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Sermon January 9, 2022
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, MSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen’s
The First Sunday After the Epiphany Year C
http://lectionarypage.net/YearC_RCL/Epiphany/CEpi1_RCL.html
Audio: /documents/Eucharist__January_9__2022
Video: https://youtu.be/DFPbUkuDQX4
…and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’ Luke 3:22
Please be seated
This week when I heard this familiar story of the baptism of Jesus, I thought about something I believe the former Archbishop Desmond Tutu said. It was something to the effect that the worst thing you can do to someone is to make them believe they are not a child of God.
I was fortunate to have heard the Archbishop in person once. Such a strong, powerful voice for love and freedom. Also, filled with such joy and laughter. He was certainly a marvel, having grown up during the oppressive apartheid regime in the country of South Africa.
What I remember from his presentation, which was about 15 years after the end of apartheid, was that he talked about getting up early each morning and praying for 1-2 hours. Now, you know he was definitely a busy man and he insisted he could not do anything without being so grounded in prayer…so connected to God.
He talked about learning that many people were praying for the end of apartheid and how he just knew it would end with so many prayers being said.
Yet, he still wondered if he would see it end in his lifetime.
Once it did end, he became part of the truth and reconciliation commission. They held hearings throughout the country for people to come forward to say in public the suffering they had experienced during apartheid, as well as the suffering that they had inflicted. Can you imagine? People who were tortured and treated in the most inhumane ways could come forward in public to say what had happened to them. Those who had been part of inflicting the suffering could also come forward to confess what they had done. Those who inflicted the suffering and confessed could possibly receive amnesty from civil or criminal prosecution for confessing to their crimes. As we have heard, “confession is good for the soul.”
There is something about standing in public and saying what happened to you or what you did to others that allows for healing, that allows for the wrongs to be addressed…that allows for repentance…a turning around…a different way going forward.
I think the Archbishop’s work as South Africa tried to emerge as a different nation from a torturous past, was grounded in the South African concept of Ubuntu. When I visited South Africa in 2008, ubuntu was explained as you cannot shoot the white stripe of the zebra and have the zebra live; you cannot shoot the black stripe of the zebra and have the zebra live. I bought this zebra in South Africa to remind me of this.
Archbishop Tutu in his book, No Future Without Forgiveness says this about ubuntu:
“Ubuntu is very difficult to render into a Western language. It speaks of the very essence of being human. When we want to give high praise to someone we say, “Yu, u nobuntu”; “Hey, so-and-so has ubuntu.” Then you are generous, you are hospitable, you are friendly and caring and compassionate. You share what you have. It is to say, “My humanity is caught up, is inextricably bound up, in yours.” We belong in a bundle of life. We say, “A person is a person through other persons.” It is not, “I think therefore I am.” It says rather: “I am human because I belong. I participate, I share.” A person with ubuntu is open and available to others, affirming of others, does not feel threatened that others are able and good, for he or she has a proper self-assurance that comes from knowing that he or she belongs in a greater whole and is diminished when others are humiliated or diminished, when others are tortured or oppressed, or treated as if they were less than who they are.”
Our humanity is inextricably bound up with each other. We cannot exist as a person without each other. We are human and tied together.
In our Gospel today, after John baptizes Jesus, people heard a voice from heaven say, you are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.
We are not perfect like Jesus and as Jesus taught us, we are God’s children. We are created in the image of God. We are bound up with each other. We are called to ubuntu. We are called to be hospitable, friendly, caring, compassionate. We are open and available to others. We are affirming of others. We delight in knowing we are part of a greater whole and we are diminished when others are humiliated, tortured, oppressed or treated as if they are not children of God.
Today we renew our baptismal vows. We do this a couple of times throughout the year to remind us of what our response as God’s children to God’s great love for us needs to be.
While we may not do it with the ferocity, strength, love and joy of a man like Archbishop Desmond Tutu, we thank God for his life and for his being an example to us of the Christian life.
Amen
