I’m very glad to be back in worship with you on this most special Sunday. I want to thank Brad and so many of you for making it possible for me to enjoy the remaining few days of my vacation time and start the new year rested and eager to dig in.
Our annual renewal of baptismal vows is such a beautiful service. It gives us all the opportunity to pause again at the beginning of this New Year and focus on who we are—who we really are—who we hope to become--in the sight of God and as members of this community, the church. And it gives us a chance to remember that in our baptism, God calls us, names us, claims us, gifts us and empowers us to be the person God is creating us to be.
The wonderful author, Kathleen Norris, has recently written quite frankly about baptism: She reminds us that to the earliest Christians, the Baptism of Jesus--the story found in all four gospels--was as important as Christmas itself—important because it indicates “that the incarnation [God made flesh] is not only about Jesus [and what God is revealing to us in Jesus]—but about us…[it] demonstrates to Christians not only what God is like but also who God wishes us to be.”
But she adds: ”I suspect that to many Christians [I daresay to many of us here this morning!] baptism [is still a bit mysterious.] …many who attend church faithfully nevertheless would be hard-pressed to say what their baptism means to them.”
Well, it’s about who we are and “who God wishes us to be.” In baptism, God claims us as God’s own—each of us--precious, beloved, entrusted and upheld by God. In our baptism, God trusts us with the name “child of God” so that, knowing ourselves to be special and loved, we can share that love with all whom we meet. In our baptism, God sends the Holy Spirit to anoint us with caring and compassion. In our baptism, God sends the Holy Spirit to empower us to spend our lives on others.
The gift of this annual renewal of our baptismal vows is the gift of remembering and reclaiming today our sense of who God wishes us to be. In these moments of preparation, ask yourself: what makes your life worth living? What have you been created for? What are the gifts God has given you to share with others? Who does God need you to be?
As we think about meaning and purpose of our lives this morning, in light of our baptism, I want to share with you something one of you recently sent me called: “The Philosophy of Charles Schultz.” Schultz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip, asks us to consider the following questions about what makes a life truly valuable:
Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
Name ten people who have won the Nobel or the Pulitzer Prize.
Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do?
The point is, Schultz says, we barely remember these headliners of yesterday.
They were the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten.
Now, he says, try another quiz:
List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
Think of those people you enjoy spending time with.
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in our lives are not the ones with the most credentials... the most money... or the most awards.
They are simply the ones that care the most.
So I ask you this morning: are you one of those people—someone who cares? Are you someone who has become special to someone else--as a friend, a teacher, a neighbor? Have you made someone else feel important or special? Is your life measured and defined by how much you care about others?
God created each of us with an inherent desire to make a difference. Baptism is about who God is and who God wishes us to be in this world. About who God wishes us to be for this world. About the kind of person God creates us to be, a person who embodies, in our own way, in our own life, in our own family, in our own work, in our own circle of friends—a child of God who embodies the marks of the Kingdom. Compassion. Justice. Generosity. Caring. In our baptism, we are blessed to be a blessing.
As we move towards baptismal renewal this morning, I’m going to first invite our ushers to come forward now to receive our tithes and offerings. This weekly giving of our financial gifts for the work of the church is a reminder of just how blessed we are and how much of ourselves we are called to give in return. And as the offering is received, I’d also like you to take out the index card that was in your OOW this morning and write on it clearly the name with which you were baptized, your Christian name, first and middle, and bring your card forward when you come in a few moments to renew your baptismal vows. The pastors will read from these, collect them in these baskets, and then place them all on the altar table this morning, as a symbol of the rededication of our lives to God this day.
If you have not been baptized and would like to be baptized this morning, please just let us know as you come.
On this very special Sunday, as we dig deep into who we are as baptized children of God: may God bless you with a new anointing of the Spirit this day, that you may know in your heart of hearts that you are loved, entrusted and upheld by God.
May God bless you to be the person you are created to be, the person God wishes you to be, the person this world needs you to be.
May God bless you to be a loving, generous and compassionate disciple and faithful servant of Jesus Christ, the guardian of our soul, our Savior and our Friend.
AMEN.
Notes:
Kathleen Norris. “Living by the Word: Marked for a purpose.” Dec. 25, 2007. The Christian Century.
©Patricia Farris, 2008. Permission is given for brief quotation with attribution.
All other rights reserved.
"Entrusted and Upheld By God"