk together on Jesus Way.  Baptism is not just a me and my Jesus affair.  Lent is not just a me and my Jesus affair.  Christianity is not just a me and my Jesus affair.  Baptism, Lent, and Christianity are Body of Christ affairs and so may we live ever more deeply into that truth in these next forty days… TOGETHER.  Amen.