Loading...Sermon January 10, 2016
The Rev. Rebecca S. Myers, LSW
The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen, Newport, PA
First Sunday After the Epiphany, Year C
Baptism of Our Lord
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
Because you are precious in my sight,
and honored, and I love you, Isaiah 43:2, 4
Please be seated.
In the past couple of weeks, I’ve been going through files that were my father’s. My father died in January of 2011; however, in 2007, he and my mother moved into Messiah Village and sold their home. My father’s files and papers ended up in my son’s basement. I’ve started bringing them to my house, so they’re not cluttering up my son’s basement, but can instead clutter up my attic.
My father was a lawyer and an environmental judge. He loved history, too. Some papers are personal correspondence from his law practice. Some deal with history, especially family history and genealogy.
I found a file recently that was filled with newspaper clippings. A few were from the D-Day Invasion in 1944; however, the majority were from various places in the country that experienced flooding, including the 1936 floods along the Juniata and Susquehanna Rivers. My father would have only been 4 in 1936, so I didn’t think he’d cut them out; however, my Aunt said they always had lots of old newspapers around the house, so my father could have cut them out at a later time. Whoever cut them out, my father kept them for much of his life.
I wondered why someone was so fascinated with floods. I’ve seen the Susquehanna River flood … the 1972 flood. I’ll never forget it. Mostly I saw the photos on TV while the flooding was occurring. However, as a teenager, I helped with the cleanup.
Gooey, oily mud was everywhere. It was hard to know how best to clean it up. I remember shoveling it off of a sidewalk, but how to get it out of the walls of the basements and first floor of the homes was a challenge. I remember the heartache as people had to throw away family heirlooms and photos…things they couldn’t replace.
One friend’s home was slated for demolition, along with the entire block of homes. These homes had gone through one too many floods and were no longer safe. My friend and I were weary from so much cleanup and wound up chasing each other through this small 2-story home with a hose.
I remember going to visit one woman’s apartment. She was in the hospital at the time of the flood and had asked people from our church to check on her apartment. Everything in her apartment was neat and in its place…except for a thin layer of mud that caked the place, even the bedspread on her beautifully-made bed. Someone went to pick up a small table and it fell apart. It had been in the water too long and there was no glue left to hold it together.
In 1972, the Juniata River crested at 34 feet, 12 feet above flood stage, the third worst flood recorded. I think some of you remember that flood and how high it was right in this place. The 1936 flood was worse and I’ve been told there were boats on Third Street and probably in the alley behind 4th Street, rescuing people.
We have a complicated relationship with these rivers and creeks. When they stay in their banks or flood just a little, we appreciate their beauty, their utility, and the wildlife they support. We appreciate our interactions with and the gifts from the river and the water. The water supports and provides life. We can’t live without it.
It’s the massive flooding that is frightening! A lovely flow turns into a powerful, raging force. It pulls homes off of their foundations and sweeps cars away. It can come quickly and surprise us. It wipes out everything in its path.
Water represents life and death at the same time!
In a few minutes, we will baptize Tatum Reeve Saner. We will also renew our own baptismal vows. We will baptize Tatum with water. The water reminds us of creation and life. And the water also overwhelms us as in a flood, because in baptism, we die to a life without God. We die to a life without Jesus Christ. And we are born into a new life…we are born into a new relationship with God and with Jesus Christ. Just like after a flood, new life comes…the soil is rich and fertile. So in baptism, after the flood of water, a new life comes.
Because Tatum is only 4 ½ months old, her family and we as the parish of The Church of the Nativity and St. Stephen will be responsible for nurturing her in this new relationship and this new life. We will need to help her understand, grow and live into the promises made on her behalf today, such as what it means when we say we believe in God…we believe in Jesus Christ…and we believe in the Holy Spirit.
We need to help her understand, grow into and live into what it means to continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of the bread, and in the prayers; what it means to persevere in resisting evil, and whenever we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord; what it means to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ; what it means to see and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself; what it means to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being. (Book of Common Prayer, pgs. 304-305)
And the truth is, in witnessing her baptism and in committing to these promises once again…in committing to be there for Tatum, we learn more about living these promises. Because, God knows, living these promises is a lifetime challenge. And by being part of our community, Tatum will teach us.
Our reading from Isaiah, written at least 2 thousand 6 hundred years ago, gives us confidence and assurance in this life work of living out our Baptismal covenant. I like to call this piece a valentine from God. God doesn’t say that floods will not come…that we will not be overwhelmed by the waters. God says God will be with us…God will walk with us…the waters will not overcome us.
And why is that?
We hear the answer in verse 4…
We are precious in God’s sight. We are valuable. We are exquisite. We are priceless in God’s sight.
We are honored. God honors us! God is thrilled with us. God is pleased with us. God is grateful for us.
And finally…God loves us! God loves us!
Amen!
