January 7, 2024 - Baptism of Christ
"A Changed Life”
Rev. Scott Landis
It’s been my experience in shepherding people in various churches throughout the United States for nearly 44 years that most of them – just like sheep – are quite resistant to change. Am I right? We rather prefer predictability, routine, and maintaining “the way things have always been.”
To be sure, the church has practically institutionalized consistency. It’s called ritual. Whether we are genuflecting when entering the sanctuary before sitting down, or blessing ourselves when you hear the words, “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Whether we sing “Jesus is Here Right Now” when distributing the cup, or blow the pū and sing “Hawai’i Aloha,” as we begin worship. Ritual calms our spirits. In a world that is slightly crazy and somewhat chaotic we seem most comfortable when we are following an ORDER of worship that is familiar and rarely deviates from what we believe is pleasing to the Holy.
We see this behavior all the time in the animal kingdom as well. I alluded to sheep just a few moments ago with which you may not be all that familiar, but you have probably noticed similar behaviors in dogs, cats, and other domestic critters. One of our fur-babies, Gracie has an internal clock that never fails. I have not set my alarm in years. Gracie gets me up at 5 a.m. each day – without fail. That’s her time to go. Willie, on the other hand, lets us know when it is time to eat. Food driven, he never misses his 4 p.m. happy hour for his chicken and rice meal. I get frustrated with their insistence on routine, but we are just like them.
If our newspaper doesn’t come on time or we don’t get our coffee when we want it or when we need it, or if we don’t eat when we usually do – our noses get out of joint pretty quickly. Not that any of this is all that bad but it does run counter to what John proclaimed and Jesus came to inaugurate as he began his public ministry.
Eugene Peterson’s Message translation (which you heard today) of the first chapter of Mark points out this tension rather explicitly where it is reported:
People were baptized by John in the Jordan River into a “changed” life.
John said, “I am a mere stagehand in the unfolding drama. The star who is coming will “change” your life.
He continued, “I’m baptizing you here in the river, turning in your “old” life for a “kingdom” life.
And then he further distinguished what HE was doing from what Jesus would do. “I am baptizing you with water. His baptism is a holy baptism by the Holy Spirit – it will “change” you from the inside out.
The inference being, if you are uncomfortable with change, you are probably not in the right place – AND you will likely be uncomfortable following Jesus – because he expects a significant change in ALL of us. This is EXACTLY what it means to repent.
I find it interesting that Peterson didn’t use the word “repentance” in his translation. Perhaps it just has too much baggage. Harboring images of evangelical preachers wielding guilt in order to gain “souls for Christ.”
To be sure, the word has been wrongfully used, and you may have been a victim, but “repentance” simply means to change. Or to change one’s mind. To move in a new direction – in this case, a Godward direction.
I’d like you to think about that for the next few moments because so often we forget that the idea of following Jesus, embracing the Christian faith, or dedicating our lives to serving others in love requires change. Repentance typically demands our focus flip from ourselves toward others.
While it may be hard to admit, from our birth we are all kind of selfish. As soon as we pop out – we want — and can think only of ourselves. We want food. We want to be warm. We want – in fact we need – coddling, love, and attention. It’s an act of the will, call it a “change” or repentance to reverse that trend and actively seek the best for others rather than “looking out for number one.” And it’s not always easy.
Following Jesus means to become more conscious, more aware of who we are, the path we are on, and how we might reorder our lives as we are changed from the inside out.
Outward change is pretty easy. We can lift some weights or exercise to whip our bodies into shape. We can dye our hair or get a facelift or implants to enhance our appearance in ways that may make us feel a little bit better about ourselves. But that’s just the veneer – the façade. Inward change is real change. It requires an act of the will – repentance – and requires constantly checking in, in prayer, and in spiritual community to assess how we are doing as our lives engage in a process of transformation.
Spiritual change or repentance is a life-long activity for which we need one another for support, encouragement, and forgiveness when we fail. It’s our means of blessing one another and it has its origins in baptism which is precisely what John was pointing out and is why I love this sacrament most of all.
In baptism, we remind ourselves especially when we baptize a child, that God loves us, and affirms us, for Who-We-Are as we are continually nudged along the Godward path – the path of repentance.
This isn’t a pathway of judgment. This isn’t God’s way of trying to catch us messing up or failing to meet some pre-determined standard. No – in baptism we are blessed into a process of change – from the inside out. And it takes a lifetime to get it right.
We often proclaim a simple statement in the United Church of Christ which captures this sentiment. “No matter who you are or where you are on life’s journey … you are welcome here.” The inference being, here in this place where you are loved. Here in this place where you are forgiven. Here in this place where you are invited to change – fully – into the child of love that God intended. You are always welcome here.
The path may not always be easy. The expectations may seem more challenging than anticipated, but as you allow God to change your mind, your path, your soul and draw closer to God, you will be blessed inside and out.
Mahalo ke Akua – Thanks be to God, Amen