The Baptism of our Lord, and Rhys

The Rev. Jacqueline Cherry

January 10, 2016  Yr C

What a joy it is to welcome those of you who have come to witness the baptism of Rhys Monroe. I realize some of you are here to celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, please know, we are happy to have you here too.

Before Jesus joined the crowd at the river Jordan, John the Baptist was wandering in the desert when he heard the word of God. And he was inspired to travel the region to proclaim a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. From what we can glean from the various gospels, John looked crazed wearing camel’s hair, and with locust legs and honey stuck in his beard.  In my mind he was breathless with a beet-red face from all of the explaining he had to do. Know body knew who this guy was;
the priests and Levites gave him the 3rd degree:

Who are you?  I am not the Messiah.
Are you Elijah? No.
Are you a prophet? No.
Then who, pray tell, are you? And why are you baptizing?

Let’s be honest, God had given John a horrible job - to proclaim the coming of someone more powerful than himself with no details of who, when or where. John was in the dark waiting for the light, a voice crying out in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord.

As the people were filled with expectation, all were questioning in their hearts concerning John whether he might be the Messiah.
It might not be so different today - I imagine all of us, just like the people in Luke’s gospel, are looking expectantly for a messiah. In our national political arena we debate whether Donald or Hillary can best save our country. Or we make ourselves indispensable at work believing that a secure job will keep us safe. Or maybe we long for that special someone who will save us from ever being lonely again. .We look with expectation, and we wonder, is that the one? Is he the person I've been waiting for? Could she be the one to whom I dare open my heart?

As the people were filled with expectation,
all were questioning in their hearts could he be the one to save us?

John stayed with the people baptizing them, and answering their questions wisely, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”  While he was speaking, Jesus slipped into the crowd.  Jesus became one with the people. And in the midst of the people Jesus was baptized by John with the people. And the nature of God is revealed.

The heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon
Jesus like a dove. And a voice came from heaven saying,
‘you are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’.

This is the moment the world changed. This is the moment that God moved from the realm of heaven to earth. This is the moment God meets us where we are. Boundaries are crossed at baptism. Borders disappear.
John baptized Jesus, then God broke through the heavens and claimed him. The grace of baptism is that we don’t have to do or say anything, God has already claimed us whether we believe we deserve it or not. And it’s going to happen to Rhys Monroe in just a few minutes.

But first, there’s something I need to confess: Neil and Lou, Grandparents and Godparents, Fr. Jack and Cromey, and all of you here, I need you to know that when we move through this rite of baptism, through the examination, the covenant and the prayers, while there’s a part of me that loves our age-old rituals, there’s another part of me that will cringe. Because I don’t believe it is necessary for anybody to renounce Satan and the forces of wickedness, evil powers and sinful desires on behalf of Rhys Monroe. We use this language because we always have; it’s dramatic and it makes good liturgy.

I encourage you therefore to think of Satan as a convenient symbol for the foul elements of humanity - greed and rage, envy and deceit; and, to imagine Jesus as representing the honorable human qualities of compassion, patience, kindness, and humility. So really, the Examination and Baptismal Covenant can be reduced to one question that everyone of us in this church should solemnly consider:

Will you fill yourselves up with love and kindness,
leaving no room for hatred and anger?

The one answer to this question is: I will, with God’s help!

The truth is, what may seem like an archaic ritual is astonishingly progressive. While it’s true that this sacrament of Baptism is a covenant between God, the community, and Rhys Monroe, this is the very thing that gays and lesbians have always had to do – establish our own families of choice by creating kinship not defined by genetics or the law. Baptism is the public proclamation and celebration of our adoption into a family that is united by God; a family bound, above all, by love and the promise to love.
This is the day the heavens opened and all that separated humanity from God was destroyed.
This is the day expectation and questioning is replaced with a joyous Epiphany worthy of awe: The Messiah, the one we’ve been waiting for is with us now.
Today is the day we will gather around this baptismal font with Rhys Monroe Cubba-Penick where he will be claimed, marked and sealed as God’s own. Forever, and ever, amen!