Baptism of our Lord - First Sunday after Epiphany A

"I truly understand that God shows no partiality." These were powerful history changing words from Peter that still are radical today.

Baptism of our Lord

First Sunday after Epiphany A

Transcribed from a sermon given on

January 9, 2011

By Rev. Valerie Ann Hart

At St. Barnabas Episcopal Church

Acts 10:34-43

Matthew 3:13-17

Today is the first Sunday after the Epiphany. Epiphany can also be translated as manifestation. It is the making known. We think of an epiphany of a new idea as an opening, as something becoming known to us. So the Epiphany is sometimes described as the Manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles. The manifestation of God, the god described in Isaiah -  the servant of the light, manifested to the gentiles, to the ones who aren’t Jewish.

In the Eastern Orthodox tradition, Epiphany is a more important celebration than Christmas. That manifestation of Christ, Christ becoming known, is considered even more important than the date of his birth. And in the East there are three aspects to the Epiphany. Most of us, when we think of Epiphany we think of the Magi, the wise ones who saw the star in the East and came and worshiped the Lord. But that is just one aspect of the Epiphany. The second manifestation was through his baptism. And the third manifestation of Christ was at the wedding in Cana when he changed water into wine.

What we celebrate today is the baptism of Jesus; we remember it and we celebrate it. We have as our gospel reading the story of Jesus’ baptism and the reading from Acts that is really a story of a baptism as well. That segment of Acts that was read today is the middle of a story, so I am going to tell you the rest of that story.

It is about Cornelius. Cornelius was a centurion. A centurion was a roman soldier who was an officer who had a hundred people who served under him. Cornelius is described in Acts as being a very caring and good man who is very interested in the Jewish religion, who supported the synagogue, who was very beloved, but he never officially became Jewish. He was a gentile. Now it is understandable why he never became Jewish because for a man to convert to Judaism he had to be circumcised. During the time of the Romans there were universal baths that everybody shared together. Even the sporting events were often done naked. So if someone were to become circumcised it would not have been private affair, it would have been a public thing, and it could have effected his authority as a military officer.

So he had not become Jewish, and this is important because at that time Jewish people did not go into or socialize in the homes of non Jewish people; especially they didn’t eat together because the Jews had very clear traditions of what was acceptable food and what was not acceptable food. And the food that they ate had to be prepared in a certain way. So if they were to eat with gentiles they were liable to eat food that was considered ritually unclean. So this is the context of this story of Cornelius.

One time Cornelius was praying and he had a vision. His vision was that he was to send to Japa, which was a town about two days walk away, to get a man named Peter to teach him about God. So he sent several of his officers to go and get Peter. Just when they were about to arrive in Japa, Peter, the follower of Christ, the leader of the church, who was in Japa was praying and he had a vision. He had been praying in the upper room or on the roof of the house, and he had this vision that there was this hug sheet, like a sail, and it was being lowered out of heaven, and on it there were all kinds of animals, including snakes and things that crawled on the ground. There were ritually clean animals and unclean animals. Then he heard a voice that said, “Peter, kill and eat.” And he responded with, “No, I can’t do that. I have always followed the dietary laws. I can’t eat these things, they are unclean.” And he heard the voice a second time, “Peter, kill and eat.” “I can’t do that.” And then a third time the voice comes to him and at that point Peter realized that he was being told that the dietary restrictions were no longer relevant. Just at that moment the people from Cornelius arrived at the door, and they invited Peter to come with them. Now having just had this vision, he didn’t delay in going with these gentiles.

When they got to Cornelius’ house he went inside and Cornelius brought together his family and friends to hear what Peter had to say. That is when we get to the passage read today. The first thing that Peter says is, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality.” I truly understand that God shows no partiality - that is a radical statement. It is a radical statement today, to say that there are not restrictions to God’s love. That it doesn’t matter, that God shows no partiality based on ethnic background, based on where you were born, based on your social status, based on anything. God shows no partiality. It is radical today but it was certainly much more radical back then. Back then it was very tribal and to the people of Israel it mattered if you were a descendant of Abraham. It mattered if you were part of the tribe. It mattered if you ate the right foods. It mattered whether you were a Jew or a gentile. But Peter said, “I truly understand that God shows no partiality.” Powerful statement.

Then he goes on to tell the story of Christ and how he healed, and how he was crucified and died, and how he rose again. The next thing that it says after what we read today, the next thing it says is that Cornelius and the people who were gathered there were filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began speaking in tongues. They knew they were filled with the Holy Spirit because they were speaking in different languages. There are lots of different ways the Holy Spirit can manifest and that is one of them. When Peter saw that these people gathered there, these gentiles who were gathered had been touched by the Holy Spirit he said to the others who were with him, “What is to keep us from baptizing them.” And they were all baptized. And it is the first time that non Jews were baptized. Before that everyone had to first become a Jew, agree to all the rules and restrictions of Jewishness, and be circumcised, but here that boundary was broken and this was the beginning of the mission to the gentiles. It is a powerful and important moment in the history of Christianity. Where Christians stepped outside of the mind set of smallness and limit and realized that God knows no. It is interesting that in this case Cornelius and his friends experienced the Holy Spirit before their baptisms. It brings up all kinds of questions about the meaning of baptism, but we are not going to go there today.

In the Gospel reading we hear of Jesus being baptized in the River Jordan, and as he comes out he experiences the Holy Spirit coming upon him like a dove. Now clearly there wasn’t a bird that landed on his head. It was like a dove. It was a simile. It was trying to express this experience of the Holy Spirit coming upon him. The description that is used in the Gospels of a dove is something that people of that time would be used to as a simile, as a description of the Holy Spirit. It is something that people of that culture could relate to.

But let’s try another image. We live in a very different time. We understand electricity, that there is this energy that you can’t see that goes and moves through wires and then makes things work. We have a new movie Tron that takes place inside a computer (Tron 2 I guess) and there is light zooming around. We have these images of energy and we understand it. It makes sense to us because of our culture. So I’d like you to just use your imagination, and if you are not real visual and don’t want to be imaginative, just think about the things I said earlier in the sermon and tune out.

If you have seen some of the really old movies about Jesus the character or actor that plays Jesus is sometimes just fuzzy. Or sometimes in the old back and white ones they make it so there is sort of a little bit of glow around him. Now we have much better special effects and if I were going to do a movie about Jesus I imagine it like this: As Jesus comes up out of his baptism suddenly there is a shower or a waterfall of light that comes down over him. Like drops, tiny droplets of light just flowing all over him and into him and filling him.  And as he gets out of the water these little droplets of light come off him like water dripping off someone after a shower. Then as he walks through the world he would look like a man but every now and then this little bit of light would just drip off of him. When he would touch somebody maybe a drop of light would be on the shoulder and when did a healing maybe a whole bunch of light would go into that other person. It wouldn’t be that he would glow all the time, but there would just be these little drops of light as he walked along, you know, just like water falling off of him. Can you imagine that? Can you see Christ that way? As the Holy Spirit coming into him as light and just kind of going out of him as droplets into the world.

With the baptism of Jesus the understanding of baptism changed. Baptism was an ancient rite that goes back to prehistory as a rite of going and washing to prepare for spiritual events or to wash away sins. It was a common thing to go into the water. What changed with Jesus is the coming of the Holy Spirit as part of baptism. Now baptism, as we understand it, is not a symbol of washing away sins, rather we see it as a sacrament. A sacrament is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. At a baptism not only is the water put on a person, but the Holy Spirit it comes upon that person. So if you have been baptized think of that light coming into you, and washing you, and filling you and transforming you and then coming through you to other people. Imagine yourself filled with the Holy Spirit.

Most of us have had some moment in our lives when we knew there was something special happening, when we experienced the Holy Spirit. Maybe subtly, maybe in the sun set, maybe at a time where you felt energy and healing, maybe at a church service or a communion or at a celebration of some sort. Maybe someone once said something to you that transformed you and you felt the Spirit’s presence. The Holy Spirit is an energy that can come into us like light. Like light that fills us. And like light that can flow out of us so that if we are filled with the Holy Spirit today and we go out of church and we smile at someone in the grocery store that is a little bit of light going to them. Like a droplet that we give. That is what we are to be as Christians. We are to conduits for the Holy Spirit we are to let the Holy Spirit come into us, fill us, transform us and then go out and give it to the world. That is who we are and that is who we are to be. Inviting the Holy Spirit and sharing the Holy Spirit with others, with everyone, for God shows no partiality.

First Sunday after Christmas - New Years Day

Always winter and never Christmas, how hard would that be? When we are stuck in the "winter" of our lives, when there is darkness all around, the light of Christ brings us hope.

Sermon

January 1, 2006

First Sunday after Christmas

The Rev. Valerie Ann Hart

St. Alban’s Episcopal Church, Brentwood

Imagine what it would be like to always be winter. Always winter, no spring, no summer, no autumn. Just winter all the time. Imagine what that would be like.

Now living in California that might not sound so bad, after all the hills are green in the winter, but if you grew up in the Midwest or east coast you know what a “real” winter can be like, with snow and sleet and ice and minus degree weather. But imagine even a California winter that never ended. Day after day after day of clouds and rain and grey sky. Think what it would be like if every day the sun came up late and set early. All the time having it get up in the dark and have the sun set before you get home from work. Always winter. All the time. No change. Always winter with no hope of spring.

This probably sounds familiar for those of you who have seen the movie Narnia or read the book it is based on, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. For those of you who are not familiar with the story, let me give you a quick introduction.

In the story a family of children find themselves in a land called Narnia. When they arrive it is winter. Not a California winter, but a winter of cold and snow. They are told that in Narnia it is always winter and never Christmas.

Always winter and never Christmas! Can you imagine that! How horrible, especially for the children, and the child within each of us. Always winter but never Christmas! Somehow that resonates in each of us as something terrible.

But early in the narrative we are told, “Aslan is on the move.” Aslan is the true king of Narnia. He is described as the son of the Emperor Over the Sea. He is the spiritual foundation of Narnia. He is the Christ of that world. When the children hear that Aslan is on the move, even though they don’t yet know who he is, they feel a special thrill inside.

Once Aslan is on the move Christmas finally comes to Narnia. Christmas brings hope to the land. The trees begin to bloom, the ice melts, the sun comes out and the world warms. It is a time of joy. Light has come into a dark world. It brings hope to the beings of that world who have been enslaved by an evil witch.

But Christmas is not the end of the story; rather it represents the beginning of a journey and a struggle to overcome the forces of darkness. As the children travel this road and accept their part in the struggle they become stronger and discover who they really are.

We are in the season of Christmas. For most people Christmas day is an ending. It is the ending of a month of frantic activity. Presents are bought and wrapped. Cookies are baked. Houses are decorated. Cards are sent. Parties are attended. Carols are sung. People greet one another with “Merry Christmas” and talk about the spirit of the holidays. Finally the culmination of all this activity comes on December 25 with great celebrations. On December 26 the party is over. Everyone waits for Christmas next year.

But for us, for the church, Christmas day is just a beginning. For us the season of Christmas is the 12 days following Christmas, not the month before. Today we sing Christmas carols. Today we celebrate the incarnation of Christ. Today we assert that it is still Christmas, even though our neighbors have taken down their decorations this weekend. For us the season of Christmas lasts until Epiphany, January 6, 12 days after Christmas. That’s where the song The Twelve Days of Christmas comes from.

So, Christmas is a beginning just as it was a beginning for the beings of Narnia. It is a beckon of hope in a dreary world. It is a light in the darkness. It represents the beginning of the end of winter.

We have all known times in our lives that were filled with darkness, where it would seem that the darkness would overcome the light. We have known times that we could call the “winters” of our lives. Perhaps your life right now feels like you are caught in an endless winter. Our times of darkness may be due to illness, or grief, or broken relationships, or addiction, or job loss, or loneliness or just a feeling of darkness shrouding our days. Sometimes things can feel hopeless, as if this difficult time, this dark time, will go on forever.

Those are the times when we most need Christmas. Christmas is the hope for a world in darkness. Christmas is the hope for a person in darkness. In the Gospel today when Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the temple Simeon comes to them and says:

Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace,

  According to your word;

For my eyes have seen your salvation,

  Which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,

A light for revelation to the Gentiles

  And for glory to your people Israel.

For Simeon the encounter with Christ, even the baby in his mother’s arms, is a source of hope. He can now rest at peace knowing that salvation has come into the world. For us, the encounter with Christ is the coming of Christmas. Christmas is a celebration of God making Godself know through Christ – Emmanuel  - God with us.

That is the gift of Christmas, that God is with us. Just as Narnia began the healing process when Aslan came, so our lives begin the healing, transforming process when Christ comes to us. Christ brings hope and the promise that He walks with us.

But, as I said before, Christmas is a beginning, not an end. Remember that for the children in Narnia Christmas was the beginning of a struggle.

If you have struggled with addiction you may know that moment when you reached bottom, when you realized that you couldn’t continue living the life you were leading. Such a moment is a gift of grace; it is the coming of Christmas; it is a coming of hope into a winter of hopelessness. It is also the beginning of a long and often difficult journey toward health. But looking back one realizes how much one has grown through that journey. One realizes how much there was to learn about oneself. One realizes that they are stronger now then they were before the journey began, just as it was for the children in Narnia who could become strong and mature only by facing the struggle at hand.

For me, Christmas came this past August. Most of you know that I was quite ill this summer. Although it was summer, it felt like a dark and long winter. But in August I was graced to be introduced to a doctor who knew how to correctly diagnose and treat my illness. That was the beginning of hope. That was the answer to prayer. That was Christmas to me. It was not an end but a new beginning. It took time and hard work to heal, but in the process I learned a great deal about myself and in many ways became even stronger than before the journey began.

Now some of you may struggle with chronic diseases. Where is the hope there? But Christmas can come into the winter of chronic disease as well. It is that time, or times, when the Christ spirit visits you. When you are touched by something that brings you hope. The hope is not necessarily  for physical healing, but a hope for spiritual healing. It brings a sense of peace, regardless of one’s circumstances, just like it brought peace to Simeon, an old man approaching death who is given hope by his encounter with the baby Jesus.

Are you ready to step out of your personal winter? Are you ready to begin an adventure that leads to spring and new life? It won’t be easy. There will be inner battles to fight, there will be difficulties to overcome, but there is also the opportunity to discover who you really are and to become wiser and stronger than you ever imagined. Are you ready? Do you want to start anew? Do you want the hope and joy that is possible? Are you ready to step out into the unknown and leave the endless darkness of winter behind?

Christmas comes into our lives when we open our hearts to receive Christ. It is that moment, or moments, when we think there is no room in us, when we believe that our hearts have grown cold, yet a little sliver of light sneaks in. We may be talking with someone and we feel cared about and things do not look quite so dark. It may be when we have reached a state of utter darkness and we cry out for help because realize that we have totally failed on our own, and a peace steals its way into our hearts. It may be when someone speaks to you of God, of hope, of new life. It may be when you see a sunrise and suddenly feel hope again. It may be when you are graced to find the right doctor to help you.

Like the sunrise that gradually brings light into the world, like the melting snow that reveals the plants ready to sprout, like the candle lit in a dark room, like the gentle movement of love in our hearts, Christmas changes everything.

In our culture we see today, the first of January as the beginning of a new year. We make resolutions and plans for the coming year to be different. But we cannot make things different on our own. There is nothing different about today than yesterday except a number on a calendar.

No, the time of change, the time of hope, is not the New Year, but Christmas. It is the grace of Christmas, of Christ’s presence with us, and within us, that brings the hope that things will be different, that we are starting anew, that it will not always be winter.

May this New Year be one in which you carry Christmas in your heart all year long. May it be a time where the light of Christ fills you and gives you peace.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.