By Washington City Church of the Brethren
The podcast currently has 25 episodes available.
Rise Up, Fall Down (1st Sunday in Advent)
Preacher: Nathan Hosler Scriptures: Isaiah 64:1-9, Luke 1:46-55
There is a certainty, and inevitability about it. The planets spin. In the night sky. Seen from the playground in the early evening, before the stars and bright enough to be seen even in the city. In a pair near the moon, Jupiter and Saturn. Coming close together (called the great conjunction) once every 20 years…and on December 21st will be the closest they have been since 1623 (or 397 years). Also, visible, one with a red-ish hue: Mars. (https://www.timeanddate.com/astronomy/planets/great-conjunction).
The ginkgo tree leaves on our block are an extraordinary yellow and falling again. There is a certainty, an inevitability about it. But somehow surprising. “We know it gets cold but still surprises every year.” My neighbor said it, but I was thinking it. The muggy heat of DC does, in fact, break and change. The leaves change and fall and then bare branches and then sprout.
Like some giant magical clock, spinning and whirring. Perplexing and mysterious but still predictable (to a degree). We have learned what gravity does and is. We know that in certain conditions water freezes. Birds fly south. Days get shorter and then longer and then shorter again.
In the book of Job, we hear God’s response,
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
6 On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
7 when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb?—
9 when I made the clouds its garment,
and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and prescribed bounds for it,
and set bars and doors,
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?
God creating and determining. Bounds of the oceans and waterways. Painting ginkgoes and juggling planets. These proclaim the goodness of God. There is certainty in it. There is an inevitability about it.
In Mary’s song there is a certainty—a supreme confidence in the work of God.
“My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48 for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”
Mercy certain from generation to generation.
The proud scattered.
Powerful brought down
Lifted the lowly.
Filled the hungry.
Sent the rich away.
Mary is supremely confident. Though a young woman in a lowly state in an occupied land, “with her back against the wall.” She declares and proclaims what she knows to be true, even though it is not immediately visible—and I assume, even for her, hard to always believe.
There is an inevitability and a certainness to the work of the creator but also the invitation and call. An invitation and call to participate in this work—call to co-create and even turn the world upside down. A call to lift but also to be lifted. A call to heal but also to be healed. To restore but also be restored
Black prophet-mystic, Howard Thurman, writing in 1949, in Jesus for the Disinherited asserts, “Many and varied are the interpretations dealing with the teachings and life of Jesus of Nazareth. But few of these interpretations deal with what the teachings and the life of Jesus have to say to those who stand, at a moment in human history, with their backs against the wall” (Howard Thurman, Jesus for the Disinherited, 1). Thurman identifies Mary as one “with her back against the wall” and this song as a critical for those living in fear and disinherited.
Mary’s song begins with rejoicing in the work of God. This work was a significant calling on her life. Her world was imbued with the action of God but also turned upside down by a call to participate in this work. While it fortifies and strengthens, it was not passive participation and observing, but a co-creating and forming of the Christ Child.
This call fortifies and strengthens, it was not passive participation and observing, but a co-creating and forming of the Christ Child.
Not only did this radically change her life but would turn the world upside down—scattering the proud, bringing down rulers, lifting the humble, filling the hungry, and sending the rich away empty.
The song of Mary echoes in Acts 17 as the Good News is being proclaimed. The accusation brought against the disciples is, “These people who have been turning the world upside down have come here also.” The disciples were rejoicing and abiding in the presence and work of God while proclaiming and working for a world where well-being, justice, wholeness, and peace flourish.
As we seek to hear and share the Good News in this season, may we, too, rejoice in the work of God, singing a new song for the world to hear. May we be healed, filled, and comforted by the peace of the coming Christ Child.
Preacher: Jessie Houff
Scripture: Ephesians 1:15-23. Matthew 25: 31-46. Psalm 100
Today, we are focusing on three scriptures, each with a different theme and what each message means. We’re going to reflect on giving thanks, giving back, and giving joy. As I read, an artwork will be next to the message. I invite everyone to listen and reflect on how you give thanks, give back, and give joy today and every day moving forward.
For this message, I want everyone to think about Giving Thanks. What does that mean to you? How does this message tell us to give thanks?
Ephesians 1:15-23: Give Thanks
“I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers. I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance among the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power for us who believe, according to the working of his great power. God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.”
“A reinterpretation of Norman Rockwell’s iconic illustration “Freedom of Worship” Rockwell’s classic illustrations of the “Four Freedoms,” have been given a photographic update by artists Hank Willis Thomas and Emily Shur. The project is part of a campaign by the arts organization For Freedoms and just one of dozens of different versions of the image.” – https://time.com/longform/four-freedoms/
For this message, I want you to think about what Giving Back means. How do you give back? How does this message speak to you about giving back?
Matthew 25: 31-46: Give Back
Mural in Neuendettelsau, Germany
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’
And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
One of the reasons I love art so much is that you don’t have to have words or even a lot of detail for a piece to be representational. This mural (of which I could not find the artsits name) is simple yet tells the story of all these beautiful deeds we heard about in Matthew. Silhouettes represent another kindness. We don’t need to see the people to understand what’s going on. Thanksgiving is usually a time when we think of how we can give back. We may donate money or give products to those in need. Food, clothing. Personally, a great way to give back would be to stay safe and protect others. Wearing of a mask can save so many lives. Staying indoors and reducing the amount of time you spend outdoors is good too, though we have to remember to give back even when we’re indoors. My family is planning on coming, so we are eagerly awaiting all of our Covid tests to hopefully come back negative. How can we give back this year?
Psalm 100: Give Joy
Finally, we give Joy. What does it mean to give joy? How does this message tell us to spread joy in all we do?
Jump for Joy by ArtByCorby on Etsy
“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come into his presence with singing. Know that the LORD is God. It is he that made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise. Give thanks to him, bless his name. For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.”
Next week starts the Advent season. I have never looked forward to Christmas more in my life. There is so much to celebrate and the expression of Joy is ever present during this season. There is joy in Mary and Elizabeth, which is why I love this painting so much. Though she knew she would undergo judgement and pressure, she was able to celebrate with her close relative who also was expecting a child. This image was taken from a shot from the film, “The Nativity Story” in 2006. I love how this artist took a moment from another artists’ rendition of this story. None of us were there in the moment these two met and Elizabeth’s baby jumped for joy, but I imagine the moment looked a lot like this.
We are all preparing for a different kind of Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I think this will give us an opportunity to look inward; celebrate precious time together, cook good food, support local businesses and perhaps even making or own Christmas decorations from things in our own home.
Let us give thanks
We will give back
And we will give joy!
Amen.
Preacher: Jeff Davidson
Scripture: Zephaniah 1:7, 12-18; Matthew 25:14-30
Sometimes you’re reading something and there’s a phrase or an expression that jumps out at you or raises a question of some kind. That’s what happened to me with our reading this morning from the prophet Zephaniah. It’s there in verse 12, where God, speaking through Zephaniah, says, “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the people who rest complacently on their dregs, those who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good, nor will he do harm.”
Have any of you ever heard about people resting on their dregs before? I’ve heard of people resting on their laurels. I’ve heard of people who win an award or a prize and then just kind of coast from then on out. Some people think that Robert De Niro is the greatest actor of his generation. Bang the Drum Slowly. The Godfather II. Taxi Driver. The Deer Hunter. Raging Bull. Goodfellas. You can find people that will argue that those are among the greatest movie performances of the 20th century. I haven’t heard anyone suggest that about Analyze This or Meet the Parents or any of the sequels to those movies. Not that they’re necessarily bad
movies or anything, but a lot of people think that De Niro is just coasting in them, taking it easy, resting on his reputation, resting on his laurels.
Part of figuring out what it means to rest on your dregs is to know what “dregs” means. I usually think of “dregs” as those coffee grounds in the bottom of the cup if you overfill the coffee pot or the tea leaves that are left in the cup if there’s a small hole in the teabag. Merriam-Webster.com gives three definitions: the sediment contained in a liquid (like the dregs of the coffee), the most undesirable part (like the dregs of society), or the last remaining part (like the last dregs of fuel.)
In Zephaniah’s case, this is referring to kind of a combination of the first two definitions. In Old Testament times people drank wine. Drinkable water could be hard to find, there was no refrigeration or pasteurization for milk, and so people drank a lot of wine. There’s sediment, or dregs, in wine. If you leave that wine sitting for long enough the sediment will all kind of settle at the bottom and although I don’t drink much wine myself I’m told it’s quite nasty to drink. The dregs of the wine aren’t just the sediment in it. The dregs can also become the least desirable part of the wine if the wine just sits too long.
The New International Version spells it out a little more clearly. Verse 12 says, “At that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish those
who are complacent, who are like wine left on its dregs, who think, “The Lord will do nothing, either good or bad.” That’s the tie between complacency and dregs.
Zephaniah is prophesying to the kingdom of Judah, and what he foretells is what will happen to them if they do not turn back to the Lord. If they just go on as they always have, they will be conquered. They will be punished. Jerusalem will be destroyed. The people will be exiled. And in fact that’s what happened to them later on.
Have the last few weeks felt like a time of complacency to you? There’s been the election, there’s been all the stuff after the election, and it doesn’t matter what your politics are, I’m sure no one here in the United States would describe the time since November 3 as a time of complacency. There are some people, though, who have said that complacency in 2016 in terms of a lower turnout of eligible voters is what brought us to the controversies of 2020. That’s not really fair to 2016 in some ways, though, because voter turnout in 2012 was even lower.
My point isn’t that when it comes to elections any one of you is complacent now or was complacent back in 2016 or 2012 or any other time. My point is no matter what it is in life, whether it’s elections or sports or technology or anything, we can get used to the way things are and
assume that the way things have always been is the way that they’re going to be now and will be in the future.
That’s kind of what happens to the one-talent servant in our gospel reading from Matthew. The servant knows that the boss is the kind of guy who lets the servants do all the work and then takes all the benefit for himself. The servant doesn’t expect to get anything good out of whatever effort he puts into this project he’s been given, and so he puts no effort into it. The servant does not even do the minimum that he could have done. The servant could have walked to the bank and deposited his one talent, and then later the boss would have gotten back one talent plus interest. But no, the servant just goes into the back yard and buries the talent in the ground.
And what happens to our complacent servant, resting on his dregs, assuming that since he’s never gotten anything good out of the boss he might as well not bother trying, is the same thing that happens to the complacent folks in Zephaniah’s prophecy. The master returns, and there are consequences. For Zephaniah’s hearers, the consequences would include exile from Jerusalem. For the servant, the consequences include exile from the master’s household.
I think I may have said this before in a sermon, but I don’t think I’ve said it in one of our Zoom sessions so I’ll go ahead and run the risk of repeating myself for some of you. As I get older, the hardest part of it isn’t the physical part of it. Yeah, my body hurts in ways and places it didn’t forty years ago and I can’t do some things now that I could then, but that’s the nature of aging. I expected that.
The hardest part is also not the loss of friends and family. I miss my parents. I miss my grandparents. I miss my sister Lori. That also, though, is something that comes with aging. You expect that you will lose family members. Hopefully that’s not something that happens prematurely, but sadly that’s the case sometimes and as we get older we become a little more accustomed to it. It’s difficult sometimes, but it’s also generally the nature of aging.
I don’t know if it’s the hardest thing or not, but one of the hardest things for me about getting older is avoiding complacency. Avoiding cynicism. Holding on to my idealism, my faith that God wants us to make the world a better and more just place for everyone in it. I don’t want to say, “Well, that’s just the way things are.” I don’t want to give up on hope. I don’t want to give up on people. I don’t want to give up on my faith in redemption. I don’t want to become complacent.
And God doesn’t want us to become complacent. Not just about elections or government or politics, but about anything. God doesn’t want complacency in the way we treat people, or the way we worship. God doesn’t want complacency in our desires, our goals, our faith. God doesn’t want us to take it easy. God doesn’t want us to settle.
God calls us to an active faith. God calls us to live lives of hope, hope in a just and peaceful future, not fearful lives worried that we will be taken advantage of or that someone else might get ahead of us somehow.
We may have done great things in the past. It doesn’t matter. We can’t complacently rest on our laurels. Things in our lives may have worked the same way for many, many years. God may have worked the same way in our lives for a long time. It doesn’t matter. We can’t complacently rest on our dregs. Because when we complacently rest on our dregs, it is we who become the dregs. God save us from that. Amen.
Preacher: Jeff Davidson
Scripture: Isaiah 45:1-7; Matthew 22:15-22
Some of you will remember the slogan from back in the 1990s.
WWJD – What Would Jesus Do? There were WWJD bracelets, there was a
WWJD book that was an update of the original WWJD book from the 1800s
by Charles Sheldon, there were lots and lots of WWJD sermons, a couple
of which I even preached.
As these things go, WWJD isn’t a bad question. Asking yourself what
Jesus would do in a given situation is a good quick guide for what we might
want to think about doing. It’s not perfect, because Jesus can do things we
can’t do, but it’s a good starting point.
Our reading from Matthew suggests a different question. WWJND –
What Would Jesus Not Do? Matthew tells about a time when what Jesus
did not do was let himself be trapped.
The Herodians and the Pharisees get together to try to get Jesus to
say something that will get him in trouble with someone. These two groups
wanted to see Israel be an independent nation once again, but the
Pharisees wanted the ruler of that nation to be someone from King David’s
line and the Herodians wanted the ruler to be someone from the dynasty of
Herod the Great. What united them besides their desire for an independent
Israel was their hostility to Jesus.
The scripture says that these two groups came up with this question
as a way to entrap Jesus. This is the only place in the New Testament that
this word translated “entrap” is used, so it’s worth taking a second to figure
out what the trap was. The word translated “lawful” here is used several
other times in Matthew’s gospel, and it also shows up in other gospels, in
Paul’s letters, and in Acts. Sometimes it’s used to refer to whether or not
something is legal under civil law, sometimes it’s used to refer to religious
law. It’s not clear here which meaning the Pharisees and the Herodians are
referring to, and that’s the trap. If Jesus says that it’s lawful to pay the tax,
then he could easily be running afoul of some Jewish religious law or
custom. If he says it’s not lawful, then he’s preaching disobedience to the
Roman government.
Instead, Jesus does something that I was taught in elementary school
not to do. He answers their question with a question. Okay, first he does
something else I was taught not to do. Jesus insults them and calls them
hypocrites because he knows it’s a trap and that they don’t really care
about his answer. Then, asking for a coin, Jesus answers their question
with a question. “Whose head and title are on the coin?” “Caesar’s. The
emporer’s.”
Now the tables are turned a little bit. Although this particular passage
doesn’t mention it, all of this is happening in the temple in Jerusalem. A
coin with Caesar’s image on it wouldn’t have been welcome in the temple,
because it had the image of a living person on it. In Exodus 20:4, one of the
Ten Commandments is “You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in
the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.” We typically focus on the
idol part of this, or what the King James version calls a “graven image”, and
we don’t mind having pictures taken or carrying pictures of living people
around with us. Some of the early Brethren would not do that, though, as
they considered pictures like that to be graven images.
For the Jews of Jesus’s time, though, it was a little different than it is
for us. They were closer to the early Brethren in their approach. They took
the idea of “the form of anything… that is on the earth beneath” more
literally. This coin had the picture, or the form, of the emperor on it. You
weren’t supposed to have that in the temple. In fact, one of the things that
the money changers in the temple did was take the emperor’s money and
give you money that was acceptable in the temple, Jewish money with
numbers or harvested wheat or something on it.
In U.S. society we’ve kind of struck a middle ground. Our money has
people on it, but not living people. Can you imagine the reaction if
President Trump or President Obama seriously suggested that they should
be on the ten dollar bill instead of Alexander Hamilton? We don’t put living
people on money, although we will use an image of someone who has
died.
So Jesus has kind of flipped things around. First he called out the
hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the Herodians for not asking a serious
question, then for the devout Jews who may have been watching in the
temple Jesus points out the presence of a graven image, a coin with the
likeness of the Emperor on it.
Then Jesus does a third thing that I learned in elementary school not
to do, at least not when you’re talking with the teacher. To recap, first,
Jesus insulted the Pharisees and the Herodians, second, he answered
their question with a question, and now that he’s gone through all of that
Jesus doesn’t even bother to definitively answer the question. “Give
therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the
things that are God’s.”
What does that mean? What kind of guidance is that, anyway?
Everything belongs to God, right? Psalm 24:1a says “The earth is the
Lord’s and all that is in it.” Does that mean we give everything to God and
nothing to the government?
Well, I don’t think so. I just got done spending nearly 17 years
working for the government, and some of you are still doing likewise, so we
kind of depend on people thinking that at least something can be given t
Caesar. So this is the place where I forget to ask myself WWJND – What
Would Jesus Not Do?
Jesus would not let himself be trapped by a false duality, an either/or
choice. Here on one hand is what is God’s and here on the other hand is
what is the emperor’s. That’s not the issue. That presents God and Caesar
as two competing, more or less equal entities. Really it should be God up
here and Caesar down here underneath, because if all that is in the world
belongs to God, that means Caesar belongs to God too. And all of that
brings us to Cyrus.
The Cyrus that Isaiah is talking about in our reading from the Old
Testament is Cyrus II, Cyrus the Great of Persia. Cyrus the Great ruled
from around 560 to 530 BC, when he is believed to have died in battle.
Cyrus built the greatest empire of his day, and one of the ways he did it
shows up earlier in the Bible. Cyrus respected the local customs and
religions of the places he conquered. One of those places was the
Babylonian empire, who at that time controlled Jerusalem and had exiled
the Israelites. In the book of Ezra, chapter 1 describes Cyrus being inspired
by God to return the furnishings of the temple to Sheshbazzar, the prince of
Judah, and directing the Israelites to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the
temple. That’s what Isaiah is talking about in the passage from his
prophecy that we read earlier.
The interesting thing to me is that Isaiah makes clear in the prophecy
that Cyrus doesn’t know God. Two times God says specifically when
speaking to Cyrus that “you (Cyrus) do not know me.” God also refers to
Cyrus as “anointed”, and Cyrus is the only non-Jewish person in the Bible
referred to that way. Cyrus receives from God the highest compliment
possible for a non-Israelite, and Cyrus doesn’t even know who God is or
that God exists.
This confirms the idea of God and Caesar not being some kind of
competing entities, but of Caesar under God, Caesar being used to
accomplish God’s will even when Caesar or the government has no idea
that God exists.
This doesn’t mean that whatever the government says, goes. If that
were the case the apostle Paul would never have gone to jail. There would
have been no Church of the Brethren, as Alexander Mack and his followers
would have read the Bible, prayed about it, and shrugged their shoulders
saying, “Huh. Well, I guess we’ve got to obey the government when they
tell us to baptize babies.”
It also means that we will not necessarily recognize God working
through the government. We might, but we might not. God has used the
government of the United States to accomplish some very good things,
whether the President was Donald Trump, Barack Obama, or Millard
Fillmore. The government of the United States has also done some horrible
things in disobedience to God’s commands, no matter who the President
was at the time or what party controlled Congress.
What would Jesus not do? Jesus would not let himself be tricked into
granting the government equal status with God. What would Jesus not do?
Jesus would not assume that God’s work can only be done through people
who know or believe in God. What would Jesus not do? Grant the
government, any government, the power and status that is God’s alone.
Amen.
Preacher: Jeff Davidson
Scripture: Matthew 16:13-20
Context matters. There are a lot of different things that can go into making up a context. The physical setting. The history of a place or a people. Who it is that is saying or writing something. Who it is that they are saying or writing it to. The medium that is being used.
Imagine that I go to a worship service someplace. Imagine that when I get home Julia asks me how many people were there and I answer her, “You wouldn’t believe it! The sanctuary was full!” If the service was at our Washington City sanctuary, that probably means there were a couple of hundred people. If it was at the church I grew up in back in Ohio, it means there were around 100 or 120. If I was at a worship service at the Hylton Chapel in Woodbridge it means there were a few thousand. In the summer months Washington City used to have their worship services in the chapel, in what is now the music space. If that was the sanctuary it means there were 40 or so people. My answer means nothing to Julia if she doesn’t know the context of where and what I’m talking about.
Context can also matter when we’re thinking about God. A little while back Bryan gave an excellent presentation on theology from the perspective of Black folks like James Cone and Drew Hart and Otis Moss III. Your views on God and the church can be different depending on your own life circumstance and history. Groups and people that have traditionally been on the outside of power structures often see God in a different way than groups and people who have been at the top of power structures. When I was in seminary the theologians we studied were predominantly white, Protestant, and German, and were deeply affected by the rise of the Nazis and World War II. None of them are necessarily right or wrong. It’s a matter of different perspectives caused by different contexts.
Let me talk a little about the physical context of our reading from Matthew. Jesus and the disciples are at Caesarea Philippi. Herod the Great had built a huge complex of buildings, and there was a spring in front of a cave. The spring and cave and a temple near them were dedicated to the Greek god Pan. Among other things, Pan was the god of desolate places. The mountain that the Cave of Pan was in had a lot of little niches carved into it, and in each of these niches was a little shrine or a little icon for some other god. The Roman Empire was fine with all kinds of religions as long as people who believed in them participated in Rome’s civic religion, from which Jews were exempt. Here’s a picture of what it looks like today. https://images.app.goo.gl/HD2XuQjhtDPYRnPH9 And here’s another picture that shows those niches I mentioned a little better. https://images.app.goo.gl/WtypGmiTcVXbS1EG9 The Cave of Pan itself was sometimes used for sacrifices, and these sacrifices were sometimes human.
So that’s the physical context for our reading from Matthew. Put a pin in all of that for just a minute and we’ll come back to it.
There are a few things in this passage you could preach on. The discussion about who people say Jesus is thought-provoking. Likewise, sometimes in this passage people get caught up in Jesus changing Simon’s name to Peter, and then saying of Peter, “…on this rock I will build my church…” For Roman Catholics, this is Jesus appointing Peter as the leader of the disciples and essentially as the first Pope. Protestants don’t necessarily agree with that interpretation or that application. Once again, the context affects how you read this scripture and what it means to you.
I don’t want us to get caught up in that debate this morning, although there are a whole lot of sermons that you could preach on that particular part of our reading too. I want us to look at the rest of that verse, though.
Jesus says “…on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” Jesus is saying this at Caesarea Philippi. He’s saying it at the location of the Cave of Pan. He’s saying it at a place where human sacrifices were made. No, it’s not the literal gate to Hell, but it’s probably as good an example as you could find in that part of the world.
What is it that will not prevail against the church, against Jesus’s followers? Well, Caesarea Phillippi was a symbol of the power of King Herod. Governments will not prevail against the church. The mountain into which Pan’s Cave led had many symbols of other gods and other religions. Other belief systems will not prevail against the church. The Cave of Pan itself was a place of sacrifice, sometimes human sacrifice. The most horrible human acts and beliefs will not prevail against the church. Evil itself will not prevail against the church.
Thinking about our current context, do we believe that? In a lot of places it seems like the church is in retreat. I bought a copy of the denominational yearbook a couple of weeks ago. If you’ve never seen it, the Yearbook is a comprehensive directory for the denomination. It’s got the names and addresses of all the congregations, all the ordained and licensed and commissioned pastors, it’s got attendance and giving statistics for each congregation and district, and there’s a lot more stuff in there to explore.
It’s not news to you that our denomination is getting smaller. That’s been the case for a long time now. I can see how things are changing when I look at the district where I grew up. When I was in high school, the Southern Ohio/Kentucky district had two full time district executives and a full time administrator and owned two camps. Now? One district executive who I think is full-time, some part-time office staff, and no camps. When I came to the Mid-Atlantic district in 1995 we had two full-time district executives, Ron Petry and Pam Leinauer, plus a full time office administrator. Now? One DE and one part time office staff.
Staffing and finances for districts are in large part a function of worship attendance and giving in local congregations. You don’t have to have been around the Church of the Brethren very long to know that overall attendance and giving are down in most of our congregations and that more and more congregations find themselves unable to afford pastoral service.
It’s not just us, and it’s not just mainline Protestant denominations either. Worship attendance in the US is down across the board, including in many more evangelical denominations. The number of people who identify as Christian is down too. Christianity overseas is either something of a cultural artifact as it is in many places in Europe, or it’s under persecution as it is in China, Nigeria, and so many other places. In light of trends like this, do we really believe that the gates of Hades cannot prevail against God’s church?
That depends. It depends on what context we use to define church. Most of you probably learned this very little poem and the motions that go with it as children. Feel free to do the motions along with me.
“Here’s the church, and here’s the steeple. Open the doors and see all the people!” When I was a kid it took me a while to figure this out. I was kind of clumsy and it was hard for me to get my fingers together to get the people inside the building, so I used to just interlace my fingers across the top. The problem with that is that when you open the doors there aren’t any people inside. Maybe it was prophetic.
So what’s the problem with that little poem and the motions that go with it? The church isn’t the building. The church is the people.
The church isn’t the building. The church isn’t the denomination, or the district, or even the congregation. Those are institutions. Those are expressions of the church. Those are how the people who are the church organize themselves in a particular time or place, in a particular context, to do ministry.
It’s hard for me to remember that sometimes. People will ask me where my church is, and I’ll say it’s at 337 North Carolina Ave SE in Washington DC, between the Capitol South and Eastern Market metro stops. That’s not where the church is, though. That’s where the building is.
The church is right here, right here on this Zoom session. The church is each of us, seeking God’s will. Following God’s leading. Asking God’s forgiveness. Sharing God’s gospel. The church isn’t the building, The church isn’t the institution. The church is the people.
The church is the people, people filled with and directed by the Spirit of God. If we remember that, if we let that be our context, then indeed the gates of Hades cannot prevail even if the building, like the tomb, is empty. Amen.
Preacher: Jennifer Hosler
Scripture: Genesis 45:1-15; Psalm 139:1-14
How closely does God care for us? Is God concerned with the intimate details of our lives, or just with some broader, overarching plan of redemption? Christians have varied in terms of how they understand God’s work in history and in daily human affairs. Sometimes, I have moved from one extreme to the other. I’ve thought of God as heavily involved in the most intimate and mundane details, or at least willing to care about them if I asked. God, please help me with this parking spot! God, I’m pulling my hair out—please help me find my keys.
At other points in my life, I’ve focused my heart and mind on Jesus bringing wholeness and transformation to the broader world. I’ve emphasized the macro level, to the exclusion of the micro—thinking that God is still involved in the big picture of redemption but perhaps less intimately involved with me. And at some point I stopped praying for help with a parking spot.
I’m not sure how involved God get in things like parking spots. Regardless, I think it is mistaken to emphasize towards the individual or the macro to the exclusion of the other. When looking at scripture, I see that God is intimately knowledgeable and concerned with the details of our lives, and, at the same time, God is engaged in the overarching plans for wholeness and justice in the world. Both/and. It is not one to the exclusion of the other, even if my mind swings that way.
Our scripture readings today indicate both: God cares about the details of our individual lives, about our specific stories. God is working in us and through us as individuals, as part of a bigger plan to enact wholeness, justice, and reconciliation. We see in scripture that God values the uniqueness of an individual life and its connection to God’s plan. We also see God acting to preserve life, working for wholeness on a grand scale.
Our scripture passage today is Genesis 45:1-15, part of the broader narrative about Joseph. When I think of the book of Genesis, the story of Joseph is not something that typically comes to mind. God’s creation, Adam and Eve in the Garden, Noah, and the tower of Babel, followed by the Patriarch narratives Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob: those are all what I think of in Genesis. Yet the story of Joseph covers almost 14 chapters. Despite the amount of time dedicated to Joseph, these passages are likely not texts that we have spent much time on—though some of us may have knowledge of a certain Technicolor Dream Coat (full disclosure: I’ve never seen it! But did YouTube a few minutes during sermon prep).
The Story of Joseph (Gen 37, 39-35 recap)
When we meet Joseph (Gen 37), he is one of 11 sons, but the only son of Jacob’s favorite wife, Rachel, and born to Jacob in old age. Joseph is the favorite son and his dad, Jacob, blesses him with a special coat, most likely a coat that had long sleeves, which would have indicated that he was not regularly doing manual labor. Traditionally, this cloak has been mistranslated as a coat of many colors, which eventually morphed into a technicolor dream coat. Whether because it was colorful or long sleeved, Joseph’s brothers resent him for the special status indicated by the coat.
Divisions and animosity were rampant within the family: Genesis 37 says that the brothers hate Joseph and cannot not speak peaceably to him (37:4). Resentment only grows when 17-year-old Joseph doesn’t keep quiet about some prophetic dreams, visions that basically foretold a time when people would bow down before him—including his brothers and his father. Needless to say, this was not a winning story at the family breakfast table, “So I had this dream where you bowed down to me…” Beyond the dreams, scripture also says that Joseph had given “bad reports” about his brothers and their flock-tending.
Things go downhill for Joseph. His brothers, in charge of the flocks, are out in the fields and Jacob sends Joseph to catch up with them, about 50 miles away. Teenage Joseph is to bring back news of how the brothers were doing—with perhaps more tattling. When Joseph finally catches up with his brothers, they see him coming in the distance and plot his downfall. At first, the brothers seek to kill him but then one brother talks them down, saying, “Let’s just throw him in a pit.” They strip off Joseph’s special robe and end up selling him into slavery for 20 pieces of silver. The fancy cloak gets torn to shreds and covered in blood: the brothers make their father, Jacob, believe that Joseph was killed by a wild animal during his journey to his brothers.
Joseph ends up in Egypt, sold to a man named Potiphar, the head of Pharaoh’s guard. Joseph proves himself to be reliable and faithful, and Genesis 39 says that is clear that YHWH is with Joseph, blessing his good work. Joseph eventually becomes Potiphar’s personal servant. Both Potiphar and Joseph are blessed by Joseph’s work as a household overseer; everything prospers. Unfortunately, it doesn’t last—Joseph is falsely accused of approaching Potiphar’s wife and thrown into jail.
Yet instead of languishing in prison, Joseph finds an opportunity to do good work. Genesis says that YHWH shows Joseph “steadfast love” (39:21) and helps him in jail, finding favor in the eyes of the chief jailer. Wherever Joseph is, his good work and faithfulness to YHWH help win people over.
The story continues. Joseph interprets dreams while in jail, including the dream of a cupbearer who returns back to Pharaoh. This cupbearer doesn’t remember Joseph’s help, until he hears of Pharaoh having strange dreams. “Oh yeah, there was this funny Hebrew dream interpreter while I was jail.” Joseph gives all the dream interpreting credit to God and, with God’s help, interprets Pharaoh’s dream. Pharaoh is impressed with Joseph’s interpretation and wisdom. Joseph becomes 2nd in command over Egypt, strategically placed to help manage Egyptian harvests and grain storage, preparing for an upcoming famine that will affect Egypt and the region beyond for years (as foretold in Pharaoh’s interpreted dream).
The famine eventually comes and devastates the region. Due to Joseph’s advance planning, Egypt is well prepared. Genesis says that “All the world comes to Joseph to buy bread,” including Joseph’s brothers. With a new name, a new role, and courtly interpreters to serve as a buffer between them, Joseph’s brothers don’t suspect this Egyptian ruler’s true identity as their brother.
Joseph tests the brothers, and he hears them discuss and anguish over their crime against Joseph, which has haunted them. Joseph learns he has another brother and ends up enacting a scheme which forces the older brothers to travel home and bring baby brother Benjamin with them to Egypt. There are chapters of fascinating intrigue, during which Joseph traps his brothers and sets them up to appear as thieves, forcing them to discuss their father, their father’s grief at losing Joseph, and the potential devastation that would come from losing Benjamin too.
Joseph’s Reveal (Genesis 45:1-15)
Finally, we come to our passage, where Joseph breaks: he is not able to restrain himself in front of all the Egyptians attendants who were before him, so he orders everyone out, apart from his brothers. Joseph is alone with his brothers for the first time—thus far, he’d always had interpreters and attendants. I imagine that things feel ominous for the brothers, alone with this Egyptian leader.
The text pivots and says that Joseph makes himself known, truly known, to his brothers. The Hebrew says that Joseph then, “gives his voice over to weeping,” such loud weeping that the Egyptians hear, and the house of Pharaoh hears. Everyone can hear him, though he’d cleared the room. It is huge, terrible, deafening sobbing—full body sobbing. I’m sure the brothers are standing there terrified. Then Joseph says to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But none of his brothers answer him, because they are too disturbed, dismayed, and terrified by his presence.
Joseph instructs his brothers, “Come closer to me,” so they draw closer—I think warily, only because they were commanded. Joseph says again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold to the Egyptians. You should not be grieved, and you should not be angry against yourselves, for your selling me here, for God sent me ahead of you for the preservation of life. There have been two years of famine in the land and still five remain where there will not be plowing or harvest.
God sent me in front of you to place a remnant in the land, so that your lives would have a great deliverance. Surely it was not you who sent me forth, but God made me father to Pharaoh and made me ruler of all of his house, and ruler of all the land of Egypt.
Now quickly and go up to my Father, and say to him, ‘Thus, said your son, Joseph, God placed me to rule over all of Egypt. Come down to me to take your place. And you will reside in the land of Goshen and you will live near me (in the midst of me), you and your kids and their kids, your flocks—everything. Tell my father all you have seen, who I am and my role in Egypt, and bring him down here to Egypt.’” Then Joseph embraces his brother Benjamin, weeping, and eventually includes all of the brothers in his weeping and hugging. The story continues, of course, but I’ll won’t go beyond our passage.
God at Work in the Micro and the Macro
Reading Joseph’s big reveal, what struck me was God’s care and concern for an individual life. I saw it evident throughout the Joseph narratives and this passage. God cares for Joseph, walks with Joseph through devastation and loss, shows faithful love and provision to Joseph. God accompanies Joseph through the mundane work of household management or civil service in the Egyptian Department of Agriculture. God utilizes the particularity of Joseph’s individual life—the combination of his strengths, his gifts, his pain and loss, his misfortune. Joseph as an individual is loved and cared for by God, while he also a vital actor in God’s broader plan.
God has an overarching plan of wholeness and redemption and God is at work in and through individuals. As I said earlier, I often think about God at work, but I’ve recently kept a more macro-level focus, forgetting God’s intimate and tender care for me. Yet the Joseph text reminds me, draws me down to the micro. Perhaps it is also because I happened to read Psalm 139 this past week, a psalm which emphasizes the intimacy of how God knows our patterns, our habits, our ways, our inmost being. There is no place where we can be that God does not accompany us.
Joseph’s integrity and organizational skill, alongside the unique positioning he was in due to his pain and loss—these all prepared him to be an agent of God’s plan to preserve lives. When I read this, I couldn’t help but see God’s value of the individual.
God values the uniqueness of an individual life and its connection to God’s plan. All of who we are—whatever gifts, talents, strengths, weaknesses, or loss we bring—can shape how we help carry out God’s multifaceted work in this world. Sisters and brothers, siblings in Christ, you are each beloved by God—God pays close attention to your life.
Our text also highlights God’s providence. We see that God is the One who works to preserve life, who thwarts human plans for destruction and works for wholeness and justice on a grand scale. We see that human free will exists and pain is caused through it—yet God works to preserve life and transform violence.
Joseph reframes his trauma and pain, articulating how God was able to transform the outcome of a horrific act into something that instead preserved lives. Joseph does this, not attributing the horrific act itself to something that God wanted (Joseph clearly still says, you all sold me into slavery), but that God was able to transform its impact by being with Joseph and using the opportunity to protect others.
To be clear, Joseph is not saying, “God did this bad thing to me.” The bad thing is clearly still attributed to the brothers. Later, in Genesis 50:20, Joseph says, “What you meant for evil, God used for good.” I see Joseph working to reframe his trauma so that it does not define him—because he can see that no one is bound to be defined by the pain, loss, and suffering that others have inflicted on them. With God, there is more in the story.
The story does not always include reconciliation, as Joseph experiences here (that’s not always possible or even safe). We may never comprehend the direct impact our lives have on God’s broad plan for wholeness and justice. but we can trust that, like in the Joseph narrative, God values the uniqueness of an individual life and its connection to God’s plan. God is always at work, working to preserve life, to bring wholeness and a great deliverance. This, friends, is God’s story and the good news—the story of our scriptures is the story of the Creator working in people, in and through individuals, to make things whole and healed. AMEN.
Preacher: Jennifer Hosler
Scripture: John 20:1-18
It’s intense, the pressure of preaching an Easter sermon during a global pandemic.
How can I have the right words to say,
to point us to the divine solidarity of Jesus entering with us in our suffering,
to the existential hope of Jesus triumphing over betrayal, torture, and death,
to the future that God has for us,
doing the work of God in transforming our world to a more just and more loving place?
What are the right words for that? I don’t know that I have them, but my prayer is that the Holy Spirit would use them to encourage our hearts and show us the way.
A Reading Adapted from John 20:1-18
It was dark and cold, and I really didn’t want to be out that early. So much had happened, so much could still happen. It didn’t feel safe, but I felt I had to do it. Early in the morning, while it was still dark, I walked to the tomb to complete the anointing of the Teacher’s body.
I knew that it would be hard. Preparing a body is always hard but brings some closure. Anointing it, giving one last effort of love. I didn’t think I could have closure with something like this – I didn’t know what to think. The power of God was walking among us and now, I asked myself, “where is it? Is God gone from among us? What was the point of all that goodness, all that healing, all that love and mercy, if we are only left with pain?”
I shuffled forward in the dark to the garden and the tomb where Jesus’ body was placed on Friday, somewhat hastily before the Passover Sabbath. As I arrived, I stopped dead in my tracks, horrified at what could have happened. Instead of a stone covering the tomb entrance, the stone was pushed aside. No!
I turned and I ran to where brother Peter and brother John were staying. I told them, “They took the Teacher from the tomb and I don’t know where they put him.”
Peter and John looked at each other and took off running. I ran after them, back to the tomb. Out of breath, I stood back. Honestly, I didn’t want to go in, even if it really was empty. The weight of it all hit me again. He’s dead. He’s gone. His body’s even missing.
The brothers looked at the grave linens for a few minutes and left, bewildered. They didn’t really say anything—they just left me alone, with an empty tomb. I broke down and cried. I sat in that garden, tears streaming.
Sitting there, next to the tomb, I looked over at it and there were two people sitting right where the body should have been, in white clothing. One spoke to me, “Lady, why are you crying?” On another day, maybe I would have made some sarcastic comment about how that’s a dumb question to ask someone next to a tomb… but – not today. I just answered straightforwardly: “My Teacher was buried here, and someone took his body. I don’t know where he’s been moved to.”
At that moment, I saw another person nearby, standing close. He asked me too, “Lady, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?” I wiped my eyes and said, “Sir, if you took the body, can you please tell me where it is? I just want to anoint it and care for it.”
The man replied, “Mary.”
The words hit me like a gut punch, a perplexing wave of disbelief and grief and joy – it was Jesus. “My Teacher?” I stood up. It was the Teacher. Alive. Breathing. I spoke to Jesus briefly and then went to find the others to tell them: “I have seen the Lord.”
Easter in a Pandemic
For me, I was struck by the loneliness and grief in this passage. A lonely morning walk, knowing that death and grief were waiting in a tomb. Still, Mary Magdalene goes to keep vigil, to tenderly care for the body of a trusted and loved friend and teacher. Can we laud Mary Magdalene here, who shows up after everyone has fled, to care and tend, to do immensely sad work of anointing a corpse?
Mary goes alone, finds the curious and shocking state of affairs. (grave robbers?! Something else sinister – body stealing) She runs to Peter and John, who run and look and stare – and leave. John’s gospel says that Peter and John “believed” – but some commentators think that means, they believed Mary’s words that the body was gone, since they still didn’t understand the scriptures. If Peter and John “believed” in the resurrection, they would have shared some words of comfort or explanations with Mary. Instead, they just go home. Still, Mary keeps a vigil. It’s so poignant about who gets the credit in history—male apostles typically lauded, female apostles are conveniently forgotten by many—and yet here, who is the one waiting, keeping watch? Who is the one weeping?
Mary does not look up from her vigil, even when angels appear and ask her questions. Typically, in scripture, everyone looks up when an angel appears. Apparently, angels are terrifying, because people cower in fear and the angels typically say, “Don’t be afraid.” Yet, not here. Mary is so consumed with grief that she cannot see who they are. The angels say, “Woman, why are you crying?” Mary answers them, and then looks around and sees someone else – maybe someone who can fix this missing body crisis. Though Mary “sees” Jesus, she doesn’t truly see him, not until he calls her by her name. The resurrection is so unexpected, and the grief is so deep, Mary cannot see the miracle in front of her.
At first, Jesus says, “Woman,” and Mary just assumes he’s the gardener. Maybe the gardener knows what happened, ‘Can you just tell me where the body is?” Then Jesus calls her by her name: “Mary.” In being known, loved, and called by name, Mary is able to see. Jesus is there and alive. “Teacher.”
Mary then begins her mission of sharing this unexpected and unfathomable good news with the other disciples. Jesus is risen. Jesus is risen indeed.
The resurrection is unexpected, startling, confusing, and difficult to even recognize. It doesn’t make sense; it is so far out of the schema of expectation. The resurrection is an impossible thought—until Jesus calls Mary by her name, in the early morning light of that resurrection Sunday.
The gospel, the good news, is bewildering and confusing and sometimes so difficult to see in our world—at any time, let alone during a global pandemic. But Jesus calls us by our names, giving us eyes to see that the power of God is bigger than the grave.
In the midst of global anxiety and disarray, amidst sickness, death, and grief, I believe that Jesus can give us eyes to see opportunities for healing, for change, for wholeness. Being confronted with death causes everyone to adjust their priorities. I pray that we would see the world in a new light and walk by the power of the Holy Spirit to continue the work of Jesus in this broken and grieving world.
As I said earlier, God’s story throughout scripture and throughout history is one of transforming chaos into goodness, darkness into light, and death into life. This pattern is written into the fabric of our universe, by the Creator. God is in the business of transforming despair into hope, brokenness into reconciliation, bondage into freedom, death into life.
Granted, it is a slow journey to deliverance, to hope, to freedom, to reconciliation, to life. Yet God has entered into that journey with us. The good news of the gospel is that we are not alone. God is with us, with us in our suffering. Easter demonstrates the power of God, tells us that suffering is not the end, and that death is not the most powerful force in this world. Jesus’ resurrection shows us that God’s love is more powerful than death, that death can be transformed into new life, by the power of God.
Sisters and brothers, the power of God that brought the empty tomb and the resurrected body is the same power that is at work within us through the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:11). During our suffering and the world’s suffering, we walk with a crucified and risen Lord who knows what it is to suffer, who suffers with us, and who promises us that the breaking dawn will come. Jesus calls each of us by name for us to join him in the Sunday morning light, to continue God’s healing and resurrecting work in this world. AMEN.
Preacher: Jeff Davidson
Scriptures: Exodus 17:1-7, Psalm 95, Romans 5:1-11, John 4:5-42
Preacher: Nathan Hosler
Scripture: Isaiah 42:1-9, Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 3:13-17
Last Sunday we changed our church sign to “No War with Iran.” It is clear we are opposed to war with Iran. This statement is, however, rather limited. The Church of the Brethren’s stance is much stronger. It has more bite and less agreeable. It is simply “No War.” No participation, no affirmation. But it isn’t simply an opposition to war since it is so horrible, which it is, but a following Jesus into the teeth of the assumptions of power and dominance that are thought to determine reality. Not merely a political platform, slogan or t-shirt (though these are welcomed) but a call to embrace nonviolence and injustice and complacency. It is a joyful shout—Christ is the Prince of Peace, Hallelujah! The Prince of Peace has come!
It is praying and working towards the vision of the prophet Isaiah in when weapons are beaten into farming tools. With Christ war has been abolished (Hauerwas). Not only war but even death has been overcome as the Apostle Paul has proclaimed. So, while there may be those who disagree or challenge a strategy that we take, the basic premise has been well considered and reaffirmed through mutual discernment.
The 2013 Church of the Brethren Resolution on Drone Warfare reiterates and quotes earlier statements. “The Church of the Brethren follows the teaching and example of Jesus Christ, whose willingness to die was unaccompanied by a willingness to kill. In line with our Brethren heritage, we believe “that war or any participation in war is wrong and entirely incompatible with the spirit, example and teachings of Jesus Christ,” (1918 Statement of Special Conference of the Church of the Brethren to the Churches and the Drafted Brethren) and that all “war is sin…[and that we] cannot encourage, engage in, or willingly profit from armed conflict at home or abroad. We cannot in the event of war, accept military service or support the military machine in any capacity,” (1934 Annual Conference Resolution on Peace and Goodwill). We seek to live this belief through working for peace in our communities and opposing violence in all forms.”
It is ironic that in the week surrounding Epiphany we, and by we, I mean the American military and government, would assassinate and then get perilously close to a hot war with Iran. I say ironic because on Monday is marked as the coming of the Maggie, the 3 wisemen, to worship baby Jesus. Tradition has it that these travelers were from Persia. In the week marking a peaceful diplomatic mission to celebrate the Prince of Peace we also faced war with Iran.
Isaiah speaks and alludes to a multifaceted peace. Such peace is not limited to the absence of hot war—that of missiles and ground invasions—but requires well-being and justice. In this we didn’t end the week in peace. As a peace church-based policy person asserted on a call this week, the new economic sanctions are an act of war.
In addition to being opposed to war this week…we also mark the baptism of Jesus. A serene act that seems worlds apart from threats and war making and frantic preparations. We read in
Matthew of Jesus coming down to the river to be baptized by John. The river is Jordan. John has been down by the river baptizing—crowds are coming as a sign of repentance. The scene is idyllic and there is a revival going on. Even the religious leaders—about whom John is suspicious—come down. In challenge to them he proclaims that the act of repentance must be followed by good works. While the physical act of entering the water has an internal and spiritual function this change must be demonstrated in good deeds. He says the ax is at the root of trees that do not produce good fruit. The repentance embodied in baptism must have concrete and tangible results.
In Acts we read of expansion of the community outside the Jewish community. The Apostle Peter begins by saying “I truly understand that God shows no partiality” and concludes asserting, “All prophets testify about [Jesus] that everyone believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” Participation in Christ is open to all who desire it. We are not forced but all are welcome.
Jesus, though not in need of repentance, enters the waters of baptism. The Church of the Brethren and baptism are closely connected with the initiation of the church as an act of baptism. It was a central topic of discussion by early leaders. Baptism is into Christ’s death. The going under the water is a form of burial to old self and raised to new life. Forward as a sign of humility and 3 times because of the Trinity. It is an outward sign of an inward change.
This act is central to being part of being a follower of Jesus and the Church of the Brethren. This was a radical defiance to state and church powers. It was subversive and dangerous. It indicated that loyalties were elsewhere. This challenged State dominance by incorporating into the Body of Christ. It reorients—the nation is not primary, nor career, nor even family.
We are welcomed into the Body of Christ. We participate in the death, resurrection, and work of Christ. We are emboldened to forgive and be forgiven, to resist violence and build peace. In all this we are empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit. Hallelujah, the Prince of Peace has come!
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