Preaching texts: Genesis 1:26-31, Matthew 28:16-20
I am thrilled beyond words today. There is nothing that I do as a pastor that I like better than what I am about to do. In a very short time, we will gather around the font. Water will be poured. Prayers spoken. Pledges made. And little Joyce Elizabeth Frederick will become a baptized child of God.
It seems fitting and right that we do this on Trinity Sunday. For in the themes and thoughts of this day, we see clearly the whole purpose of this sacrament, a sacrament not just given to Joyce but was once also given to all of us at some point in our lives. We baptize in the name of the Trinity, because God in his three persons reveals all the ways he loves and embraces us.
The Creation story from Genesis shows us the first form of that love. It states explicitly that God creates humankind. Now regardless of whether you believe that happens through some divine magic or through scientific process, the key point is how God sees humanity as something special even above and beyond the rest of creation. It is we who are made imago dei, in the image of God, and it is we who are declared not merely “good,” but “very good.”
Think about that for a moment. There is something of the divine essence in each one of us; God has placed something of himself in each of us. Even before the water comes upon our head, God loves us. He created us. He made us. He crafted us from the very stuff of stars and planets, knowing everything of who we are. Each one of us unique, “fearfully and wonderfully made” as I often quote from the Psalmist. Each one of us a masterpiece of the master crafter.
In the occasional moments of spare time that I get, I like to build models and paint fantasy miniatures. My wife and mother-in-law knit. My father and father-in-law both love to garden. My daughter draws and paints. If you have a creative hobby like these, you know the passion you place into your work. How you want it come out just right so that beauty can thrive in your work. Think about that in terms of what God creates. Think of the passion he’s put behind creating each one of us. The love, the care, in making us who we are.
But that’s hardly the only way God love us. Jesus, of course, stands at the pinnacle of that love expressed. Think about it for a moment. Long long before any of us were born, God put into motion a plan for our salvation, a means to spare us from the nightmare of death and sin. He made a promise to a man named Abraham, that from his family and descendents would come a blessing for all people. Generations passed and that blessing came to pass in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Every Sunday, we gather here at church to hear that story anew. Of how God so loved the world that he sent his son into the world to save it. We walk through that story, beginning in Advent with the rumors and predictions of his birth. We move to Christmas celebrating his birth and into Epiphany with all the “firsts” of his ministry on Earth. We journey to Jerusalem in Lent and witness his Passion in Holy Week. We celebrate his rising again in Easter. And all along this journey, we hear time and again of the wonders of the kingdom he seeks to bring about. A kingdom with no sickness, pain, mourning, or death. All a gift to those whom God loves.
But Jesus, of course, does not remain on Earth forever. The story we walk through every year comes to its close at Ascension, when Jesus returns to the Father. But before that, he gives us his marching orders and final promise. And here’s where things get a little rough, maybe even a little scary.
This great and wondrous love that we’ve received is not meant to be hoarded amongst ourselves. But it is to be shown and demonstrated and taught across the world. We are to share it with others, to spread the good news of the kingdom to all who will hear. “Go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.” Jesus final words to his disciples becomes our calling as Christians.
Little Joyce is receiving that calling today as well, just as we all did on the day of our own baptism. To dedicate our lives to the spreading of this kingdom, and all that goes with it. To embrace the outcast, to feed the hungry, to aid the poor, to heal the sick. TO LOVE THE UNLOVEABLE because that’s what Jesus would do.
Time and again, human history has shown us how dangerous doing those things can be. That’s why it’s scary. That’s why it’s rough. We live in a world and a society that teaches us those who are less fortunate than we deserve nothing of our help. And if we seek to help them, there will be blowback. There always has been. History is littered with the names of martyrs who sought to do as Christ did and died for it. And while we’d like to think that’s a relic of history, as the news has shown us lately, people are still dying for doing what is right and good and beautiful in this world.
But here’s where Jesus’ final promise comes into play. “Lo, I am with you always.” He sends upon us his Holy Spirit, so that wherever we go and whatever we do God goes with us. We are never alone in life. The one who loves us beyond language and expression stands beside us in all things. From the greatest triumph to the most difficult trial, God is there, lending his strength, hope, endurance, and whatever else we may need.
This is the world Joyce is stepping into today, to be one of us, a disciple of Jesus Christ. One created wondrously by the Father, one saved by the blood of Jesus, and one with whom the Spirit stands in all things. This is who she is. This is who we are. Beloved of the Trinity. Children of God. The ones who are loved beyond words. Amen.
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