O Lord, we pray, speak in this place, in the calming of our minds and the longing of our hearts, by the words of my lips and in the thoughts that we form. Speak, O Lord, for your servants listen. Amen.
There were three country churches in a small mid-west town: the Presbyterian church, the Methodist church and the Lutheran church. Each church was overrun with pesky squirrels. One day, the Presbyterian Church called a meeting to decide what to do about the squirrels.
After much prayer and consideration they determined that the squirrels were predestined to be there and they shouldn't interfere with God's divine will. The Methodist group got together and decided that they were not in a position to harm any of God's creations.
So, they humanely trapped the squirrels and set them free a few miles outside of town. Three days later, the squirrels were back. It was only the Lutherans who were able to come up with the best and most effective solution. The Lutherans rounded them up and baptized the squirrels and registered them as members of the church. Now they only see them on Christmas and Easter.
There is more to our faith than those things that we do and say, - more than keeping commandments and trying to live moral and upright lives, - more than striving to live up to John's exhortation to bear fruit befitting repentance, - more even indeed than receiving the sacraments of holy baptism and partaking of the Lord's Supper and worshipping with God's people on a regular basis. There is a mystery in our faith: a component to it that is beyond us and our ability to grasp it, or earn it, or work for it.
John the Baptist speaks of this mystery in today's Gospel reading when he says to the people who come out to him in the wilderness beyond the Jordan: "I baptize you with water, but one 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."
There is a power, my friends, that is greater than human power, a spirit, that is greater than the human spirit, a person great than any human person - and it comes to us - it is available to us - it can touch us and change us - it can fill us and use us - it can lift us up and inspire us - it can give us strength and heal and comfort us and it can convict us of sin and wash us clean of all stains.
That power is the Living God. That spirit is the Spirit of The Living God - that person - is the Son of the Living God and they are greater than we can conceive more real than we can imagine more loving and caring than we can - or do - expect. Amen! Amen to the power of God which comes upon his people?? Amen to that which is bigger than us, Amen to that which takes us by surprise and makes our hearts glad!
Amen to that which we long for - but do not dare believe will happen! Amen to that which comes when we have faith - and even when we do not! Amen to that which we cannot control to that which we cannot earn, to that which we cannot buy to that wonderful thing that comes to us - freely and lovingly.
Come with me for a minute or two and visit John the Baptist. Listen to the words of a story written by a woman called Jody Seymour about the day we observe today - the day of Christ's baptism. Listen - and imagine yourself being there.
Hear the longing -- a longing in every human heart - and hear the answer to that longing - the answer that comes from the heart of God.... The desert left trails of salt which disappeared into his hairy face. He was tired, but full of fire. His weariness stemmed not from the draining heat of the Judean sun, but from the growing burden he carried. His words weighed him down.
He called the Pharisees snakes and shouted to them that their white robes could not hide their slithering deceit. His arid voice caught the attention of Herod when the foul-smelling desert prophet pronounced his sentence upon the king’s crown, adultery was adultery. John's voice was indeed in the wilderness, and his solitude grew deeper, even as the seeking crowds came to him to be baptized.
The dryness in his mouth could not be quenched even with the water he used to give the people hope. It was the fire in his words that left him longing for the dampness of a salvation he seemed unable to provide. So many eyes were looking to him for answers and for light in the growing darkness of a world that often seemed to be forgotten by God.
John could give them water and the promise of forgiveness, but he could not give them what he, too, sought. The longing in the wet faces of those he brought up out of the water asked him if he was the one for whom they waited. He tried to hide his own disappointment at not finding the Messiah among the people.
He shouted all the more the promise so at convince even himself. His mind wandered somewhere far away into the desert, though his body was waist deep in the slowly-moving flow of the Jordan. At first he did not even see the pilgrim who knelt before him in the river waiting to be baptized.
But then he caught the sunlight reflecting from the beads of sweat on the man's face and recognized him. "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?", he managed to speak. In the background there was thunder, and a white dove dipped down near them in its sweeping flight. Still dripping with the water of John's baptism, the pilgrim walked toward the desert, leaving behind the solitary prophet drowning with joy.
He was here! John splashed water onto his own face as one who had finished a long journey. For the first time in many months he felt his thirst satisfied.
A story yes we do not know how for sure how John felt. But we do know - I know - and many other believers know this day - that there is something more to our faith in Jesus - to our discipleship - to our believing in the promises - than all the "ours" in that sentence. That something comes from beyond us - and touches us now and again - and satisfies our thirst.
There is something from beyond that reminds us that there is indeed something called baptism in the Holy Spirit - that indeed we live in a world where there is spiritual power, a good power, and that this power can come upon us and wash over us - and through us - that it can be as fire in the bone to us and use us to God's purposes .
I am talking about a reality that is separate from us in our normal awareness and consciousness, but which intersects with our lives and breaks into our lives - sometimes gently - in the still small voice - in the sense of peace and well being we have. - and at other times with signs that are more dramatic - in healings that we that we have sought, but not thought possible, in times of reconciliation that we prayed for, but did not dare hope for.
God is real - and does some amazing things - which is very good - because what needs to be done in my life - I can not do on my own; and the changes that we all need to have - we can not, no matter how hard we try, bring about by ourselves.
Some time ago I had this strong desire to visit a parishioner: When I arrived at her home she was crying. Then I realized that God was doing something and had done something, and that one greater than I was there and had brought me there at that precise time for a reason. She told her cat and only living companion was sick during the night and had to be put down.
Since God led me to her home God intervened - and did something more, gave something more, than I can ever give to her and was God’s peace as the visit prolong, I watched in amazement the transformation from a distraught person to Peace and tranquility.
God did it - through the ordinary things of my life and work, - through the promise made a long time ago. God did it to bring me to her at the very time she wanted something or someone from God to come to her and console her, at the very time she wanted a sign of hope, a prayer, something more than she had to keep her going another day.
And that is what it is all about. It is about ordinary things - human things - being touched by the divine - - being washed by the Spirit - being given new life - new hope - new joy. Water - the gift of God - without which there is no life, no cleansing; ordinary water - plain water symbolic of our dying to self and coming alive to God - and the Spirit of God - the fire of God - nothing ordinary at all.
Yet it comes to us in the ordinary - in the arrival of a pilgrim at the River Jordan, in the laying on of hands of the faithful and in prayer in the flight of a dove - in the blowing of the wind, in the visit of a pastor - and in the prayer of those in need. Blessed be the one who is greater than John and us, And blessed is the Spirit that he pours out upon all who call upon his name. Amen
Rev. Samuel King-Kabu
January 11, 2004