13th January 2008THE BAPTISM OF CHRIST

Fr David Cherry

Isaiah  42  :  1 – 9   ;  Acts  10  :  34 – 43  ; Matthew  3  :  13 - 17   

“Grant that we, being born again by water and the Spirit, may be faithful to our calling as thine adopted children.”  Words from today’s Collect.

Being here at mass is to be inculturated: inculturated, chiefly, in the life of Christ who lives in love, praise and thanksgiving to the Father who gives him life in every moment.  

There is a theological point I want to put over.

Christ is baptised for us, into our humanity,to be one with us.  And we are baptised into him so that we may share his divine life.

St Athanasius’s Creed in the Prayer Book, the Quicunque Vult – you know the one which begins “Whosoever shall be saved it is necessary….”  In that wonderful statement of faith he makes the point that Christ is God and Man, “not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh : but, by the taking of humanity into God. “

God in Christ has entered into our nature.  He is baptised for us. So fully does our God come to be one with us he identifies himself with us in the fragile and confused desperation of our humanity, a baptism of repentance. “I will be with you here – at the margins and hurt and discord and pain of sin that afflicts you…. so that you can be one with me in my wholeness and joy and liberty.”   “I want to take you back to Eden, where I walk with you in the cool of the day, where I am your God and your friend.”

And you and I, the new People of God, are baptised into him.  Paradoxically, to be immersed in God’s life, to be given a share in it isn’t to inhabit some spiritual plane divorced from the material world, but to become more fully human, more fully who one is, more involved in society and with others.

God is ‘in solidarity’, ‘at-one’ with humanity so that we can find our solidarity – our ‘at-one-ness’ with God and others.

And at his Baptism Jesus’ identity and vocation is confirmed.  This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

The prophet Isaiah :  I have given you as a covenant to the people, (I bind myself to my people through you) a light to the nations (to bring the truth of who I am to them), to open the eyes that are blind (to this truth of who I am), to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon (of despair and poverty and shame and isolation), from the prison those who sit in darkness (unknowing of what is being made and revealed in Jesus).

In Jesus’ vocation we discover who and what we are about - you and I discover our own callings.  We look to the Jesus into whose life we are baptised, immersed and see his life lived ‘at-one’ with his heavenly Father.

The primary vocation of all humanity is to reflect, to mirror God as Jesus does. And by doing so, by being ‘at-one’ with God, be those who are God acting, creating, redeeming the world.   This is the vocation of the Church.  

But immediately, following his baptism Jesus is driven out into the wilderness to be tested – “Come on this can’t last.  Come on this is an illusion, you’re kidding yourself” goes the Evil One.  “Come on, this project is unreal.”

Still God calls to us in love.  Where are you?  We answer back.  Yes this is me.  Here I am.

“Where are you?”   But Adam is hiding in shame, conscious that he has fallen away from who he really is – he has become his own god.  

To answer back, to respond, is to be give praise to God, to come out of hiding.  

On the website of St Clement’s Philadelphia, “To understand all that we do, it is perhaps easiest to say that the catholic faith teaches us that the creation is a gift from God and reflects His glory. In our public worship, we return our praise to God with the greatest possible reverence in thanksgiving for all that we have been given. We believe wholeheartedly that the traditional worship and devotional practice of the Christian Church speaks as clearly and powerfully today as it did a millennium ago.”

Now there’s a strange antidote to a culture of ‘entitlement’ and ‘compensation’, a supermarket culture such as ours, what Alan Bennet calls a ‘self-loving society’, where the most important question is: does it suit me, what will it give me, how will I benefit? : ….creation is a gift from God and reflects His glory. In our public worship, we return our praise to God with the greatest possible reverence in thanksgiving for all that we have been given.

The culture of the Church is Eucharistic.  Being here at mass is to be inculturated: inculturated, chiefly, in the life of Christ who lives in love, praise and thanksgiving to the Father who gives him life in every moment.  

Here we become a eucharistic people, a people of constant thanksgiving, not shy of giving thanks – so difficult for us to say but so important  - it neither diminishes nor takes away from anyone, so hard to say and so hard to receive.  Of course it can be rather patronising that kind of pat on the back kind of thank you.  But thank you for the Epiphany celebration and lunch, thank you for the blessings of belonging here; of receiving and hearing and taking in God’s Word and God’s own precious life.  

So we are considering our vocations as we look at the confirmation of Jesus’ vocation.  It is his vocation that should shape the priestly vocation of ordained priests and of a priestly people.   

The priestly vocation is about comforting, re-assuring – countering the effects of the Evil One – who says ‘God isn’t really with you, you’re going to find it difficult; it’s not going to last you know; it’s not really your thing; this church business isn’t really worth it’.

But the other thing I sometimes wonder is whether there isn’t a sense of  "they’re doing quite well.  I’m not really needed there.  I can just pop in when I want – when I’m not busy.  It will always be there.  Someone else will do it for us. "  

The priestly ministry is also to be lovingly encouraging and also challenging : You are to be messengers, watchmen, and stewards of the Lord said the bishop at my priestly ordination; you are to teach and to admonish, to feed and to provide for the Lord’s family.

And this is where I want to leave this morning’s homily -– with a challenge in this New Year of the Lord’s favour 2008.

Will you commit yourself to this work of Christ in this church; to take responsibility for it and be a living member of it?  We’re all rather shy and self-effacing.  I have to steal myself at times to meet new people. I have to strengthen the feeble knees and climb into the pulpit, often quite nervous.

On 20th April there is the Annual Parochial Church Meeting.  Last year the interest in our Church affairs was minimal. The attendance with some new people was embarrassing.  But this isn’t, of course, the whole story – it is wonderful to hear of members visiting the sick, taking them too and from hospital.  Much to be thankful for.

But will you make a note of it and be there this year.  We need officers willing to spend time and energy in learning how the Church works and what is needed, expertise in tasks and hands on for simple mundane work.  We can’t carry on just walking away from Church not thinking who will do the jobs because we need to get to lunch.  I also need lunch, I also have a home to go.  I also have a job to go to on Monday morning.  

On Ash Wednesday we begin our journey through Lent, extra services, extra groups and into the great Liturgies of Holy Week.   Will you make plans for a holiday after Easter (as I do) so that we can journey together to Easter Joy.  How about it?

To be Church is our calling, to sing the praises of God, to mirror back the life of God.  Church is not an add-on to life, but the way in which we discover we belong to God and to each other.

So let this be our prayer today and through this year:  “Grant that we, being born again by water and the Spirit, may be faithful to our calling as thine adopted children. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen”