The Rev. Robert Lundquist Lent I 3/05/06 St Paul’s, Ft Collins

Baptisms are different in the Baptist church. Instead of a font, they often use the running water of a creek or river. Seems there was such a baptism down in Carolina, the small Baptist congregation was all gathered at the nearby creek. The pastor was hip-deep in the water, having immersed a couple folks already, when one of the congregation’s teenage boys stepped forward. Well, the preacher knew this lad needed baptizing. So he laid him back and held his head under for a good 20 seconds. Upon pulling him up, he got right in the boy’s face and cried out, “Have you seen Jesus?” Before the teen stopped sputtering, the pastor dunked him again, raised him up and asked “Have you seeeeen Jesus?” And then dunked him a third time… “Have you seeeeeeeeeeen Jesus?” This time the young man was able to blurt out, “Are you sure this is where he went in?”

Today’s scripture readings are literally awash in images of water. Flood and baptism, salvation and covenant. We pass through the waters – of the Red Sea with the children of Israel, with Jesus in his baptism by John, in our own baptism. And we may find ourselves asking, “Is this where Jesus went in?”

Mark’s gospel makes a point of Jesus’ humble origins – there are no shepherd, no angels, no magi… He came from Nazareth, an unremarkable and unacclaimed home town, not even mentioned outside of the Gospels. It was literally “Nowheresville.” But Galilee was notorious – it was a town on the northern border of Palestine, held in contempt and suspicion by the urbane residents of Jerusalem and outskirts. Galilee was surrounded by cities rife with Hellenistic influences. It was filled with Gentiles, it was poor, it was isolated. Mark emphasizes that Jesus is not royalty, not from Jerusalem – he’s from the wrong side of the tracks. So this is where he went in.

It’s hard to hear of the Biblical flood any more without thinking of this past summer’s devastation of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast of our country. Through television and, in some cases, firsthand, we’ve all gained some sense of the loss, the suffering and the tragedy of the flooding caused by the failure of the levees. The world of Noah may now seem much more real. People on rooftops, floating on debris, drowning in the waters… Only Noah and seven of his family were saved. And all around would have been those same images of fear, distress, panic and abandonment. What kind of God visits sort of devastation upon anyone?

We may never get the answer to that particular question. But in this story we do find a God who says, “Never again.” We see a God who relents, a God who makes a covenant with Noah and the survivors. A covenant is a form of contract, but it is between unequal parties. In ancient times a covenant was forever binding on the stronger, greater party. We all know that contracts can be broken. But our covenant with God will never be cancelled by God. No matter how many times we may break the covenant, God will not abandon us.

We see in this story a God who needs a reminder of the covenant, a bow placed in the clouds. A rainbow. “Whenever I see it, I will remember,” says our God. God is saying, in essence, “I screwed up, and I never want to make that mistake again. How we long to hear that sentiment from those in authority who have made so many earthly errors during and after Hurricane Katrina made landfall.

In the Psalm we hear the cry of repentance, the cry for mercy. “Don’t remember my youthful shortcomings, God – remember me in the light of your love instead!” This is straight from the heart of the psalmist. “Don’t hold my screw-ups against me – please! All I have to lean on is your love, O God.” Always remember, you are wonderfully made in the image and likeness of God, you are invited into covenant with God through baptism, and you are led into the wilderness, the unknown, by Jesus…

Jesus, from Nowheresville, comes into the wilderness to be baptized. He is immediately flung into the wilderness for 40 days, where he was with Satan (literally “the adversary”), the wild beasts, and the angels. Is this where he went in?

You bet.

When we go under the waters – and we all do quite regularly, using phrases like “drowning in work,” “up to my eyeballs,” “just keeping my head above water”…

We find a repentant God who offers a covenant – of love. “Remember me according to your love, O God.”
We find the one whom we resemble, the one in whose image we are made,
And we find Jesus in the wilderness, at the edge – seeking you.

In the lovely prayer/poem by Patricia B. Clark,

O God of gentle strength, you love embraces me

With sureness of your care my heart rests willingly.

Your waters of rebirth have claimed us as your own,

As members of one body, we shall never be alone.

And when life’s challenges eclipse our minds with doubt,

Let holy wisdom spark a flame to drive the darkness out.

Where will the journey lead? The past may be obscure.

But promised hope of things unseen will keep our footing sure.

Amen.

A Parish For All People!