01122022 – Luke 3
I have never been there!
Sorry, I have no desire to go!
It’s just me!
It is right here in our own backyard, too! Less than 3 miles away. And it is huge! Way huge!
A “Scandinavian chain-store” selling ready-to-assemble-furniture, plus housewares, in a warehouse-like-space.
What could go wrong? And, the people flock there… Who wouldn’t want to go?
Me!
I think life can be frustrating enough, on its own, I don’t have to “assemble or put together” furniture from Ikea or from any place else, for that matter.
Anyone who has ever attempted to put together anything from a merchant that sells “KITS” understands the possible points of frustration.
The box usually comes with a half a zillion pieces and, THE BEST PART OF IT ALL, the instructions are written in SWEDISH…I mean, why wouldn’t they be, right?
After many moments of precious time of deciphering the directions and gathering together the countless tiny parts and pieces, INEVITABLY you discover that “A PIECE” is missing.
OOPS! Now, where did that go?
Somewhere in the unpacking of the KAZILLION pieces, you have inadvertly dropped a small part under the refrigerator or it rolled under the stove…or it has rolled to only God know where…or the cat or the dog took it as a play toy…and pushed it into never-never-land.
OR, THEY NEVER PACKED IT, to begin with!
And it’s never just “A” missing piece, it’s usually “THE” missing-random-piece”: the “KEY” part – that transforms the pile of random stuff into the one-of-a-kind, piece of furnishing.
SO, in our gospel for tonight we are reminded of “life’s KEY PIECES” …the “important stuff” through the story of Jesus’ baptism.
The moment Jesus emerges from the water, a voice descends from the shattered heavens above and declares:
“You are my beloved son, with YOU I am well pleased.”
And, we get shivers…
Not from the cold water, mind you, but from the words themselves…
Talk about getting an “attaboy!” Or, an “attagirl!”
Such cool sentiments!
Words that I quite frankly never heard. Don’t know about you.
Were you EVER CALLED the beloved son or daughter?
They are words that most of us would have longed to hear.
And yet, perhaps more powerful, more awesome, more cool “than the WORDS themselves” is their TIMING…
Timing is everything right?
The Spirit offered THIS BLESSING to Jesus BEFORE he did anything:
The guy didn’t do ANYTHING that we know of…
Think about it – he hadn’t WRITTEN, muchless delivered, even ONE SERMON;
he hadn’t performed any MIRACLES;
he did not RAISE THE DEAD or WALK ON WATER,
he had not healed the blind, the lame or the sick…
or even played with the six huge vats of water at the wedding wine at Cana in Galilee…
Wink, wink!
He didn’t do ANYTHING. EXCEPT…
He went down to the river.
With ALL OF THE OTHER FOLKS…
He WENT IN, he GOT WET, he came out of the water…STILL DRIPPING WET…
And the accolades just kept coming…one right after another…
The words were bestowed on him NOT for WHAT HE HAD DONE, but for WHO HE WAS: “a beloved child of God.”
Here’s WHERE THAT missing piece comes into play…
I was always TAUGHT and TOLD that we too, were beloved children of God.
I think…each of us gets this same unconditional blessing at birth…and later, at our own baptisms…
Jeremiah 1:5 says, “BEFORE I formed you in the womb, I knew you; and before you were born, I CONSECRATED you.”
I BLESSED you, I MADE you holy.
Yep, we were blessed as well!
I have seen the LOVE and the ADMIRATION of parents for their children. I HAVE HEARD IN THEIR VOICES.
Their kids are their EVERYTHING.
Their children are seemingly perfect…and can do no wrong, given the day!!!!
Wonderful. Awesome. Miracles.
As a matter of fact, most would tell you they couldn’t imagine life WITHOUT their kids.
The problem is that the FARTHER we get from our BIRTH, and from our BAPTISMS, the more we tend to FORGET about that “powerful blessing.”
Over the years, life KNOCKS and BEATS us down with HURT, DISAPPOINTMENT, GRIEF, ANGER, each one — breaking us down, tearing us down — until those critical words, “You are my beloved,” are muffled out. They disappear. They are simply gone and quieted.
Our greatest blessing—”our critical piece”–goes missing.
That ALL IMPORTANT piece.
You know the song, I LOVE YOU – and YOU are MINE? I have watched. I have seen people tear up. And, not just women. I have seen guys with their eyes filled like a well of water.
Such powerful words. There is something there. Something powerful.
Something we need to hear….
And words we need TO REMEMBER.
I love you and you are mine.
YOU are beloved child of God.
Hang on to that “missing piece.”
You deserve it.
Amen.