Sermon, Pente +10 (C)

 Our scriptures this morning certainly leave us scratching our heads a bit, don’t they?

Why did the good folks who put together the lectionary decide that we should focus on conflict?
After all, we get enough conflict in life. It’s in our societies, our churches, our families.

So where is the Good News that we seek when we come to church, if even the scriptures talk about conflict?

Well: here’s the painful reality: conflict happens.
It always has happened – the epistle takes us on a nice historical accounting of interpersonal challenges.
And it was happening in their time – Jesus was witnessing it happening, even with his friends, his followers, his apostles... They disagreed, they argued, they demonstrated very different ways of doing things.

And, we know, it happens in our time.
One barely needs to read or watch the news, or listen to chatter in town, to hear stories of conflict and strife; and the more often we hear these stories, the more our brains take us into those dark places.

So again, I’ll ask: why does the bible also take us into conflict?
Because the grace of God promises us the option of reconciliation.
The love of Jesus tells us that health and healing can be done.
The power of the Holy Spirit tells us that we already have what we need to return to the root – the source of spiritual nourishment –
As we are reminded again that we are all on the same plant.

Now, reconciliation can be hard work:
And it is NOT the preferred practice in the world.
But it is the way of God.
And it is what God is calling us towards… as God calls us back.
Again and again – God calls us back to the root.
We are rooted together,
In the family of God,
In the household of prayer.
We are in this together.
And we are thus united through our baptism –AH! Our baptism.

Jesus states very clearly: “I have a baptism with which to be baptized, and what stress I am under until it is completed!”

There is a baptism to be done. An action needs to happen.
And Jesus himself is under stress to accomplish it! These are strong statements for us to hear, and pay attention to.

And I’ll start by inviting us to consider what it means to BE the baptised…

The baptismal practice that Jesus was referencing was a ritual Jewish cleansing – it’s called the mikveh. It is sacred, and powerful. It has the same root as the Hebrew word for living water – and the same root as the Hebrew word for HOPE.

It is a rite of reconciliation and re-unification; the first action for a mikveh is to do your best to make things right with the person you’re in conflict with – and then knowing those efforts have been made (regardless of how the other party responds) – then the mikveh celebrates the reconciliation with God.

So the spiritual cleansing of a mikveh – that baptism that Jesus is seeking – would have brought to mind of everyone listening the imagery of reconciliation, of living water, and of hope.
No wonder Jesus articulates that he is stressed to complete this baptism!

And of course, these themes continue in our baptism.
While Christian theology of baptism is that once we are baptised, that cannot be taken away from us, it is also helpful for us to recognise that we are called to live into our baptism every moment of every day.

Baptism unites us in mystical and sacred ways that are bigger and stronger than we can ask or imagine; they are life-long bonds to each other – whether we like it or not. And they are eternal. And they are actions for us to live into. We should be stressed when our baptism is not being acted upon.

For the people who live their baptismal vows are those seeking to be the family of God.

Our baptismal vows are our roadmap through life, giving us guidance on how to live together in, and to overcome divisions.
Being baptised doesn’t mean we’ll never have conflict – we all know better: but it reminds us of that holy hope that comes from the living water.

The baptism we were baptised with is not about getting everything perfect;
It’s about the journey towards communion with Christ and with each other.

The promise of forgiveness of sins – doesn’t mean our slates are wiped clean so we’re free to do what we want, but that we know we can ask for that forgiveness over and over again in order that we might do better - and that we have already received God’s forgiveness!

The sacrament itself – the rite of initiation – is a celebration of Christian family. It’s not an individual’s party, but a community’s enhancement.
But with that initiation, with that focus on community, we are reminded of our responsibilities as well.

I’ll remind us of our baptismal vows:
To continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers.
To persevere in resisting evil and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord.
To proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ.
To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbour as yourself.
To strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being.
To strive to safeguard the integrity of God's creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth.

There’s a lot there.

And we find comfort when we are gentle enough with ourselves to know that none of us will get it right all the time – yet God’s grace has already been given to us.
And we know that we are not facing these vows alone: God is with us, and we are with each other.
Even in division: we are together.
Jesus and his friends ate the last supper with Judas, after all.
We are called to come together.

And so the division we hear of, in the scriptures, in our news, in our social circles – these divisions we hear of are difficult: but they are earthly, and we do not need to be bound by them. We do not need to be caught up in that spin.

In fact, when we live our faith, when we focus on the promise of our baptism: which is God’s assurance that we can overcome that division; through the gifts of the Spirit - that came to us in our baptism.


So we are not to be afraid of the fire that Jesus is calling down. The fire that God wants to be kindled can be a cleansing fire, a purifying fire: removing from us all that keep our hearts dampened and dark, instead igniting in us the inspiration to live out our baptismal commitments and vows.

Our baptism is a life-changing reality; so long as we are willing to be changed by it.
The words of the vows, the covenant, and the prayers are so rich and meaningful… they are life-changing words.
Baptism is not something that wears off, or dissipates over time: we are named and claimed as the family of God.
We are called to act in ways that are becoming of this familial connection.

And this connection should always be at our core.
And in our core, we find our baptismal strength, which sustains our faith, which cleanses us with living water, which promotes our hope.

At our core are the prayers offered during baptism – those prayed for the folks about to be baptised, and for all of who ARE the baptised.
As we all move toward our core: to the heart of our baptism, to the purifying fire of Christ alight in our lives, let us remember the power of those prayers:

Deliver us, O Lord, from the way of sin and death.
Open our hearts to your grace and truth.
Fill us with your holy and life-giving Spirit.
Teach us to love others in the power of the Spirit.
Send us into the world in witness to your love.
Bring us to the fullness of your peace and glory.
Grant, O Lord, that all who are baptised into the death Jesus Christ your son, may live in the power of his Resurrection, and look for him to come again in glory.

Lord, hear our prayer.
Amen.