"The Heavens are Opened" - Sermon, January 8, 2017
Community United
Methodist Church, Quincy
“The Great
Invitation: The Heavens Are Opened”
Pastor Andrew Davis
January 8, 2016
Isaiah 42: 1-9
Matthew 3: 13-17
It
feels like it’s been an eternity since I last preached up here, but it is sure
good to be back in the pulpit today after what seems like an eternity since
I’ve last preached a sermon. While
Christmas just formally wrapped up on Epiphany this past Friday, or the 12th
Day of Christmas, it feels like Christmas ended much longer ago even though It’s
only been two weeks. I suppose it’s
because the day after Christmas Day, we start seeing all the Christmas stuff
come off the shelves at Safeway, The Dollar Store, or Rite-Aid to be switched
out for Valentine’s Day so quickly. But
in the church, Christmas lasts until January 6th, Epiphany. However, we still have the season after
Epiphany which believe it or not, is one of my favorite seasons in the church
year! I don’t know if it’s because we
talk a lot about light (which is increasing each day), or because the
scriptures talk a lot about the beginnings of Jesus’s earthly ministry, or the
heavy emphasis on discipleship; but I find something special and profound about
this season of light that I can’t necessarily lay my finger on. So, like the star that the magi encountered
when they visited the toddler Jesus as a sign from God, Epiphany literally
means a revelation or “a manifestation of a divine being” which we also just
heard in the account of Jesus’s baptism in Matthew’s gospel when the heavens
opened up.[i]
It
appears that time marches on pretty quickly at this time of year. Just as the stores waste no time in putting
up the Valentine’s Day stuff, our gospel lesson fast-forwards about 30 years or
so, as Jesus is all grown up now and ready to minister to the world that he
lived in. It also seems fitting that like
Jesus preparing to begin his earthly ministry, we find ourselves embarking on a
new series this morning, “The Great Invitation.” Between now and Ash Wednesday, we will be
exploring the beginnings of Jesus’s earthly ministry through the gospel of
Matthew and some of John’s gospel. “The
Great Invitation” is just what it says; it’s an invitation to be a disciple of
Jesus, share the Good News of the Gospel with others, and to put in fancy
church-speak, evangelism. At the same
time, it’s an invitation to go deeper in our faith journey. As baptized followers of Christ, or anyone
who is just entering into relationship with Christ, evangelism is a very
important part of our faith and is part of the core of our life as a community
of disciples along with personal devotion, regular worship, and participation
in small groups.
But while evangelism is part
of our core as believers and followers of Christ, evangelism can also have some
negative connotations to it, particularly what we may see on TV, online, or in
what we may read. For example,
evangelism may be construed as forcing people to believe or convert to
following Jesus right away, condemning people to eternal judgment if they
don’t. But that is NOT the case of what
evangelism entails. In his book, Evangelism for Non-Evangelists: Sharing the
Gospel Authentically, Mark Teasdale explains that
Evangelism entails
sharing the good news of God with the hope that people will hear it and receive
it. If the person believes something that is harmful toward others or
inaccurate about God, then we want the person to accept the good news in place
of those beliefs. By the same token, an evangelist should never condemn people.
As evangelists we invite others to consider and be challenged by the good news
of God in Jesus Christ. We do not issue a blanket condemnation of those who
disagree with that good news.[ii]
So,
what exactly does evangelism have to do with baptism? Good question, as evangelism, or simply
sharing the Good News of Jesus is a responsibility of all baptized believers as
we worship on this Baptism of our Lord Sunday.
We are invited to receive this Good News, yet also invited to share this
Good News with others too. Likewise, today
is also a good time to remember our own baptisms and give thanks for our
baptism and the journey that we are continuing along in our faith life. And if you are not baptized yet, no worries,
as this is also an invitation to anyone who desires to be baptized and enter
into this deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ and something I
would love to talk about more one on one.
Baptism is the beginning of this deeper journey, a formal initiation
into God’s family which will hopefully result in a life-long journey of faith
which also entails sharing and inviting others to come along on this faith
journey as we think about this Great Invitation into deepening our discipleship
and spiritual growth in this new year. Think
of it as a resolution.
And
so, our great invitation begins with baptism, being marked by water and the
Spirit. It’s the water in baptism that
washes our sins away, but also the Holy Spirit that guides us along the way,
along with our fellow believers, even through the ups and downs that this
journey of faith may bring. As we just
heard in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus comes to John to be baptized in the Jordan
River, which is still a popular site for baptisms in the Holy Land today. Now John was reluctant to baptize Jesus at
first, as he wanted Jesus to baptize him, but Jesus insisted that he be
baptized by John. As we read last month
during Advent in this same chapter, John told people that “one more powerful
than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and
fire,” although we also saw that instead of fire, Jesus showed through his
actions that he brought healing instead (Matthew 3: 11, NRSV). Despite John’s reluctance, Jesus’s insistence
wins out, but then something profound happens as he is baptized which shows
that this is no ordinary baptism. The
heavens opened up in verse 16 when Jesus came up from the water, which was a
direct revelation, or epiphany from God that Jesus was the “one more powerful”
than John (Matt. 3: 11, NRSV). This
account is where God’s love is poured out upon Jesus and we hear God’s voice,
especially when God is “well pleased” (Matt. 3: 17, NRSV). This image reminds me a lot of when I see
beams of sunlight shining through the clouds, or when it’s foggy here in our
mountain valley and see the fog lift and the sky open up. Yet, the heavens being opened could mean many
things, such as when we came into a relationship with God, or even the first
time we have encountered a loving community of faith, such as we have
here. Or, the heavens opening up could
be like John Wesley’s “Aldersgate Street experience,” in which John felt this
warm, but strange feeling in his heart.
It’s like having a direct encounter with God when the heavens open
up.
Now
when each of us are baptized, many of us are likely infants and may not
remember. I know I sure don’t, although
I was told that while he was still pastor in Rio Linda, Rev. David Moss who
baptized me got to hold me, then I tickled his beard. I suppose that’s where the cute-factor comes
in on infant baptism. Yet, maybe that’s also
where the heavens open up for us in our baptism. But even when we are baptized as infants, we
are raised by the community of adults and will have other opportunities for the
heavens to open up on our faith journey as we encounter God in many ways and
many places. But the great invitation to
that journey towards more intentional and deeper discipleship begins with
baptism. Dawn Chesser of Discipleship
Ministries in Nashville explains that
When we baptize an
infant or child, we are initiating them into the community of God’s people. We
mark them with water, symbolically recognizing before the community of faith
that even though they do not yet recognize it for themselves, God’s grace is within
them. We pray for the Holy Spirit to guide them on their journey. And we
covenant as a community of faith to show them, by our example, what it means to
be a disciple of Jesus Christ so that one day they will experience God’s saving
grace and make a confession of faith in Christ for themselves.[iii]
Even if we are baptized as
adults, “the seeds of grace of God shown in Jesus Christ are planted in our
hearts long before we recognize them for ourselves. This is what [John] Wesley [the founder of
Methodism] called prevenient grace. It
is grace that goes before us.”[iv]
The heavens opening up is a revelation of God’s grace and perhaps a time where
the Holy Spirit is profoundly felt and revealed, along with seeing that grace
realized. And even without being baptized,
there are still seeds of God’s grace that are within, grace that is available
to everyone, as baptism is available to all who desire to enter into God’s
family and a deeper relationship. Furthermore,
“as United Methodists we believe that experiencing assurance of God’s grace is
a critical step in the journey towards a deeper relationship with the living
Lord. But we also believe that the way
it happens varies widely,” perhaps why our experiences of the heavens opening,
or one on one encounters with God are never the same.[v]
Baptism marks the beginning
of that deeper journey of faith through that relationship with God through
Jesus Christ, just as we are seeing in Matthew’s account of Jesus’s baptism
before Jesus sets out to formally begin his earthly ministry. Jesus is here to fulfill or ‘do’ what God
wants him to do, along with “doing the revealed will of God” as an act of
righteousness, which is living life that is pleasing to God.[vi] Even when we too do what we can to fulfill
what God wants us to do, or live a life pleasing to God, it doesn’t mean the
road will be easy, just as it won’t be for Jesus either. Even when you experience the heavens opening
for the first time, or many times, there are always going to be ups and downs
along the way. But as one of my good
friends will remind me, we need to show grace, even for ourselves when we
stumble along the way. But as we begin
this new year and make it a resolution to go deeper, let’s think about what it
means for the heavens to open up for each of us and about what our baptism
means for each of us. And, if you are
interested in exploring what it means to be baptized and have the desire to
take that step, let’s talk.
As we go into this new week
while the new year is still young, let’s also consider The Great Invitation in
these coming weeks. Who do you know that
you would like to invite into a relationship with God that may not have a community
of faith to call home or might be curious?
What are ways we can nurture each other along this journey from baptism
onward so that we can go deeper in our relationship with God through Jesus
Christ? The season after Epiphany will be
a great adventure and I hope you will think about inviting others into this
relationship too!! So as we remember our
baptism and be thankful, or if anyone is thinking about taking the step towards
baptism, let’s take up the great invitation into life in Jesus, as we continue
being his hands and feet in our world today.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, Amen.
[i] Merriam-Webster
(2017) Definition of EPIPHANY.
Available at: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/epiphany (Accessed: 5
January 2017).
[ii]
Qtd. In Ministries, D. (2016) The
heavens are opened! — preaching notes. Available at: https://www.umcdiscipleship.org/resources/the-heavens-are-opened-preaching-notes
(Accessed: 4 January 2017).
[iii]
Ibid.
[iv]
Ibid.
[v]
Ibid.
[vi] The New Interpreter’s Bible Commentary, Vol.
VIII (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1995), 160.
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