The Voice of God still Speaks (II)

Psalm 29 Mark 1:4-11 The Baptism of the Lord Year B The Voice of God Still Speaks The story of the drunk man and the plunge A church is at a river, some of its members are being baptized. Along walks a drunk man, which disturbs the pastor. The irritated pastor grabs the man and tells him he needs to find Jesus. He dunks him in the water, and asks if he has found Jesus. No replies the man, so the pastor dunks him again. Have you found Jesus the pastor Asks. At no, the man is dunked again and gives the same no answer. Upset, the pastor dunks him again and leaves him down there for almost a minute. Have you found Jesus yet? Asks the pastor. No says that man, are you sure this is where he fell in? That is the question of the day – Have you found Jesus? Where have you found Jesus in your life? What is the best place for you to go- and to know that Jesus will be. Jesus is found in communion and baptism In the church there are two places that we can go and know that Jesus will be there. We know that we can come here, and find Jesus in the singing, on our praying, in listening to the word. We can find Jesus in our praise. We can find Jesus in our children. We can find Jesus in the wonderful and special times and places in our lives. But for the church, there are two very special places that Jesus invites us to come. Two special sacraments – that the presence of God is with us. Communion and baptism Mark starts his story with baptism It is interesting that Mark begins with the baptism of Jesus – not the birth, not the childhood. Not even with the word. Mark chapter 1:1 says – the beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah as it it written in Isaiah the prophet. Today as we begin our journey into Mark – we hear the story of how Jesus was baptized. His cousin John is out in the wilderness, all to come and listen to him and to repent and believe in God. Jesus comes to the water, comes to baptism – because that is the place in his life where he knows he can be close to God. John says that Jesus was with God in the beginning. He was not a sinner, He did not need John’s call of repentance. And yet he needed to hear God’s voice. He needed to know that God would be with him on the journey. And as he comes out of the water – the spirit of God says you are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased. Jesus baptism important This has to be an important step in Jesus live and his ministry, because this event is notes in all four gospel stories. Mark is the only one that makes this a personal event. God talks to Jesus and says you are my son, not this is my beloved son. Jesus needs to hear those words of affirmation in order to go forward and start his ministry. Jesus has to come to the water in order to hear the voice of God. The voice of God is over the waters Psalm 29 says the voice of the lord is over the waters, the god of glory thunders. The lord thunders over the mighty waters. I think of looking over a still body of water, and looking and seeing the clouds hovering over the water. Before a storm hits – you can look over the waters, and see the clouds and the wind hovering over about to cause a storm. In Hebrew the spirit and the wind are the same word – ruach. When the ruach, the spirit of God blows into our lives – things start to happen, things start to change. When wind start to move the water- then a cool breeze starts to flow into our lives. In the summer, whenever I can feel a storm coming, I come out and welcome it, because it brings a fresh breeze into my life. There is something about wind storms and water, that speak God in a way that nothing else can. I go back to psalm 29 – the voice of the lord is over the waters. That is why water is the most important part of our baptism. The spirit of God is always in the water. Waters in the civil rights movement During the civil rights movement, when police aimed fire hose at protesters to discourage them, Martin Luther King said, we may not understand their motives for aiming water at us, but that is okay – as we march together in unity as Christians, we now the water. If we are Baptist, we are immersed in it, if we are Methodist, we are sprinkled in it, but as long as we are Christian, we know water, and whatever their motive for dousing us, we know that God is in the water. Clinton and repentance Even Bill Clinton understood the importance of the waters of baptism. When he was impeached, and all of the scandalous behavior that he was involved in came to light. He made a statement to the nation about repentance. About turning around and starting a new life. Clinton read this passage from the book: "Now is the time for turning. The leaves are beginning to turn from green to red to orange. The birds are beginning to turn and are heading once more toward the south. The animals are beginning to turn to storing their food for the winter. For leaves, birds and animals, turning comes instinctively. But for us, turning does not come so easily. It takes an act of will for us to make a turn. It means breaking old habits. It means admitting that we have been wrong, and this is never easy. It means losing face. It means starting all over again. And this is always painful. It means saying I am sorry. It means recognizing that we have the ability to change. These things are terribly hard to do. But unless we turn, we will be trapped forever in yesterday's ways." Clinton's quote ended with this prayer: "Lord help us to turn, from callousness to sensitivity, from hostility to love, from pettiness to purpose, from envy to contentment, from carelessness to discipline, from fear to faith. Turn us around, O Lord, and bring us back toward you. Revive our lives as at the beginning and turn us toward each other, Lord, for in isolation there is no life." That was the message that John was trying to get all to learn as he preached of one who was coming that was greater than he. That coming to God, meant turning away from yourself and your behavior. When we come to the waters of baptism it is time for us to turn around from self centeredness to community, from jealousy to understanding, from resentment to love. And the list goes on for us today. Little boy begins a new life A little boy came to his third grade Sunday school teacher after class one day. She had talked about baptism to the class, encouraging the kids to remember their baptism. He told her that all of his classmates had been baptized, but he had never been baptized. He wanted to be baptized to. But he told her, he did not want to do it in front of the church. He wanted it to be a private affair at the lake, with his best friend. Trying to help him understand the true meaning of baptism. She explained that it had to be done in front of the church. Remembering the story in Mark 1 he replied, but Jesus was baptized by his cousin. So why cant I be baptized by my best friend. But how will people know that I have changed? They will know that I have changed, when they see me acting different. When they see me being a better person, they will know that I have been baptized. Baptism is my chance for a new beginning. She realized that he may not know the true meaning of baptism, but he did understand the truth of baptism. This was not just an act to fit in, he had thought about this and been able to make a decision. And that this was his chance to start all over again, and to begin a new journey in his life. Why did Jesus come to the water? When Jesus came to the water to be baptized by John. He may not have needed to confess his sins and repent. But what he did know it that it was time to begin a new chapter in his life. That it was the time to acknowledge the power of a new start. he knew that the voice of God was hovering over the waters. And that he needed to come to the waters of baptism in order to hear God’s favor upon his life. The abc’s of baptism I want to tell you a little secret. The abc’s of baptism. Repentance, Affirmation, belonging, and continuation. The Christian alphabet starts with R. First of all when we come to the waters, we have to repent. But once we turn to god. We are given the gift of affirmation, belonging, and continuation. We too are given God’s favor, we too are baptized into god mission. We too hear God’s voice speaking to us, saying that we are all his beloved sons and daughters. We are God’s sons and daughters A famous governer talks about growing up in the 50’s without a father. Single parenthood was not so glamourous in those days. So he spent his life in shame. Whenever, he would go to church, he would always leave by the back so that he did not have to talk to the minister. He did not want to be acknowledged ever. One Christmas, it was so crowded that he could not sneak out the back. He got caught up in the crowd and had to go out the front and pass the minister. Having never seen the boy before, he asked who he was. Whose boy are you asked the minister, who is your father. The little boy was terrified, he had no idea of how to answer that. In his silence, the minister replied – oh yeah I recognize you now – you are God’s son. It was in that moment that the boy recognized the abc’s of baptism. Affirmation, belonging and continuation. No longer did he have to life in shame, he could live in God’s favor. The voice of God still hovers over the waters today. God is still creating today, every day with God is a new day with a new beginning. Every year with God brings us to a new chapter, a new journey with God. When we remember the power of our baptism, we remember the power of God in our lives. God’s voice brings with it peace, harmony, creativity, love, joy and the list goes on. Psalm 29 says the lord sits enthroned over the flood. The lord is enthroned as the lord forever. The lord gives strength to his people, the lord blesses his people with peace. When God speaks, how do you respond. I want us to continue with the commitment phase of our covenant. How will you walk with God this year. This is another tool to think and to pray and to listen with. The true meaning will unfold throughout the year. Amen.