08.01.06 Steve The Baptism of Christ Making All Things New
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In recent years I've become very sceptical about the idea of New Year's resolutions. Infact, I've abandoned them as a silly idea - a trail of broken promises. And yet, here we are at New Year again and it's hard to resist the pull of new resolve..... and in the last few days I've made several resolutions, almost by way of some kind of natural instinct. I have resolved once more to look at the items in my in-tray more often than once every six months........ to stop having seconds (a ridiculous habit that can be traced back decades to school dinners)..... up at four am the other night nursing a feverish cold, and scanning the shopping channels, I bought a juicer-machine, because this year I'm going to consume a lot more fruit and veg....... this year I'm going to build a guitar... throw some more pots on the wheel.....write some songs..... and so the list goes on. Noticeably, not exactly world-changing stuff, but resolutions aimed at being a better person all the same. Another resolution for this year is that sermon/reflection times should be more inclusive and interactive...... so if I give you a minute, would you like to share any of your resolutions for yourself - or can you think of any for this St James community?...........
I'm interested in the instinct for resolving to improve - the automatic 'true-north' attraction for new-beginnings, moving on..... There's almost a narcotic hit from the 'idea' of a New Year - 'the chance to start again and do it properly this time' - and it seems to appear afresh, even though our experience is that we often don't keep our resolve. In last week's Herald and Post this was exploited by a whole supplement guide to lifelong learning courses, entitled 'Look forward to a New Year of potential opportunities' - of the nine words in that strap-line four were, FORWARD, NEW, POTENTIAL and OPPORTUNITIES. Inside, some of the article headers included 'book a place to get ahead'.... 'The new year provides a chance for a fresh start'.. 'Make a resolution to be good to yourself this year'.... 'New Year, new start - at Wester Hailes Education Centre'....!
There is something wonderful to me about the human spirit - that we bob up like the toy with a weighted spherical base that you can't knock down. We're very aware of it, of course, in the stories of people who amaze us in their capacity to bounce back from real adversity, or tragedy. It makes me wonder if this is a 'divine-image' thing - a reflection, a hint in us of what our maker is like...... a suggestion of the creator's creativity, - not done, but being done in us.... the transforming work of God's spirit breathing in the world and through you and me... the continuing work of making all things new.
There are hints of this in both our lectionary readings today.....
Genesis
In the creation narrative from Genesis - the new beginning of God's 'first-born' - which is light. God's first priority is to overcome darkness: he creates light. Rather than destroying darkness, he relegates it to night-time: it too becomes part of the good, godly world, and is declared so by God. Jewish feast days begin at sun-down, so “evening” is first. And it resolves into the dawn. A new dawn every day - this glorious and beautiful cyclical pattern in the cycles and turning of the stars that brings a new beginning every day. I was once in the very north of Sweden (inside the Arctic circle) on midsummer's weekend, where, because of the tilt of the earth's axis in its orbit around the Sun, it never gets dark. We took part in a football match at 2am, and took a boat out on the lake at 3am. It wasn't really daylight,- it was indirect sunlight creeping around the horizon, I suppose. For all the wonder of the situation, I did find it unsatisfying - the world didn't seem right without that cycle - indeed there's a great deal of psychological research which demonstrates our psychological dependency upon it for our well-being. At the heart of the very idea of the created universe, as a system, is this cycle of night and day - the continuing progress of new beginnings. And we are part of that.
Mark
Mark begins his Gospel with an account of John the Baptist "proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins" in the wilderness (vv. 1-8). The people of Judea and Jerusalem come en masse (v. 5) and Jesus of Galilee comes alone to be baptised by John in the Jordan (v. 9)
Mark does not tell us why Jesus was baptised by John, but what follows is important. The opening of the heavens symbolizes the start of a new mode of communication between God and humankind.The Spirit descends on Jesus like a dove. The Spirit responds to Jesus' "coming up out of the water" by "coming down" into Jesus (the Greek says that the Spirit descends into [Greek: eis] Jesus rather than on him). The symbolism of the dove is not certain here. Some scholars have suggested that it is reminiscent of the Spirit of God brooding over the waters (Gen. 1:2), but it is also reminiscent of the dove that comes bearing an olive branch following the flood, promising that salvation is near (Gen. 8).
“Beloved”: The meaning of the Greek word is similar to our word chosen: Isaiah 42:1 says “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations”.
My sister-in-law thinks I am an eccentric - and she makes her business to seek out eccentric Christmas presents for me - usually at antique fairs (she considers me eccentric and antique). This Christmas she gave me an antique bottle of holy water from the River Jordan. Encased in a rather lovely olive-wood case was a wee bottle of green stinky water, labelled, River Jordan. Writing in the Church Times this week, John Pridmore says:
Today the river Jordan too is in a state. Barely a few yards wide, the river is heavily laden with agricultural and domestic effluents. We are told that just about the only thing that flows for large parts of the year, keeping the river alive, is sewage. The Jordan today bears stinking witness to what we have done to a beautiful creation. Environmentalists say the River Jordan is dying, and will soon cease to flow. This wretched river speaks of the mess we've made of things. Here at his baptism, at the outset of his ministry, Jesus made that mess his.
This is a new beginning for Jesus - baptised in the unglamourous wilderness, in the Jordan, Jesus accepts his immersion in our human condition. He's in the deep end with us. His baptism marks the end of the "hidden years" of Jesus. Now begins his public ministry. Now what he does is for all to see. His baptism, say Pridmore, 'nails his story into ours'.
Conclusion
What links these two biblical accounts of new beginnings, is most important - the approval of God..... God separated the light from the darkness and saw that the light was good..... and at the River Jordan, a voice came from heaven that was well pleased.
We remember the words of John the Baptist's father Zechariah in Luke 1:78 - The dayspring from on high, the rising sun will come upon us to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death. Perhaps we should be encouraged to make our resolutions at the start of this New Year, and in so doing take our part in the created pattern of life.