Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost

Preached at Canadochly Lutheran Church on October 6, 2013

Scripture text: 2 Timothy 1:1-14

I found myself in something of a bind this week during my sermon preparation. There were so many things that I wanted to talk about, so many things weighing on my heart and my mind this week, that I just couldn’t figure out what direction to go in. There’s the government shutdown and I wanted to address that in some way. There’s the baptism today and I wanted to celebrate that in my sermon in some form. There are also the Scripture readings assigned by our lectionary and I wanted to be faithful to the traditions of the church on this day.

There was too much, it seemed, to talk about. But then I read again our second lesson, Paul’s letter to St. Timothy and something jumped out at me that hadn’t before...

For this reason I remind you to rekindle the gift of God that is within you through the laying on of my hands; for God did not give us a spirit of cowardice, but rather a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.

In those two verses was the answer to my dilemma.

It all begins here, at the waters of baptism. Here is the “gift of God that is within” each of us. A gift that will be granted to little Ember is just a few short minutes. Here is where God claims as fully as one of his own. Here, he puts the mark of the cross upon us and says “You are mine. Now and forever.”

Think for a moment about what that really means. Christ came into the world as one of us, a human being named Jesus. He came. Was born. He lived. He taught. He healed. He inaugurated a kingdom of God to which he invited all. It didn’t matter. It was open to Pharisees and scribes, lepers, tax collectors, and prostitutes. The good and the bad of all of us. And then he sealed the deal by going to the cross and there dying to take away the sin of the whole world. All of it, from you and from me and from everyone. He rose again to give us life eternal.

In this moment, we are given a sacrament that tells us beyond doubt that we are a part of that kingdom, that God has welcomed us into his arms, and called us his beloved child. He has taken away the power of all that threatens us and set us free to live like Christ did: without fear, without hatred, but instead with courage and love.

We are a new creation and we are called to live as that new creation. As I’ve said before, we cannot go on living like nothing has happened to us. We are baptized and that certainly means that something big has happened to each one of us.

But what does that mean? What does it mean to live in that new creation? Part of it you heard just last week in the questions asked around this font.

• Do you renounce the devil and all the forces that defy God?
• Do you renounce the forces of this world that rebel against God?
• Do you renounce the ways of sin that draw you away from God?

You’ll be asked those questions again in just a few minutes. Today, as last week, I expect to hear an affirmative answer from all of us. But it’s one thing to say it in here. It’s another thing entirely to live it out there.

That’s when it gets hard. Out there in a world full of difficult people. People we don’t like. People who frustrate and annoy us. People with whom we disagree. But what Paul says to Timothy he says also to us. We are given a spirit of power and love and self-discipline, not one of cowardice or hatred.

Which brings me to current events. We’re all watching the stand-off in Washington, wondering which side will finally blink and get the government running again. Tensions are high. Passions are running amok. People are angry. I get that. But we cannot forget that in the midst of such times that we are Christians first. That the most important piece of who we are is that we are disciples of Jesus Christ and we are that before we are Democrats, Republicans, or even Americans.

But that does get forgotten. Last Sunday, an individual walked out of this sanctuary because I dared state that President Obama was a human being instead of some sort of demonic monster. I’ve seen horrifically vulgar and offensive posts directed at people in Washington from members of this congregation on Facebook this week. And then there’s me. One of my friends posted (again on Facebook) that what we should do is give our leaders in Washington the middle finger and throw the bums out, and I commented that I agreed with him. I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have agreed with that, because that wasn’t Christian of me.

Look, I’m not asking anyone to change their vote. I’m not asking anyone to switch sides or to agree with my politics. But I am asking for us to remember that John Boehner and Barack Obama and Mitch McConnell and Nancy Pelosi and all the rest of those folks in the midst of this crisis are also people for whom Jesus Christ went to the cross and died. Most of them, at one point in their life, were brought to a font like this one and were marked with Christ’s seal and made our brothers and sisters in him. And for those who haven’t come here, there is nothing our Lord desires more than to see that happen.

We are asked at this font to renounce evil and perhaps the best place to start is within ourselves. Our own failure, mine, yours, to see Christ in others. To see his heart and his desire for his children. He loves them as he loves us.

We are called to reflect that same love. Jesus makes no bones about this. His teachings are very clear. Do unto others... Love your neighbor as yourself. Love your enemies and pray for them. What you do to the least of these you do to me. It’s not always easy.

But regardless of whether it’s a politician in Washington or a misbehaving celebrity or a neighbor who plays their music too loud or someone across this sanctuary with whom you disagree, I say to you what Paul says to all of us. “You are given a spirit of power and of love and of self-discipline.” It’s time we acted like it.

We are made a new creation by our baptism into Christ Jesus. This moment isn’t a one time thing. We are meant to remember each day of our lives what these waters mean, who Christ wants us to be, and how we wishes us to treat one another. Today, as we celebrate with Ember and her family this sacrament, let us take Paul’s words to heart and rekindle in ourselves that same spirit that is being given to her, not a spirit of fear and anger, but one of love and compassion for ALL humankind, even the parts of it we don't like. Amen.