I think there is a madness to my method
today. I see the looks. Some of you are wondering the same thing each
morning before we begin. This Sunday may
be one of those Sundays where we are all left wondering it. And, if you are visiting today, no I did not
misspeak. Others have methods to their
madness, but Adventers have a different story about their rector. Let that sink in for a
second. Now that everyone is laughing a
bit, we can turn to the Gospel of John.
I shared last week that last week’s and
this week’s reading from John really form one complete section. But there is a lot of teaching going on in
these 17 verses that it makes sense that it be divided by our lectionary folks. Nobody really wants to sit through a
comprehensive teaching on these verses, outside a Bible study class. Such is, of course, unfortunate, but
understandable. The great news is that
we get to build on the image of last week and relate it to the baptism of JJ
this morning. Now, by way of apology,
Emily and Joel, I apologize that this baptism sermon will not be as personal as
I like. You may have a tough time
remembering it in the years to come, particularly as JJ grows and causes you to
question whether the sacrament “took.”
What? I had seven kids. You don’t think Karen and I sometimes wondered
what you’ve all thought as parents? I
really thought about working in Hamilton or Les Miserables into this, well, a
couple of the songs on forgiveness or redeeming love from those shows, as an
acknowledgement of your loves of performance, but then I remembered my “not
even fit for the shower” voice. In
saying that, though, I recognize that my sermon ended up being far more
personal than I expected. 8 o’clockers reminded
me that sermons sometimes convey more than we think they are conveying. And, even if it ends up not being personal
enough, I did stroll today!
Last week, for those of you who were not
here, we spoke of the image of abiding in the language of vine growers. We talked last week how vintners, either for
purely economic reasons or for flavor or weather reasons, can graft the
branches of one kind of grape to the root system of another grape. Economically, it cuts the ramp up to
production by anywhere from 4 to 7 years.
Imagine being a grower of chardonnay and learning your customers have
all become fans of pino grigio. You
could be bankrupted if you had to wait 7 years for a switch in grapes to come
to fruition. Flavor wise, the
combination of different root stocks and branches can lead to interesting or
even desired flavor profiles. Again,
it’s sort of economically driven—vintners want to have a unique grape so that
people will pay more for their grapes—but there is also a bit of artistry
involved, what we call taste. In so far
as weather is concerned, we have learned that certain combinations are able to
thrive in areas in which the grapes are not native. Root systems that like more temperate
climates cannot survive northern latitudes.
I see the nods, people are remembering.
Good.
I preached on the applications in our
lives last week. Jesus is the Vine. This teaching, not insignificantly I think,
is the last of Jesus’ “I am” statements in John’s Gospel. You and I and all who claim Him as Lord are
the individual branches. Only by being
grafted into Him do we begin to produce fruit that is pleasing to our Father in
Heaven, the owner of the vineyard in other Bible stories, both in the Old and
the New Testaments. The Gospel, of course,
is His overarching narrative of salvation history. Our contribution to His story, which is
empowered and encouraged by our being grafted into Him, are our words, our
actions, our service, our ministries, the very parts of our witness that make
us, us. Everybody with me or reminded
now? Good, I see some nods.
It’s important that we understand that
because I think one of the primary teachings of John in this section is about
the nature of baptism. We are grafted
into Jesus by virtue of our baptism. So,
it is good that we remember on this day when we baptize JJ into the Body of
Christ, into His Vine, that we remind ourselves that we, too, were grafted in
Him!
John’s teaching also gives us a bit of
insight as to the significance of Jesus’ “I am” statement as the Vine and another
reason as to why the leaders of Israel would be so interested in having Jesus
put to death. More significantly, Jesus’
teaching on this has wonderful pastoral implications for all who claim to be
grafted into His Vine, His disciples, both those in John’s original audience
and us! Just as significantly, I think
Jesus teaching gives us, Episcopalian/Anglicans, encouragement that, at our
best, we are truly living into what it means to be rooted in His Vine!
Listen to one of our old prayers for those
about to be baptized: Lord Jesus Christ,
you desire that everyone who follows You shall be born again by water and the
Spirit: Remember Your servant, JJ, who is soon to be baptized in Your
Name. By His name Lord: Grant that you
will know him, and call him to a life of service. Amen. Grant that JJ may become the person You
created him to be. Amen. Grant that JJ may be
written for ever in Your Book of Life. Amen.
Through the water of his baptism, Lord: Grant that JJ may be united with
You in Your death. Amen. Grant that JJ may
receive forgiveness for all his sins. Amen.
Grant that JJ may have power to endure, and strength to have victory in
the battle of life. Amen. As a member of Your
Church, Lord: Grant that JJ may rise to a new life in the fellowship of those
who love You. Amen. Grant that JJ may
suffer when another suffers and when another rejoices, rejoice. Amen. Grant that JJ may be Your faithful soldier
and servant until his life’s end. Amen.
Through the abiding presence of Your Spirit, Lord: Grant that JJ may
lead the rest of his life according to this beginning. Amen. Grant that when JJ passes through the dark
waters of death, You will be with him. Amen.
Grant that JJ may inherit the kingdom of glory prepared for him from the
foundation of the world. Amen.
No doubt you hear the anticipatory echoes
of the Baptismal vows we will make regarding JJ and renew regarding ourselves,
but I shared that prayer with you because I think it does a wonderful job of
explaining John’s teaching these last two weeks.
In the buildup to the most recent end of
the world nonsense, I had a fair number of conversations regarding what it
really means to be Christian. Most conversations
were outside these walls, but a few took place here at Advent. People were concerned about their
destination, if the prophesy about April 23 turned out true. Is being a Christian simply a question of
belief and knowledge? Some apparently
have been taught that what signifies them as Christians is simply their
willingness to be baptized and proclaim Jesus as Lord. Is that really all that signifies us as
Christians? Does that even necessarily
signify us as Christians? During a
couple conversations I ended up discussing baptized people who seem not to live
their lives as people who claim Jesus is Lord.
The easy examples for me to use were members of the mafia. Pope Francis has found himself criticized a few
months ago in some clerical circles for telling members of the mafia that
tithing and going to Mass are not enough to believe oneself saved, that there
needs to be an amendment of life. Those
complaining, by the way, really like the contributions to their offering plates
and budgets. To us, such a statement
seems common sensical, but to our brothers and sisters in other parts of the
world, it seems to fly in the face of their church’s teaching. All that really matters is the public
profession, right?
We know, hopefully, less extreme claimants. There are numerous examples of people who
publicly claim Jesus as Lord and yet who live as people who do not seem quite
convinced of their own proclamations, though maybe their counter-witness is
less egregious than the aforementioned members of the mafia. I am amazed at the number of drivers with cars
with fish or “Jesus saves” bumper stickers on the back that seem to go quickly
to the universal sign of respect in Nashville traffic. I have lots of conversations with folks who
like to argue that they do not need to come to church to worship God. They can worship God just fine on the golf
course, in the beds on a cold, rainy day, on the lake while fishing, or headed
down to Cool Springs to find great deals and small crowds on Sunday morning. If they truly worshiped God while doing those
things, my guess is that they would not be seeking me out to argue that one
must be in community, unless that community has discerned a call for them to a
life of mystical communion or hermit/ess.
And for us Episcopalians, it is part of our oath that we make before God
when we seek baptism or confirmation: we promise to continue in the Apostles’
fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the prayers! So is our faith simply in our heads? No, not exactly, though there is some sort of
rational part of our faith.
Another worry that was expressed to me by
those outside the parish was whether they had done enough to merit heaven. At times over my tenure, though, Adventers
have specifically asked me if I thought God would be disappointed with
them. Now, most of you understand that
works’ righteousness is rejected by the Church, so will not pound against that
too much the morning. But, how do we
measure the transformation of the heart?
Part of our discernment is the fruits we produce, right? You all laughed about the mafia a moment ago,
why? Extortion, theft, murder,
intimidation, and whatever else we associate with their lives thanks to Holly
wood are not fruits of the Spirit. They
may intellectually claim to be Christians, but their lives testify to their
rejection of His Lordship—that was the lesson being taught by the Pope. And so, when we look at the fruits of our
lives or the lives around us, they give an indication of our relationship with
Christ.
And please, do not mishear me this
morning. We all sin. We all fall short of the glory of God. Joel and Emily will soon learn, if Addie has
not already taught them, that there is an inherent willfulness, an original
propensity to sin, within us. Every
parent knows this. God knows this. What does He ask or command of us when we do
sin? That we repent and return to
Him. His Son has already paid the
penalty for our sins. So, our Father who
is glorified by our fruit to which He empowers to accomplish in His name is
pleased with our humility and willingness to repent. And even that act of repentance can be used
by God to reach others!
So, if being a Christian is not be a head
thing or a work or fruit-producing thing, what is it? How do we measure it? How do we assure ourselves, when the enemy
whispers in our Gethsemane moments, that we weren’t good enough? Don’t have the right theology? Are not loved by our Father in Heaven? Think back on that prayer and on Jesus’
wonderful I am the Vine statement. Now,
think back to your own confirmation class, and here is your chance to show off
for the visitors and friends and family of JJ so they know you are equipped to teach
JJ to know and love God and know himself to be known by and loved by God in the
years to come. What is a sacrament? Come on, this is not rhetorical. What is a sacrament? Thank you, an outward sign of an inward and spiritual grace. We are a sacramental people. We may differ with our Roman and Eastern
friends as to the number, but we are still a sacramental people. What we do today is a dominical sacrament,
meaning it was commanded by our Lord that we go and baptize in the Name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
To use our language and illustration better, today, by the power of the
Holy Spirit and in accordance with the will and power of the Father and of the
Son, JJ is grafted into the Vine, Christ.
If Emily and Joel do their jobs, and we do our jobs, JJ will know
Himself to be rooted in the love of Christ.
JJ, like I think almost all of us present, is grafted into the
Vine. He will minister and serve and
speak in his own voice in the years to come, but it will be, to extend the
metaphor of the last couple weeks, his way of expressing God’s love, God’s
story, in the world around him.
I see some shocked looks. Heady stuff, right? JJ and you and I are commissioned to tell
God’s story in the world around us. You
and I are commissioned to bear witness to His saving grace in our lives and in
the world around us. Don’t worry, Pentecost
is coming; we never do this stuff on our own!
But failure to do it on our parts can have a terrible ripple effect on
the lives of those around us. Failure to
do our job winsomely and passionately and lovingly means that others do not get
to hear our voice or see our work or, to use the metaphor again, taste of our
particular flavor. Think I’m crazy? Think I am extending John account of Jesus’
teaching too far?
Look at the teaching again. Think back on last week’s teaching. When is all of this teaching given? After the events of Maundy Thursday and right
before the Passion of our Lord Christ.
Jesus has just changed their understanding of the Passover Meal. They were celebrating a freedom of bondage
from slavery in Egypt, but our Lord alters their thinking to understand, only
after the fact, that His purpose was to free them from the bondage of sin. And here, later in the evening, Jesus goes on
this long discussion about vineyards and fruit of the vine. Why?
Until this point in salvation history,
God’s locus of salvation has always been the territory in the Bible known as
the Promised Land. God’s people, prior
to the Incarnation, understood the vineyard to be Israel and themselves to be
the vines growing in the vineyard. At
times that vineyard is well-hedged and protected by watch towers; during times
of judgment or Exile, that vineyard is laid waste so that people can marvel and
laugh at its fall. Always, though, the
Promised Land was the Locus. To where
does Jesus switch it? Himself! No longer are God’s people to view themselves
as vines in a vineyard; now they are to view themselves as branches connected
to the Vine, the Son of God! This
replacement understanding is profound for God’s people, including me and you.
For a people about to experience the
expulsion from the synagogues, the crushing of their homeland by Roman might,
persecution at the hands of that same Roman power, what is the pastoral
implication? No longer does the people
of God need to fight to get back to somewhere, a Promised Land in time in
space. Wherever they go, they are
already connected to the Vine! If they
suffer, they ought not be too surprised, as they are connected to the Vine that
suffered and they have a share in His sufferings. If they are blessed, they should not be too
shocked. As branches in the Vine beloved
by the Father, the Vine grower, they are promised a first born
inheritance! Pastorally, this teaching
will be significant in the early Church and should be for us today.
How do you and I remind ourselves of the
truth of Jesus teaching? Where do you
and I remind ourselves of Hs work and the joyful thanksgiving we should have
toward Him? The Eucharist! Each time we gather to celebrate that
Sacrament, what do we do? We remember
His death. We proclaim His
Resurrection. We await His coming in
glory. The Eucharist becomes of us that
outward sign that we are grafted into His Vine and heirs of all His promises! Put in a different language, the Eucharist
becomes for us, just like baptism, a mystical experience that reminds us of
God’s love for each one and all of us!
I see some struggling faces. Are these good struggles or bad
struggles? Unsure? Fair enough.
In some sense, Emily and Joel’s decision to move JJ’s baptism was
fortuitous for this. One, we get to
focus a bit more on what is happening in the sacrament. But, just as significantly, we are about to
make the big switch from the season of Easter into the Season after
Pentecost. In that transition, we will
celebrate the Ascension and Pentecost. The
Ascension marks Jesus’ leaving—His ministry on earth is completed. In a mysterious way, though, He is still with
us through the empowering and life –giving Holy Spirit. As good liturgical Christians living after
that big transition, where do we meet Jesus today? Bingo!
In the Word and Sacraments!
Hard to take in, right? The more important question is whether we
believe it? Because whether we accept
this profound truth because our head says it makes sense or because the
resulting fruit seems evident of the Spirit dwelling in us or because of that
mystical experience present in our Sacrament, there is a consequence to that
belief. The consequence, of course, is
summed up in those prayers I read earlier and in that commissioning prayer we
say together at the end of each and every Eucharist. Eternal God, heavenly Father, You have
graciously accepted us as living members
of Your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and You have fed us with spiritual
food in the Sacrament of His Body and Blood.
Now what do we pray? Send us now into the world in peace and
grant us strength and courage to love and serve You with gladness and
singleness of heart; through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is a reason we do not pray for an
identical theology, an identical ethic, or even an identical mystical
experience. We pray for unity; we pray
for charity toward one another; we pray for the strength and courage to do His
work; but we recognize that, even though we are part of the Vine, we each are
different branches. We each have a
unique relationship to the Vine, to God, and unique callings. Make no mistake, our stories of redemption
are part of His story of redemption, but they are stories told in our voice,
spoken in our language, colored by our perspectives, acted out in our
servant-ministries, and filled with the joy that His redeeming presence gives
us!
In the end, we might say the fancy word
that I have been dancing around this morning is discipleship. In the baptism of JJ this morning, we are
marking the beginning of his discipleship.
In the vows taken by Emily and Joel, they are marking a change in the
nature of their discipleship. No longer
are they simply trying to follow Jesus, to abide in His presence, they are
undertaking again today the effort and vow to raise another child as a disciple
of Christ. You and I who renew our vows
and remind ourselves of our work also make a vow this to help JJ know and love
the Lord Jesus as part of our community.
You members of the family that are Christian, you make a similar vow,
though its exercise will be different than most of us. What we should be teaching JJ and reminding
ourselves is summed up well in the passage of the last two weeks. Following Jesus is not just an intellectual
exercise. Following Jesus is not just a
question of proper or right behavior.
Following Jesus is, at its root, a mystical experience that transforms
us. When we endeavor to meet Jesus in
the Word or in the Sacrament, He is always there waiting and wooing, longing
for us to desire His abiding presence.
And for those who seek that presence, brothers and sisters, those who
desperately try to root themselves in His Vine, He promises joy, joy that the
world cannot give, to use the language of John from Maundy Thursday, the joy
that is possible only from knowing ourselves loved by, redeemed by, and rooted
in His eternal presence. And that joy,
my brothers and sisters, is the best answer to our Gethsemane moments and our
fears and doubts.
In
Christ’s Peace,
Brian†
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