|
First
Reading
|
Psalm |
Epistle |
Gospel |
| Amos
7:7-15 |
24:1-7 |
Ephesians
1:3-14 |
Mark
6:14-29 |
Jesus
had been preaching around the lake of Galilee. After being rejected
in his home town, he moved on and sent his disciples out in teams,
probably on a brief assignment of a few days. It seems jarring that
right in the middle of this narrative, the story of the demise of
John the Baptist would be inserted. Yet it is clear from the first
that becoming a follower of Jesus was not a guarantee of an easy
life. Baptism was not a reservation on a lost cost, carefree flight
to heaven. John's apparent popularity with the people did not save
him. Even though Herod appeared to have had some respect for John,
and for a great while was reluctant to harm him, Herod still ordered
him to be put to death. In the same way, while Jesus had some popular
following, and Pontius Pilate wanted to wash his hands of the controversy
surrounding Him, Pilate still signed Jesus' death warrant.
Over the past week we have been reminded
of people who have been regarded as heroes in our nation's past.
However, while many of the founders of the present United States
were of means and education, they were not necessarily widely
regarded as heroes at the time. In 1776, roughly one third of
the population was for independence with England, a third against,
and a third were torn, ambivalent, or couldn't care as long as
their own life was undisturbed. The movement for independence
broke up families and deep relationships. Benjamin Franklin's
son moved back to England and became estranged from his famous
father. Some of the signers of the Declaration of Independence
lost their lives and others lost most of their wealth and health.
Being a patriot was no guarantee of popularity or fame in the
years ahead. I suspect there were wise and brave Native American
leaders of the period who made hard, but courageous choices, but
popular history has obscured their life almost to the point of
oblivion.
Nonetheless, under girding us all is a
legacy that continues to support us, just as the witness of John
the Baptist was a very strong influence in the lives of Jesus'
disciples and the early church. The legacy of John would far outlast
the treacherous legacy of Herod.
We are having a baptism today and next
week, and if there is anything I would wish the families of these
children to remember is that God is always quietly raising up
heroes, guardians, and guides for people who know how and where
to look. Our society has more than enough celebrities, with more
flash than substance, like cut flowers with no roots and no possibility
of further growth and bloom. On the other hand, God's heroes pop
up, undeterred, often as mysterious as the weeds on my lawn, rising
high above the blades of grass and neither weed killers, lawn
mowers, nor dogs can stop them.
Every baptism reminds us that God calls
us into relationship. It is not a relationship built on the world's
definition of success or power; it is built upon God's gift of
goodwill towards humanity. It is based on God's affirmation of
the basic dignity of every human being. As people of faith we
witness to one another and the world, that Gillean whom we will
baptize this morning and Clara whom we will baptize next week
are God's gifts. How we nurture, support and share the gifts we
are given, is up to us.
I would like to think that the disciples
became aware of their uncertain future and at the same time began
to appreciate the wonderful gifts around them. They were able
to spot and honor hometown heroes for people of faith. Jesus taught
them how to look for the signs of God's grace. In turn the disciples
looked into people's eyes and knew that somehow, the Gospel would
live, take root, and persist.
And
I offer this to you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Amen
