I remember what it was like when I finally accepted God's call on my life to enter into ordained ministry. I was walking around the Missouri State University in Springfield, MO around 2 AM. (That wasn't particularly interesting as that was a habit of mine for quite some time at that point in my life.) However, this walk took place after a night of an exceptional worship at our campus ministry. It was one of those experiences where God's presence was felt in a way that was both comforting and discomforting at the same time. I was excited for what God would do in my life, I was hopeful and filled with a renewed sense of trust and conviction that the most faithful step I could do at that point in my life was to become a pastor in God's church. That both gave me great encouragement and fear. Similar to waiting in line before riding a brand new roller coaster. It is exhilarating, and frightening.
I have a feeling that many of us have had such a moment if we take the time to reflect on our own life. Perhaps it was during a song we heard in worship or a sermon that wiggled it's way into our soul and sparked our imagination, maybe it was in an embrace from a friend at just the right moment, or taking a small piece of bread and juice and participating in holy communion just after a weekend in which you felt unworthy to receive God's grace.
These moments are Christ experiences. These moments remind us that we are created by a good God who has a plan and purpose for us. These are often called "Mountain Top" experiences that give us a metaphor of the elevation we feel in our spirit and soul. It is a moment entirely different than the norm.
In Mark 1, Peter is out fishing, which means he wasn't good enough to become a Rabbi, he was the B team to the religious leaders, but Jesus gave him a call, a belonging, an acceptance. He says to Peter, "Come and follow me and I will teach you to fish for people". That was it. No explanation, no more details, no sense of security either. That was the call and challenge to Peter. I can imagine Peter's excitement about this new call, this new vision for his life. This was a Christ experience for him. We know this because Peter dropped everything and followed him. He took that leap of faith and followed, even without knowing really where he was headed. He was getting ready to begin a path of life that would lead him to see amazing things, begin the christian movement that would soon become a global phenomenon, and forever chisel his name in the anals of history.
Later, however, his vision and vigor for this new ministry become more real. His hopes began to hit pavement. In Mark 8, after Jesus had fed the mobs of 5000 and 4000 miraculously, Jesus and his disciples are yet again in a position to feed people. Peter, once again doesn't get it and Jesus chastises him for it. Jesus says, "Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear?" You can almost see the heart of Peter get increasingly heavy and his eyes begin to tear up. The romantic and high idealistic hope he had the beginning came crashing down into the mundane actuality of the work. His dreams began to take on more concrete forms and he began to discover the difficult work that was involved to achieve all that God had for him.
I think we as Christians get so disheartened in our faith journey and in our churches because we love to celebrate the high ideals of Christ. We proclaim that we accept everyone and are excited to see what God is doing in our church, but when reality sets in, when the journey is taking longer than expected, or the road to the destination is not as fun as we had hoped, we began, like the ancient israelites, to return home. To reject and leave behind whatever great hopes we had before. When hope hits the pavement, instead of continuing on until we receive God's blessings, it is easy to get upset and go the other way. Or to leave the church altogether.
I just learned recently that an Impala (the animal and not the car) can jump 30 feet in length and 9 feet high. This amazing animal is limited however, by the fact that it won't jump unless you can see where it will land. So at the zoo in Dallas all that contains this gifted animal is a three foot wall. Since the animal can't see over the wall to where it would land, the impala is kept contained. If fear grabs hold of us and we want to return home, we are no better off than the impala. We are contained within the prison of fear of our own construction.
But here is why I love Peter. He didn't give up. He marched on continuing to follow Jesus even though he felt absolutely dumb and unworthy. He continued up the mountain of the Transfiguration, he was the only one to get out of the boat and walk with Jesus on the water, he was the one to defend Jesus when being arrested, and he was the one who swam to the shore to meet the resurrected Christ. If we can learn anything from Peter it is this: When hopes hit the pavement, keep on going. Don't return to the way things are, always be moving forward even if it hurts and leaves it's fair share of scares. Because no matter what may come, resurrection is the last and final victory.
If you are reading this and find yourself in a difficult situation, I pray that Peter's example will encourage and inspire you to keep on going. I pray that the kingdom of God is worth more to you than your fear of rejection or alienation. I pray that you embrace all that God has for you, and are willing to run the race, even when your hopes it pavement. May the peace of our resurrected Christ be with you, today, and forever more. Amen.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Joseph, Alanis Morisette, and Jack-O-Lanterns
The connection between the Old Testament character of Joseph and the 90's angry rocker Alanis Morisette may not be entirely clear at first. But stay with me, for their connection has more to do with us than what may be guessed.
You see, in 1995, Alanis created a widely popular album Jagged Little Pill. In the grunge era that was the 90's this album made sense. It was an era of teenage anger and a desire to be different, to not conform. Furthermore, Alanis was a woman. This angry chick rocker bolstered the imagination of teenage girls (and guys) all across America. Her feminine voice was able to turn heart felt resentment and pain into a melody that spoke well beyond the words and into the soul. Her topics of betrayal, adultery, and drugs, albeit dark, were ever present in teenagers since long before the 90's. Her generation of musicians simply brought them to the forefront and made them relevant. So in some ways her song You Oughta Know became the anthem for teenage (and adult) heartache. Likewise, Ironic became the melody of satire for the 90's, a time when the economy was booming, unemployment was going down, drugs and divorce were on the rise. She was was right, isn't it ironic.
During 1995 and 1996, her popularity ballooned. She was constantly on the road performing, going on talk shows, signing autographs, and still writing more music. What nobody until afterward was how unfulfilled she was. (Ironic should be playing in your head) She became a household name, her wealth was growing exponentially, but yet she felt dissatisfied. So in 1997, after she became wildly popular, she disappeared. Everyone was waiting to see what hit song she would wright next, what anthem would she create to speak to a generation. This caused a greta deal of fear in her, for she was held to such a high esteem that to not release a hit signified something less in her. Put another way, her self-worth and worth from others was directly related to how well she made music. So in her fear, bewilderment, and disillusionment, she went to India.
Her time in India was not unlike Malcolm X's trip to Mecca in 1964. Alanis was soul searching, and experiencing the world very much different than was she had been through in the last two years. Because of the stress she was under by her producer, manager, and even fans, she became very ill. She witnessed the class system that remains in India and the poverty that is prevalent in some parts. All of this bent the world she thought she knew into the reality that it really is. The outcome? The experimental song Thank-You.
Unlike her angry grunge music before, she wrote a song of thanks. The lyrics to this song are rich enough to deserve their own blog post, but even then it would cheapen the song that it is. You will have to listen to it for yourself. And I don't know if she "found" the Christian God or not, but I do believe she found real purpose, real worth and value in herself--she experienced a kind of resurrection.
You may remember Joseph in the Old testament. He was the most loved of his siblings, to the point that his father made him a coat of many colors, a fact for which the rest of his brothers hated him. Anyway, as the story goes on, they threw him in a pit, told their father he was killed, and sold him into slavery. While in Egyptian slavery, he was framed, thrown in jail, and literally at the lowest point in his life. If anyone had a reason to be discouraged, disillusioned, thankless, and desiring vengeance, it would be Joseph. But he didn't, he clung to God despite his position, and in the end experienced a kind of resurrection as well. He became the number 2 man in Egypt who organized a Co-Op in order to have enough food for the impending famine that was coming in the land. Guess who he got to save because he didn't give into resentment and anger? His own brothers. (The story is long but good, go read it in Genesis).
Both of these stories, one ancient and one modern, offer examples of what resurrection looks like. It is more than a term to describe eternal life after death, for far too many of us are dying while we yet live. Jesus came to offer life abundantly, not to wait until there is no more air in our lungs. Resurrection is a bit like a Jack-O-Lantern. In order to have the cool effect of shapes carved into Fall harvest produce, first you must clean it out. You must clean out the icky, gooey mess that would prevent the light from coming out of it. For you, maybe it is resentment, frustration with where your life has been, dissatisfied with your family or work, unhappy with your church or community, maybe you are simply jealous of others around you. The truth is, we all have junk inside us that prevent us from being who we really can be. Thank-You is my favorite Alanis song. Without her willingness to self-reflect on the stuff in her life and the stuff that built up while she was becoming so successful, that song may never have been written, and the world would be a less place for it. So, too unless you are able to let go of the crap that holds you back, the world is less because of it.
So as we approach this Lenten season, may it be for you a time of soul cleaning, of restoration, and of resurrection. The world needs more pumpkins who let their light shine brilliantly, because in some ways, the more you let your light shine, the more you give permission for others to do the same.
During 1995 and 1996, her popularity ballooned. She was constantly on the road performing, going on talk shows, signing autographs, and still writing more music. What nobody until afterward was how unfulfilled she was. (Ironic should be playing in your head) She became a household name, her wealth was growing exponentially, but yet she felt dissatisfied. So in 1997, after she became wildly popular, she disappeared. Everyone was waiting to see what hit song she would wright next, what anthem would she create to speak to a generation. This caused a greta deal of fear in her, for she was held to such a high esteem that to not release a hit signified something less in her. Put another way, her self-worth and worth from others was directly related to how well she made music. So in her fear, bewilderment, and disillusionment, she went to India.
Her time in India was not unlike Malcolm X's trip to Mecca in 1964. Alanis was soul searching, and experiencing the world very much different than was she had been through in the last two years. Because of the stress she was under by her producer, manager, and even fans, she became very ill. She witnessed the class system that remains in India and the poverty that is prevalent in some parts. All of this bent the world she thought she knew into the reality that it really is. The outcome? The experimental song Thank-You.
Unlike her angry grunge music before, she wrote a song of thanks. The lyrics to this song are rich enough to deserve their own blog post, but even then it would cheapen the song that it is. You will have to listen to it for yourself. And I don't know if she "found" the Christian God or not, but I do believe she found real purpose, real worth and value in herself--she experienced a kind of resurrection.
You may remember Joseph in the Old testament. He was the most loved of his siblings, to the point that his father made him a coat of many colors, a fact for which the rest of his brothers hated him. Anyway, as the story goes on, they threw him in a pit, told their father he was killed, and sold him into slavery. While in Egyptian slavery, he was framed, thrown in jail, and literally at the lowest point in his life. If anyone had a reason to be discouraged, disillusioned, thankless, and desiring vengeance, it would be Joseph. But he didn't, he clung to God despite his position, and in the end experienced a kind of resurrection as well. He became the number 2 man in Egypt who organized a Co-Op in order to have enough food for the impending famine that was coming in the land. Guess who he got to save because he didn't give into resentment and anger? His own brothers. (The story is long but good, go read it in Genesis).
Both of these stories, one ancient and one modern, offer examples of what resurrection looks like. It is more than a term to describe eternal life after death, for far too many of us are dying while we yet live. Jesus came to offer life abundantly, not to wait until there is no more air in our lungs. Resurrection is a bit like a Jack-O-Lantern. In order to have the cool effect of shapes carved into Fall harvest produce, first you must clean it out. You must clean out the icky, gooey mess that would prevent the light from coming out of it. For you, maybe it is resentment, frustration with where your life has been, dissatisfied with your family or work, unhappy with your church or community, maybe you are simply jealous of others around you. The truth is, we all have junk inside us that prevent us from being who we really can be. Thank-You is my favorite Alanis song. Without her willingness to self-reflect on the stuff in her life and the stuff that built up while she was becoming so successful, that song may never have been written, and the world would be a less place for it. So, too unless you are able to let go of the crap that holds you back, the world is less because of it.
So as we approach this Lenten season, may it be for you a time of soul cleaning, of restoration, and of resurrection. The world needs more pumpkins who let their light shine brilliantly, because in some ways, the more you let your light shine, the more you give permission for others to do the same.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
"Everything Will be Alright"
The events of December 14th, 2012 cause us to take a deep breath. They are moments that once upon a time we thought would never happen. Similar to 9/11, we as a country were reminded that we are not invincible, we do not live in a protective bubble, safe from harm. Even the events of Oct 2nd, 2006 in which a gunmen murdered some of the nation's most peaceful, the Amish, remind us that no banner of religion creates such a safe bubble either. Or consider the events of November 5th, 2012, a young girl was spraying graffiti on the side of a church while worship was taking place inside. When two worshipers tried to stop her, they were gunned down by a man in a car across the street. Houses of worship are no safer than school buildings or shopping malls. So at some point, we must recognize that we all live in places where "we didn't think this could happen here" is a phrase that simply doesn't make sense.
Furthermore, some responses offered by others to comfort those who are grieving only add to the pain. God does not "need another angel" in heaven and thus fulfilled this need by having your child brutally murdered. A violent death is not somehow part of some divine plan that we are not privy to. No, God creates and redeems. Does God destroy, yes of course, but not at the hands of violent human beings. Death is a part of life, it is the other side of being created as finite creatures, but death by murder does not glorify God, does not speak of God's character and therefore, is not of God. Therefore, let us not attempt comfort at the expense of God's character; let us not belittle God's power robbing God of the chance to bring redemption out of chaos.
Even though we may so desperately want to comfort, and rightly so. As Christian people, I believe our response is to offer hope in place of fear, and love in place of vengeance or retaliation. In Revelation 22, it is said that God will create a new Heaven and a New Earth. Without getting into the exact details of this (which we cannot know yet) suffice it to say that God creates newness when we only see death and destruction. Is the death of 28 people part of God's plan, absolutely not. Is God mourning with us, absolutely yes. It was in the darkest of nights, in the hardest of circumstances that Jesus Christ was born into the world to give us new life. So too, it is in these dark days, that we pray God to work most powerfully among us. May we be God's agents of healing and hope in a world inundated with death and loss, may we offer signs of God's continuing love and mercy as we await so desperately, the Advent of God's redemptive work.
The pain and loss will not go away, but just as sure as there is Resurrection of the body, so too there is of the soul. May God grant us patience and peace as we seek to support and love on those of us who hurt the most.
Finally, I serve a blessed church in Kennett, MO, where after the events of 9/11, a second grade class wrote a book offering signs of hope. The book was simply called "September 12th: We Knew Everything Would Be Alright". The premise of the book was that the sun still rose, teachers still greeted their students, homework was still assigned, and they knew that all would be alright. I pray we continue to learn from those students. The sun still rises, parents still cling to their children, and churches still sing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", and therefore all will be alright.
Furthermore, some responses offered by others to comfort those who are grieving only add to the pain. God does not "need another angel" in heaven and thus fulfilled this need by having your child brutally murdered. A violent death is not somehow part of some divine plan that we are not privy to. No, God creates and redeems. Does God destroy, yes of course, but not at the hands of violent human beings. Death is a part of life, it is the other side of being created as finite creatures, but death by murder does not glorify God, does not speak of God's character and therefore, is not of God. Therefore, let us not attempt comfort at the expense of God's character; let us not belittle God's power robbing God of the chance to bring redemption out of chaos.
Even though we may so desperately want to comfort, and rightly so. As Christian people, I believe our response is to offer hope in place of fear, and love in place of vengeance or retaliation. In Revelation 22, it is said that God will create a new Heaven and a New Earth. Without getting into the exact details of this (which we cannot know yet) suffice it to say that God creates newness when we only see death and destruction. Is the death of 28 people part of God's plan, absolutely not. Is God mourning with us, absolutely yes. It was in the darkest of nights, in the hardest of circumstances that Jesus Christ was born into the world to give us new life. So too, it is in these dark days, that we pray God to work most powerfully among us. May we be God's agents of healing and hope in a world inundated with death and loss, may we offer signs of God's continuing love and mercy as we await so desperately, the Advent of God's redemptive work.
The pain and loss will not go away, but just as sure as there is Resurrection of the body, so too there is of the soul. May God grant us patience and peace as we seek to support and love on those of us who hurt the most.
Finally, I serve a blessed church in Kennett, MO, where after the events of 9/11, a second grade class wrote a book offering signs of hope. The book was simply called "September 12th: We Knew Everything Would Be Alright". The premise of the book was that the sun still rose, teachers still greeted their students, homework was still assigned, and they knew that all would be alright. I pray we continue to learn from those students. The sun still rises, parents still cling to their children, and churches still sing "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", and therefore all will be alright.
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Not Enough
Mark 6:30-44 is one of those passages that could be reflected upon for years on end and still it comes to resonate within me something new about me that I did not know before. It is interesting to know that the feeding of the 5000 is the only miracle story that is written into all four of our Biblical gospels. That is revealing in that this story continues to resonate, as it did to the early church, to people in all walks of life.
The story is simple on the outset. The disciples, termed apostles for the first time here, have been on a missionary journey. They are worn out, exhausted, and are spent. So Jesus invites them into a time of retreat. Their missionary journeys must have been successful because upon arriving at their retreat spot, thousands of people came from the surrounding area to learn from these disciples who have been spreading the good news about this Jesus fellow.
Recognizing their tiredness, Jesus steps into teach the people. After what would have been an extended time of teaching, the disciples tell Jesus to send the people away so that they can get some food. And here is where the story gets interesting. Jesus could have turned the stones into bread, he could have made it rain spaghetti, but no he looks the disciples square in the eye and says, "You feed them".
It is not hard to imagine the disciples concern. They were the "B" team. These fisherman and tax collectors were not chosen to become Rabbis or other elite places in their society. They were the 'Not-good-enough's". So you can imagine panic coming across their face as they listen to Jesus' charge, "You feed them!" They must have been thinking, "We are not enough". And they were right. they couldn't feed these 5000 men plus their wives and children. They couldn't possibly provide for them as they needed to. It was out of genuine concern that they told Jesus to send them away in the first place. They really weren't enough.
And neither are we. We all have our comfort zones, and places of refuge. They are comfortable because they are predictable. Even though we know they are flawed and limited, still yet predictable. And where things and places are predictable, then we have some sense of control, albeit limited. But it is in those places where we truly and authentically know that we are not enough is where miracles happen. They do not happen in familiarity, but rather in dark places that have yet to be explored. They happen in people who look at Jesus and say, "Not me, let someone else do it" and "But Jesus I am not enough, I can;t do this."
Notice what Jesus does. He asks them what they have. He asks what they already have, even if isn't a lot. Sometimes, I think we try and impress God. We strive to show God how much we have and ask God to use it. But true surrender to God is demonstrated when we have nothing to give. When we are tired, worn out, scared, or all of the above. When we have nothing to give, is when God is ready to use us the most. Because then we are out of the way, we stop trying to take control, and we let God be God. The psalmist captures this the best in Psalm 51: 16-17:
The story is simple on the outset. The disciples, termed apostles for the first time here, have been on a missionary journey. They are worn out, exhausted, and are spent. So Jesus invites them into a time of retreat. Their missionary journeys must have been successful because upon arriving at their retreat spot, thousands of people came from the surrounding area to learn from these disciples who have been spreading the good news about this Jesus fellow.
Recognizing their tiredness, Jesus steps into teach the people. After what would have been an extended time of teaching, the disciples tell Jesus to send the people away so that they can get some food. And here is where the story gets interesting. Jesus could have turned the stones into bread, he could have made it rain spaghetti, but no he looks the disciples square in the eye and says, "You feed them".
It is not hard to imagine the disciples concern. They were the "B" team. These fisherman and tax collectors were not chosen to become Rabbis or other elite places in their society. They were the 'Not-good-enough's". So you can imagine panic coming across their face as they listen to Jesus' charge, "You feed them!" They must have been thinking, "We are not enough". And they were right. they couldn't feed these 5000 men plus their wives and children. They couldn't possibly provide for them as they needed to. It was out of genuine concern that they told Jesus to send them away in the first place. They really weren't enough.
And neither are we. We all have our comfort zones, and places of refuge. They are comfortable because they are predictable. Even though we know they are flawed and limited, still yet predictable. And where things and places are predictable, then we have some sense of control, albeit limited. But it is in those places where we truly and authentically know that we are not enough is where miracles happen. They do not happen in familiarity, but rather in dark places that have yet to be explored. They happen in people who look at Jesus and say, "Not me, let someone else do it" and "But Jesus I am not enough, I can;t do this."
Notice what Jesus does. He asks them what they have. He asks what they already have, even if isn't a lot. Sometimes, I think we try and impress God. We strive to show God how much we have and ask God to use it. But true surrender to God is demonstrated when we have nothing to give. When we are tired, worn out, scared, or all of the above. When we have nothing to give, is when God is ready to use us the most. Because then we are out of the way, we stop trying to take control, and we let God be God. The psalmist captures this the best in Psalm 51: 16-17:
"You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite Heart
you, O God, will not despise."
17
The best offering we can give, is our genuine nothingness. Our "I am not good enough" Because the hope of the Gospel is that we do not have to be enough, because Jesus Christ already is. And it is through power of the Holy Spirit that empowers and equips us to becomes enough.
Jesus takes their bread and fish, gives thanks to God for it, breaks it, and offers it to all who are willing to receive it. In the end 12 basket fulls of leftovers. Despite the numerical symbolism many of us may wish to read into it with some truth found in it. The point is simply that with Christ, our nothingness becomes more than enough to share the hope of the gospel with others and to worship the Triune God.
I can only imagine the disciples look as they see the baskets of leftovers. Their disbelief in themselves, I can imagine, was restored. They began to wonder not only about Jesus, but also about themselves. About their own true capacity to be used by the Spirit. The fear of leaving their safe and predictable places was quite apparent. But so where the baskets of leftovers.
Maybe if we, as the church, are able to leave behind our flawed and predictable places where we strive to hang on to whatever sense of control we think we have, that we may be able to see miracles even more than these.
Friday, September 21, 2012
A misunderstanding of Baptism as the demise of the Christian life
One of the highest joys in a pastor's life (at least my own) is to preside over a Baptism of an infant. Something about the vulnerability and helplessness of a baby captures the theological push behind Baptism, namely that we too must enter the water at the mercy of God ready to be shaped, molded, and oriented toward who God truly created us to be. And as we emerge, we emerge not as someone who has been given a new sword ready to take on all the evils of the world, but rather as an even larger open vessel beckoning God to work through us.
In Baptism we die to ourselves, and become resurrected with Christ in who we truly are. That is immersion is such a significant mode of Baptism because it embodies this theological framework in concrete actions. In the ancient church, prospective Christians were even naked upon entering the water and as they emerged clothed in a white garment which signified their new life in Christ which only made possible through the death of their old life.
This is such a key movement in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The sad part is, that we have often reduce it to sentimentality. We take pictures, get certificates, get candles,get a cake, say all the "official" words, and so forth. We often fail to discern the significance behind this sacrament. We often assume it is the Parent's working by "starting the child's life out right", but in fact, it is God's working. There isn't anything magical about the water or the words or the pastor, but through them all, God is at work in a powerful and unique way in the ritual. And anytime God works, it is neither insignificant or optional.
Then fast forward a generation when the baby has children of their own. The only memories often shared with them about their baptism is is what kind of cake they had to who was the pastor; nothing about how the sacrament initiated them into the body of Christ where they could be treasured and cared for by the community of faith. (That assumes that those wishing their child to be baptized have a church they attend weekly).
When we reduce such an important sacrament like Baptism to sentimentality, we reduce the very character of God. Nothing sentimental appears in Noah's ark out to see being tossed about for 40 days, nothing is sentimental about a young boy defeating a giant with a stone, nothing is sentimental about the 10 plagues God used to free the people from Egyptian slavery, nothing is sentimental about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and being resurrected, nothing is sentimental about the day of Pentecost when the Spirit moved and continues to move in amazing and awesome ways. If we can recapture the rawness and authenticity of what Baptism really is (dying to ourselves and rising anew in Christ), then we can begin to reclaim some sense of the Gospel, the good news of God in Jesus Christ.
In Baptism we die to ourselves, and become resurrected with Christ in who we truly are. That is immersion is such a significant mode of Baptism because it embodies this theological framework in concrete actions. In the ancient church, prospective Christians were even naked upon entering the water and as they emerged clothed in a white garment which signified their new life in Christ which only made possible through the death of their old life.
This is such a key movement in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The sad part is, that we have often reduce it to sentimentality. We take pictures, get certificates, get candles,get a cake, say all the "official" words, and so forth. We often fail to discern the significance behind this sacrament. We often assume it is the Parent's working by "starting the child's life out right", but in fact, it is God's working. There isn't anything magical about the water or the words or the pastor, but through them all, God is at work in a powerful and unique way in the ritual. And anytime God works, it is neither insignificant or optional.
Then fast forward a generation when the baby has children of their own. The only memories often shared with them about their baptism is is what kind of cake they had to who was the pastor; nothing about how the sacrament initiated them into the body of Christ where they could be treasured and cared for by the community of faith. (That assumes that those wishing their child to be baptized have a church they attend weekly).
When we reduce such an important sacrament like Baptism to sentimentality, we reduce the very character of God. Nothing sentimental appears in Noah's ark out to see being tossed about for 40 days, nothing is sentimental about a young boy defeating a giant with a stone, nothing is sentimental about the 10 plagues God used to free the people from Egyptian slavery, nothing is sentimental about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and being resurrected, nothing is sentimental about the day of Pentecost when the Spirit moved and continues to move in amazing and awesome ways. If we can recapture the rawness and authenticity of what Baptism really is (dying to ourselves and rising anew in Christ), then we can begin to reclaim some sense of the Gospel, the good news of God in Jesus Christ.
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