Pathetic or Prophetic

Sermon from Jan. 11, 2009 -- the Baptism of Our Lord Sunday
Scriptures: Mark 1:4-11, Acts 19:1-7

There’s something significant about where Jesus’ baptism story is placed in Mark’s gospel. As the earliest written and therefore shortest Gospel, Mark wastes no time getting to the point. There is no birth narrative, no talk of Jesus’ childhood. For Mark, the story of the good news of Jesus Christ begins with his baptism. If one were to make a movie based on the gospel of Mark, the first image we’d see as the opening credits roll would be John the Baptizer, standing by the river. We’d hear him proclaim that one greater than he is coming, then out of nowhere Jesus would arrive, already thirty years old. And the first scene would be this baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ, that which we celebrate today.

The ministry of Jesus begins with his baptism. His ministry as a prophet, as one who speaks God’s message of truth in love to all who will listen, begins with his baptism. And then we look at the book of Acts. We hear in the 19th chapter the story read this morning, the story of Paul baptizing new believers. By being at the baptismal waters, they stand at the beginning of their journey. And as they emerge from the purifying waters of baptism they prophesy. They speak God’s message of truth in love to all who will listen.

Many people often speak of when they chose to be baptized, or when they chose to baptize their child. They remember fondly their decision to participate in this sacrament. But when we look at the baptism of Jesus, or at the baptism of the disciples in Ephesus, we become aware that baptism is not a personal choice. We may choose to participate in this ritual act, but these scriptural stories remind us that before we choose God, God has already chosen us.

When Jesus rises from the waters of baptism, it is God in heaven who speaks, not Jesus. A voice from heaven says, “You are my Son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus does not emerge from baptism saying “I am God’s son, the beloved, with whom he is well pleased. We do not become baptized so we can proclaim that we are God’s children; rather, we become baptized so that God can proclaim that we are his children.

Similarly, the disciples in Ephesus were baptized. Their baptism opened the door for the Holy Spirit to take hold of them, and they responded by speaking prophetically. Baptism is God choosing us to speak and act prophetically, it is God calling us to let the Holy Spirit dwell within us, to let ourselves become that voice crying in the wilderness, the voice of the Lord. Baptism is the beginning of our journey with God, it is a call to action. It is a call to be prophetic.

By prophetic, I do not mean predicting the future, or warning others of impending apocalyptic doom. We are called to be prophetic in the sense that we are called by our baptism to speak God’s message of truth in love. We are called to speak on behalf of God, to be the voice of God wherever we may go. We are called to speak this message of truth both by words and actions. An oft quoted phrase often attributed to St. Francis of Assisi says, “Preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary use words.” This one phrase sums up very simply what it means to be prophetic. To be prophetic, we are to preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words. Thus, we are to speak and act in ways that the gospel message is seen and heard by others. We are to proclaim the good news in all that we say and do. We are called to be prophetic in this way, to preach the gospel at all times, and if necessary, use words.

Fred Craddock tells the story of attending a victory party following a University of Georgia football game. He only knew one other couple who had invited him to attend, and they weren’t the hosts. The party was a fancy affair, in a very elegant, expensive house in suburban Atlanta. Everyone arrived at about the same time, having just come from the football game. And as people began mingling, one extravagantly dressed woman suggested loudly that they all sing the Doxology. Without waiting for a response, she started singing it. And a few people joined in, while others simply shifted their balance or stared at the floor in awkward silence. When they finished, the woman kept going on about how Jesus gave Georgia the victory. She went on about how Jesus said, “ask and it shall be given to you,” and she asked for a victory, and they won. And she’s not ashamed to say that the win was because of Jesus, because she’s not ashamed of the gospel. By this point, Craddock says, the woman was practically shouting. He had moved to the kitchen, but he could still hear her saying, “I’m not ashamed to talk about the gospel anywhere, because Jesus told us to shout it from the rooftops!” And she kept going. Well, the hostess of the party came into the kitchen as this woman was carrying on. And she said, quite bluntly, “If she doesn’t shut her darn mouth, she’s going to ruin my party.” At which point Craddock asked the hostess, “are you a Christian?” And the hostess said, “Yes, but I don’t believe in just shouting it anywhere.” At this post-game party, one woman was prophetic, while the other was pathetic. Will we be pathetic, or prophetic?

You might have heard about the recent ad campaign that the United Methodist Church ran in the Pittsburgh area – maybe you even saw it. The UMC bought billboards that promoted a new program where you can text message your zip code, and you’ll get a response of the closest UM churches to that zip code. But the billboards served another purpose – I’m not sure whether it was intentional or not. One of the billboards was right by Westmoreland Mall, where I did much of my Christmas shopping. I was out that way one night, in the busy traffic and the crowded stores, participating in the hustle and bustle that is the consumerist side of Christmas. And as I approached Westmoreland Mall, this bright red billboard caught my eye. It was one of these UM billboards, and it said in huge letters, “BELIEVE.” In the midst of Christmas shoppers, here was the Gospel message, standing like a beacon of hope and reminding me of the true reason for the season. Here, in the midst of pathetic attempts to make ourselves happy with what we own, was a prophetic billboard. Will we be pathetic, or prophetic?

At the church I worked at in Atlanta, we were having a meeting. The conversation had shifted to how a particular program that we’d just started might negatively affect our finances. We were thinking about the cost, about whether it was worth it, etc. You know, we weren’t doing anything wrong – we were trying to be good stewards of the tithes and offerings of the church. But we just kept doubting whether it was worth it to go through with this program. It was already showing signs that it wasn’t worth the cost. So why continue? We were making some pretty sound arguments. And then John spoke up. John was the type of guy that always had a knack for bringing up the gospel when we were having our orderly church meetings. John said, “If we’re so worried about losing a couple bucks that we’re not able to come together and serve God through this program, then our priorities are way out of whack. We might as well stop calling ourselves a church.” Bam. Those words fell into that meeting like a lead balloon. The faces around the table said it all. I could tell that John’s words had made everyone uneasy. He had convicted us. We knew he was right, we just wish he hadn’t said it. If he hadn’t laid out the truth in plain sight for us, we could’ve done what was safe, what made sense, what we wanted to do. But now John left us with no choice – we had to serve God, no matter what the cost. John was prophetic, and it made us all aware of how pathetic the rest of us were. Will we be pathetic, or prophetic?

Ed and Karen Cwiklinski were volunteer advisors for a youth group at a large church. The youth group they volunteered with typically had about 70-80 senior high youth at each meeting. Although there were about 20 advisors on any given Sunday, Ed and Karen were perhaps the most important advisors to that youth group. You see, Ed and Karen were the ones who always seemed to be sitting in the quiet corners of the room with one or two youth, rather than in the center of the chaos in the more populated parts of the room. Any time there was one or 2 or 3 youth who looked a little out of place, or who were obviously being overlooked by the other youth and the advisors, Ed and Karen seemed to find them. The Cwiklinski’s made a habit of seeking out the least, the little, and the lost of a massive youth group. They spent time with those who seemed lost and left out, those who were overlooked. As with any group of 70-80 people, some people will just get lost in the shuffle. But Ed and Karen never let that happen. They made sure that every person in that group had someone to talk to, that no person was left out. Ed and Karen were prophetic youth advisors, picking up the slack of all those who had become pathetic by ignoring others. Will we be pathetic, or prophetic?

Through baptism, Jesus was chosen by God to be prophetic. Through baptism, the disciples in Ephesus were chosen by God to be prophetic. And through baptism, God calls us to be prophetic. God calls each one of us to stand up and speak the truth, to preach the gospel message by what we say and what we do.

As you entered this morning, you might have noticed that the baptismal font has been moved to the back of the sanctuary. It seems appropriate on this Sunday morning, as we celebrate the baptism of our Lord and as we remember the call to be prophetic found within our own baptisms, that we pause for a moment and remember our baptisms. So as you leave this morning, I invite you to make your way to the baptismal font, dip your fingers in the water, and make the sign of the cross on your forehead. As you do so, offer up a prayer, silent or spoken, that says, “Thank you God, that I am your son or daughter, your beloved, with whom you are well pleased.” If you are not baptized, I invite you to think about what it means to be baptized. Speak with those around you who are baptized and find out what it means for them. Meditate on whether you may feel led to allow yourself to be baptized. Talk with me if you have any questions.As we remember our baptisms, or perhaps meditate on the prospect of being baptized for the first time, let us not forget the prophetic lives to which we are called. Let us remember that we are chosen by God to be prophetic, to speak the message of truth in love in all that we say and do. Will we respond to God’s call by being pathetic, or will we be prophetic? In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.