The Power is in the Water

Harriette Cross Englewood United Methodist Church Rust Memorial United Methodist Church December 16, 2012 Isaiah 12:2-6 Luke 3:7-18 Third Sunday of Advent There is Power in the Water Year C The history of John the Baptist I spent my vacation watching James Bond movies. I was never much into the movies until this year. One of the things that I learned, was that James Bond was not much of a Christian. And up until this new movie, there was not much of a chance that he would be. I actually hesitated to continue my series, because in many ways, that lifestyle contributes to the sickness of our society, and its numbness to violence. James bond likes to drink, and gamble. And there is really a lot of violence in the movies. James bond is the alter ego of the author – Iam Fleming, who was very intentionally not a Christian. But his lifestyle may change in the coming years, because they have run out of Ian fleming stories, and now have to write the stories from scratch. But one of the reasons that I continued to watch the movies, was because of the symbolism of who James Bond is. And there is a lot of very subtle symbols in the movie. But the one I was most interested in, was James bond’s relationship with the water. And in every james Bond movie, there is always a lot of water. But it is as if he gets energy and strength whenever he falls into the water. In his last movie, he is shot on a moving train, he falls into the river, and the river bed literally pulls him in and he come out well again. Whenever he had a fight, you know he has the upper hand in the water. In one movie his girlfriend drowns underwater, but he is underwater just as long as she is – but is okay. And in another movie he is buried at sea, a submarine takes him in and unwraps his body – and he is fully dressed in uniform and starts commanding the ship. There is something about the water that gives him super powers. Hmmm. What was even more fascinating to me was that I was able to find research on other symbols in the movies, but no one had anything to say about the water – when you can tell that there is a very intentionally relationship there. So the best I can tell, there must be power in the water. James Bond represents the strength and power of the british nation, and the best explanation that we can come up with is the Britain claims it empire, by its ability to sail the seas to far away places. In order to do that – they had to in some way conquer the water. They believe that in order to conquer the waves, their Navy had to have a special relationship with the sea. So James bond has that same relationship. I still say, that the power is not in James Bond – but the power to heal, to cleanse, to make whole is in the water. Ultimately, there is power in the one who made the water and who does have control of the water. Take a look at the power of water in Genesis If you look back at the creation story in the book of genesis – it says in the beginning, god created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the spirit of God was hovering over the waters. Water was present before creation. As you continue to read the story, all of creation comes out of the water. God creates order, out of the chaos of water. Water is an important part of God’s creation, and of who we are as children of God. John the Baptist and water Perhaps that is what led John the Baptist in his ministry to lead people back to the banks of the water. When you life has become chaotic and sinful, perhaps what there is to do, is to go back into the water- and repent- turn back to God, to who god created you to be. Diamonds in the water A jeweler gives, as one of the surest tests for diamonds, the water test. He says: “An imitation diamond is never so brilliant as a genuine stone. If your eye is not experienced enough to detect the difference, a simple test is to place the stone under water. The imitation diamond is practically extinguished, while a genuine diamond sparkles even under water, and is distinctly visible. If a genuine stone be placed beside an imitation one under water, the contrast will be apparent to the least experienced eye.” There is power in the water, for you and for me too. When we get to the baptism that Jesus offers – we will see that there is even more power in the water. The water has to power not to drown you, but to save you. But today, John makes it clear that the time is not here for that yet. We are preparing for the day and waiting for the messiah to come. But in order to stand before God, we have to pass through the waters of repentance. The brood of vipers And even John was surprised at the response that he got. Normal people in his life, people who disrespected him, who ignored him, who knowingly did what was wrong. There were many people who wanted to turn their lives around. Who wanted to live a life in relationship with God. You brood of snakes, how can you have to nerve to be saved. Many of them asked what must they do to be saved – and the answer was simple – do what is right. Scripture says don’t take more that what you deserve, leave some for others, don’t make a profit off of others, and don’t threaten others, be satisfied with what you have. James Eckard makes an ethical decisions In the 70’s the Eckard drugstores were the biggest chain in the country. Eckard was not a Christian, but he had a Christian friend. He had no intention of living a Christian life, until one day he listened to his friend. He came to understand what God expected of him – he came to learn truly what was ethical behavior. And he realized that his drugstores were buying into the glamorous lifestyle of do what you want. People could come into the store and at the front counter buy penthouse and play boy magazines. He sold so many magazines that he was making 3 million dollars a year. But after he has stood by the waters and been cleanses by god - he decided that it was not right to sell the magazines. I love god enough to give up three million dollars. But it didn’t stop there – he called all of the other drugstores and convinced them to stop selling the magazines also. You cant go to the drugstore chains to buy inappropriate magazines anymore. That was the power of one man’s repentance. Through his repentance, doing what was right before god was more important than making money. In this advent season, John reminds us that the first step to preparing our hearts for salvation, is to stand on the waters of repentence, and to see our glory shining as God intended. In order for us to get to the joy of the season. We have to stand before God and take an honest toll of ourselves. Our sins, our vulnerabilities, our weaknesses. And turn them truly over to God. When we subject ourselves to god’s judgment, we also have to subject ourselves to God’s mercy. God’s strength to give us a better life. A heart changed by God is a heart that brings forth fruit. How does god need to change your heart- sometimes we don’t realize until we see our selves in the reflection of the waters of repentance. What does it mean to live in a way that is truly pleasing to God? You have to pass through repentance to get to salvation William Willimon, Chaplain at IDuke University, says that John the Baptist reminds us of boundaries we must respect and gates we must pass through. At Duke, Willimon reminds the students, "If you are going to graduate, you must first get past the English Department. If you are going to practice law, you must pass the bar. If you want to get to medical school you must survive Organic Chemistry." Likewise, "If you want to get to the joy of Bethlehem in the presence of Jesus, you must get past John the Baptist in the desert." The word from John is "repent," which means "about-face" or turning 180 degrees. Joy in the presence of God In this third week of advent, that is our focus on joy. Joy is not the absence of trouble, it is the presence of God in our lives. And more importantly the presence of god in our actions. And the realization that even for the most seasoned Christian, that there is a difference in what we do , when with god, then without God. We must never forget that we were made in the image of God, and not in the image of humans. Who we are should reflect God. Joy is what we are chosen for to serve god, and joy is what we have to give to others. The joy of being a child of god. Regal water In the chemistry class we learned how acids act on different substances. In the course of our experiment the professor gave us a bit of gold and told us to dissolve it. We left it all night in the strongest acid we had, and tried combinations of acids, then finally told him we thought gold could not be dissolved. He smiled. “I knew you could not dissolve gold,” he said, “none of the acids you have there will attack it; but try this,” and he handed us a bottle labeled “Nitromuriatic Acid (Aqua Regia).” We poured some of its contents into the tube that held the piece of gold; and the gold that had resisted so easily all the other acids quickly disappeared in the “royal water.” The gold at last had found its master. The next day in the classroom the professor asked, “Do you know why it is called Royal Water?” “Yes,” we replied, “it is because it is the master of gold, which can resist almost anything else that can be poured on it.” Then he said, “Boys, it will not hurt the lesson today if I take time to tell you that there is one other substance that is just as impervious as gold; it cannot be touched or changed, though a hundred attempts are made upon it. That substance is the sinful heart. Trial and affliction, riches and honor, imprisonment and punishment will not soften or master it. Education and culture will not dissolve and purify it. There is but one element that has power over it—the blood of Christ the Saviour, the aqua regia of the soul.” There is power in the water. There is power in the baptism water of jesus. There is power in what Jesus has in store for us. during this advent season, we must remember john’s words – I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come and baptize you with the holy spirit. Repentence, a honest look at who you are, and a honest look at who you can do, and a willingness to see yourself as god sees you. A life in relationship with god will change you, and change the world. But it starts with repentance. With a new actor, and a new writer, and a new era I have faith that one day, James Bond will turn his life around and give his life to Christ Maybe there will be change in our world But here is a practical application. John the Baptist was concerned about the politicians, the supervisors, those in charge. He wanted them to make good decisions and to hold god accountable in our decisions. May our politicians will make decisions about guns that will prevent all of these shootings. But in the midst of tradgey, Mister rogers said that his mother always said look for the helpers, those who know that change come first with them. Change in the world comes with you and your repentence. Be one of those helpers….but I have even more faith in you. Time to Act Once the eminent philosopher John Dewey found his son in the bathroom. The floor was flooded and he was mopping furiously trying to contain the water in that room, keeping the damage to a minimum. The professor began thinking, trying to understand the deeper ramifications of the situation. After a few moments, the son said, "Dad, this is not the time to philosophize. It is time to mop!" Baptism is our statement that we are ready to stop philosophizing and ready to start mopping. Zig Ziglar reminds us that the largest locomotive in the world can be held in its tracks while standing still simply by placing a single one-inch block of wood in front of each of the eight drive wheels. The same locomotive moving at 100 miles per hour can crash through a wall of steel reinforced concrete five feet thick, but it must be moving first. King Duncan, Collected Sermons, www.sermons.com Blessed Are They Who Find Christmas… Blessed are they who find Christmas in the age-old story of a babe born in Bethlehem. To them a little child will always mean hope and promise to a troubled world. Blessed are they who find Christmas in the Christmas star. Their lives may ever reflect its beauty and light. Blessed are they who find Christmas in the joy of giving lovingly to others. They shall share the gladness and joy of the shepherds and wise men of old. Blessed are they who find Christmas in the fragrant greens, the cheerful holly and soft flicker of candles. To them shall come bright memories of love and happiness… The rest of this illustration, as well as many additional illustrations and sermons for this week, Advent and Christmas can be accessed at www.Sermons.com. —King’s Business I was once invited to a luncheon where thirty or forty Christians—ministers and laymen—were gathered together for discussion of a certain problem of Christian work. A well-known layman was asked to return thanks before the meal. I have heard the blessing asked hundreds of times, but suddenly my attention was aroused. The man who was praying said, “We thank Thee for all these gifts, for our food, for our water … ” I do not know what else was said in the prayer, but that thought gripped me. Thank God for the water … I have asked the blessing before thousands of meals, but that day for the first time, I thanked the Lord in spirit and in truth for common ordinary water, and for the Living Water. I then began to think of other common things for which we never thank God, and began thanking Him. —Donald Grey Barnhouse —Reformatory Record A customer talked overtime on a long-distance call from a pay telephone booth. Even with my friendly reminders, he refused to deposit his overtime coins. Instead he slammed down the phone, irate and verbally abusive. A few seconds later, he was back on my line--somewhat calmer. "Operator, please let me out of the phone booth--I’ll pay, I’ll pay, just let me out!" The customer mistakenly thought I had control of the phone booth’s doors and had locked him in! He gladly paid the overtime charge and with my advice gave the booth door a hefty kick to free himself. -- Lillian Pearsall, Moravia, N.Y. "Lite Fare," Christian Reader. (Copied from Bible Illustrator) Story of Eckard