April 2, 2000
OUR BAPTISM SONG (Mark
1:9-15)
Probably the most charming of
the films nominated for major Oscar awards this year is
the screen adaptation of John Irving's novel THE CIDER
HOUSE RULES.
It's the story of a group of
orphan boys raised in a country home managed by an aging
obstetician, Dr. Wilbur Larch, acted in the film by
Michael Caine who won Best Supporting Act for his
remarkable portrayal.
One of the orphans never finds
foster parents so Dr. Larch adopts him as his own and
trains him to be his successor as the house doctor. This
boy, Homer, grown to a fine, young man decides, after
his classical namesake, to go into the world and try to
find his way and his leaving breaks the heart of Dr.
Larch.
The most endearing line from the
story is the nightly "good night" which Dr. Larch gives
to his charges, after he has read them a bedtime story,
and is about to close the door to their dormitory. He
calls out: GOOD NIGHT, YOU PRINCES OF MAINE; YOU KINGS OF
NEW ENGLAND.
This "good night" registers in
the boys' hearts and later in their adult memories as a
ritual blessing whose repetition reassures them that they
are not orphans, they are beloved sons.
*****
At his baptism Jesus receives a
similar assurance. The Holy Spirit placed a song in his
heart whose tune he would remember all his life. That is
what baptism does for every person; of course when you
are only a few months old like Tristan you don't know
the words of the song and its tune is not yet familiar.
You will need to learn the baptism song of blessing over
the years and that teaching is the role of parents, and
godparents, and of the congregation.
Taking our outline from Mark's
story of Jesus' baptism we may hear three verses to the
baptism song:
l) The beginning of the song is
about tearing and it goes like this: HEAVEN IS OPEN TO
YOU. In the story of Jesus the good news begins with the
tearing of the heavens and ends with the tearing of the
temple curtain. The veil between you and God has been
torn apart. Heaven is open to you. There is no limit to
God's purpose for your life: it is an eternal
purpose.
That God's blessing tears open
the heavens means that young Tristan in the years ahead
is not boxed into anyone's expectations of what he should
do or what he must accomplish. Some U.S. citizens are up
in arms because the current census presents them with 5l
boxes to check off. Tristan won't have to conform his
spirit to anyone's check off boxes. The sky isn't the
limit for him because heaven is open to him.
Or should the time come when he
faces a serious illness, or even death, those who love
him and those who support him in the church, may say to
him: the heavens are open to you. The angels are waiting
for you; have no fear. Heaven knows you by name. Heaven
is open to you.
2) The second line of the song
at Jesus' baptism is about the dove: God's SPIRIT IS IN
YOU. Remember the end of the flood, when the dove brought
the twig of new life back to Noah? Well, here is the dove
descending on Jesus, bringing the gift of the Holy
Spirit. You are now the temple of God's Holy Spirit. You
are the place where others will encounter God. God's
Spirit is in you.
Should a time come in your life,
Tristan, when you feel alone and surrounded by hostility,
may you hear a parent or a Christian godparent gently
whispering a tune of encouragement: God's Spirit is in
you.
Or if a time comes when you are
wildly successful, you may hear a more sobering rendition
of the song: God's Spirit is in you --- when it seems
everyone worships you and your success, don't forget who
you worship.
3) So heaven is open to you,
God's Spirit is in you. The third line of the song of
baptism is about the beloved: YOU MEAN EVERYTHING TO GOD.
God's word is this: THIS IS MY BELOVED SON. These words
mean that Jesus means everything to God, and everything
God gives to Jesus he gives to us through our baptism.
Tristan means everything to God.
There may come a time in your
life, Tristan, when you feel a deep sense of your own
sin. Then you should hear your baptism song: YOU ARE
EVERYTHING TO GOD. You will always be God's beloved, no
matter what you have done, however unworthy you feel. Or
you may wander away from the church because God seems so
distantly cosmic and vague, when you long for intimacy
and passion. Then may a parent and a Christian friend say
to you, even if they sing through tears: YOU ARE
EVERYTHING TO GOD.
This baptism reminds all
baptised of the song they share with Tristan. The heavens
are open to us; God's Spirit is in us; we are everything
to God. This is the song from God's heart to
ours.
We are, indeed, princes and
princesses of Maine; kings and queens of New England and
the world for we are children of God.
Pastor Gene
Preston
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