Good Threes for Trinity Sunday—on the Occasion of Liam White's Baptism

 

When whippoorwills call and evening is nigh,

I hurry to my Blue Heaven.

A turn to the right, a little white light,

Will lead me to my Blue Heaven.

 

I'll see a smiling face, a fireplace, a cozy room,

A little nest that nestles where the roses bloom;

Just Jilly and me, and baby makes three,

We're happy in my Blue Heaven.

 

Just Jilly and me, and baby makes three.

 

Good things happen in threes. Here are three good threes for Trinity Sunday:

1. Two years ago July 16,2011: Clarke, Kimberly and God, all three, met here for the Celebration and Blessing of their Marriage.
2. Today: Clarke, Kimberley and Liam ( and baby makes three) are here for the Ministration of Holy Baptism. Wisdom!
3. In doing so, Clarke and Kimberly are bringing Liam to join a community which God; Father Son and Holy Spirit; ordained to be the crucible and home base in which to teach Liam to learn to live another good three; faith hope and love; the greatest of which, Paul wrote is love, which is what and who God is and also the greatest commandment.

And not only that but we're here today to celebrate and, as we prayed in our Collect of the Day, acknowledge the glory of the eternal, blessed and most Holy Trinity as, in the power of the divine majesty, we worship the Unity: one God in three Persons: the mysterious and best three of all. "Keep us steadfast in this faith," we prayed, "that we may evermore be defended from all adversities."

 

Which brings us back to Clarke and Kimberly and baby makes three. In a few moments we will pray that God, the Father, the first person of the Holy Trinity, will "grant to Liam that which by nature he cannot have; that Liam may be baptized with Water and the Holy Spirit," the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, "and received into Christ's," the Second Person of he Holy Trinity, "holy Church, and be made a living member of the same."

 

Clarke, Kimberly and Kristen, Liam's Godmother, will, on Liam's behalf and in his name, profess the Christian and Trinitarian faith and commit to defend Liam from all adversities, because bad things happen, too, sometimes in threes, by renouncing "the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh." They will also "acknowledge the duty to keep God's holy will and commandments, walking steadfastly in the way of Christ," and promise to pray for him "and take care that he may learn and do all these things" too, including "all other things that a Christian ought to know and believe to his soul's health." Things like learning to pray and "take his part in public worship," "the Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Lord's Prayer."

 

Why is all this so important? Because, just as Jesus said to his disciples in the first verse our Gospel this morning (John 16:12), he still has many things to say to Liam, but Liam is too young to hear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, Jesus said, he will do another three (among other) good things:

1. guide you into all the truth,
2. Glorify Jesus
3. Take what belongs to Jesus (which is all that the Father has v15) and declare it to you

What they are promising this morning, and the duties they are taking on will ensure that they maintain contact with God, the Three in One and One in Three, and that Liam will not only grow up to do the same, but come at last to live eternally in a heaven which is way more than just blue.

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Two Calls: Homilies on the Fifth Sunday after Epiphany

First, at our 830 service, A Call to Duty on the Occasion of Michael Joseph Donner's Baptism into the Church of God with reference to "The Ministration of Holy Baptism to Children to be Used in the Church" (The Book of Common Prayer, Anglican Book Centre, 1962), p523ff and The Gospel, p524 (Mk 10.13-16): 

Anthony and Catherine are doing their job in bringing Mikey to Jesus this morning. And Jesus will, indeed, touch him by receiving him, embracing him with arms of mercy, giving him the blessing of eternal life and making him a partaker of his everlasting kingdom. 

It doesn’t stop here, of course. Mikey has not just been "done." It begins.

It is clear that baptism is an initiation into a lifelong battle against indwelling sin, the world, and the devil, requiring God's constant grace and biblical encouragement. It is not a once-and-for-all pseudo-magical charm which guarantees salvation by virtue of the external act, but (as the BCP Catechism puts it), "an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace." (The Anglican Doctrine of Baptism, Lee Gatiss, www.reformationanglicanism.blogspot.com/)

Once Catherine, Anthony and the Godparents make the promises and the profession of the Christian faith and Mikey is baptised, formally received and grafted into this branch of the Congregation of Christ’s flock and signed with the cross, the Duties of Christian parents and Godparents begin. Being on duty in this way means this little guy will receive what Lee Gatiss describes as "the tremendous blessing of being baptised as an infant and brought up to know and love the Lord Jesus from an early age," so that one day, when he is ready, Mikey will make his own promises and profession of faith in Jesus, thus confirming the blessing of eternal life and that he is a partaker of Christ’s everlasting kingdom. 

The rest of us have a part to play, too. We must never rebuke people like Anthony and Catherine whenever they bring their little ones to meet with Jesus here even those little ones fuss and are noisy. Jesus forbids it. Because if the kingdom of God is to be received as a little child, there will always be some fuss and noise because little children live out loud. If we grown-ups really want to receive the kingdom of God, perhaps we need to be more like them and live our lives out louder in worship, too. 

Then, at our 1030, A Call to Observe a Holy Lent with reference to Isa 6.1-13, 1 Cor 15.1-11 and Luke 5.1-11—listen here (until around the end of August, 2013, when it will be rotated off the list) . 

Moments When I Love My Job

This little beauty is Claire Simone Moses Randle, baptized in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit at St Barnabas along with her sister Katherine Rose Moses Randle in the Easter Vigil last Saturday.

I had just lifted her from the font. She looked at me very thoughtfully and I looked back. The moment reminded me of something I read in October last year by The Right Revd Dr Kelvin Wright, Bishop of Dunedin, New Zealand, where he described meeting his first granddaughter for the first time. This is what he wrote:

I was rewarded with an amazing treasure: she looked at me and smiled and wordlessly enquired who I was. It is an affirming thing to be seen and known, but especially by someone so utterly undefended and pure. 

Exactly. I was moved by Bishop Wright's insight and I was moved by my encounter with Claire.

I have a great job.

Rolling Stones: a Short Sermon on Easter Morning with reference to Mark 16:4 and Tyson Stabler's Baptism

Mark 16:4 (NIV84) But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

Resurrection morning. The day that everything changed. The day that turned the bleakness of defeat and despair into victory and hope. And it all centred on that empty cave; cold and dark, a borrowed tomb (Joseph of Arimithea had had it made for himself),  carved out of rock.

Sometime between when Joseph rolled the stone against the door of that tomb and when the Marys arrived to find it rolled away; probably during the night immediately before the women arrived with their spices because if the stone had been rolled away earlier someone would have noticed, Almighty God focussed a beam of divine life-restoring energy into that dark space and performed the defining miracle of our faith. It happened unseen, without human help, in the Father’s sovereign timing and will. And here we all are two thousand years later. Here you are. Good on you for making the effort to come here this morning to recognize and celebrate what Jesus did for us—to acknowledge our salvation and that we will share his resurrection.

Mark 16:4 (NIV84) But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away.

The stone was large. Too large for the women to move, they thought. They were worried about who would remove it for them. They wanted to get in to where they thought Jesus was to serve him even in his death.

There are such stones in our lives. They also need to be rolled away so we come out from the darkness of sin and death into the light of the Risen Christ. Like the women, we need help with that. The stones are heavy. There is work involved.

Here are some stone rollers:

• Liturgy, literally, the work of the people. Worship; repetitive, faithful, worship is a powerful stone roller. It brings us of our sin-tombs into the light. 
• Devotional Bible reading and study, not so much for what you can get out of it, but for what it can get into you. God’s word written rolls stones. 
• Daily prayer. I want to remind you of rich treasure we Anglicans have in our prayer books for that. Morning, evening, mid-day and night, family prayer is all in there. Great stone rollers. 
• Serving others in Jesus’ name. Helping others to get out from behind the stones which entomb them in loneliness, sickness, poverty and distress is another effective stone roller. 
• Baptism. By bringing Tyson to be baptized, Colin and Donna Lee are rolling the stone back from the tomb that would otherwise imprison him forever if it were not for Jesus, his Resurrection and his church. To keep that stone rolled away, this Easter morning, Donna-Lee and Colin will commit themselves to showing Tyson how to look for Jesus of Nazareth and where to find him (Mk 16:6)—here in his church. They’re promising to do the work of bringing him to church and nurturing Tyson here in the presence of the Risen Lord Jesus, to pray and witness—set an example—so Tyson (and Rylan, baptized ? Years ago) will grow to be like Jesus. They will renounce the devil and everything opposed to Jesus, turn to him, accept him as Lord and Saviour, put their whole trust in his grace and love and promise to obey him as Lord. 

This is really important work. Don’t lose focus. Don't allow yourselves be distracted by other things because if you do, not only are your children more likely to lose theirs, but the stone will almost certainly roll back. Don’t let that happen! Jesus is risen from the dead! He is alive! Making sure that we, and our children if we have them, share in his resurrection is the most important thing in the world!

Trembling, Bewildered and Afraid: a Short Sermon with Reference to Romans 6 and Mark 16—on the Occasion of Katherine and Claire Randle's Baptisms at the Easter Vigil

Mark 16:8 (NIV84) Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. 

They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid. The tomb was empty and they didn’t know what to do about it. Their world had just been turned upside down—for the better they would soon find out—but right then? Trembling and bewildered. Fear. So much so that they ran.

I’m afraid that two thousand years of church has buried any trembling and astonishment, any fear, we might feel in what we celebrate tonight. O the Resurrection is amazing and joyful, but even that becomes routine if we’re not careful.

If we drill down into it, though, there’s really jeopardy, danger and death. Cruel slavery in Egypt. Misery. Passing throught the sea with a wall of water each side. Terror at having to leave home and go who-knows-where? Death and burial. Crucifixion. Sin, and not just matters of discourtesy and hurt feelings, but violent, bloody, torture, injustice and death on a grand scale.

And then, wonder of wonders, there’s also miraculous deliverance, a promised land and a resurrection on an even grander scale. Christ is Risen!! Alleluia!

So here we are to help Jesse and Janine bring Katherine and Claire from slavery to sin and death, out of “dead IN sin” into “dead TO sin”(Ro 6:11) and alive! “Living a new life! (Ro 6:4) United with Jesus in his resurrection (Ro 6:5). “Alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Ro 6:11).

What’s alive to God in Christ Jesus like? Jesus himself prayed, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.” (John 17:24 NIV84) Alive to God in Jesus means being where he is, seeing his glory. That’s what he wants for us.

The transaction that will soon take place in this holy sacrament should cause a little trembling and astonishment. As Katherine and Claire's dad Jesse said about what we're doing tonight, "To be a part of something bigger and stronger than yourself." No kidding! We’re rolling the stones back from tombs that would otherwise imprison Katherine and Claire forever—all of us, in fact—if it were not for Jesus and his church. The Risen, loving, King Jesus provides The Way.

As the young man told the Mary’s at the tomb:

Mark 16:6 (NIV84) “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here.”

Tonight Janine and Jesse will commit themselves to showing Katherine and Claire how to look for Jesus of Nazareth and where to find him (Mk 16:6)—here in his church. They’re promising to nurture Katherine and Claire here, to pray and witness—set an example—so they will grow to be like Jesus. They will renounce everything opposed to Jesus, turn to him, accept him as Lord and Saviour, put their whole trust in his grace and love, promise to obey him as Lord. All so Katherine and Claire can get out of this alive.

Out of the Silence: Resident Aliens

Just outside the main door of the Mount St Francis Retreat Centre:

Bishop Mark is suggesting that we need to get back to the way the early church did its baptism preparation; the Catechumenate, a lengthy process whereby those seeking to be adopted into the church have to live like Christians for a while, so they can learn what it is to be resident aliens.

He recommended a couple of books on the subject by Alan Kreider, The Change of Conversion and the Origin of Christendom (Wipf & Stock Publishers: May 2007) and Worship and Evangelism in Pre-Christendom (Grove Books Ltd: September 1995). I found an article written by Kreider on line in which he quotes this:

Christians cannot be distinguished from the rest of the human race by country or language or customs. They do not live in cities of their own; they do not use a peculiar form of speech; they do not follow an eccentric manner of life . . . Yet, although they live in Greek and barbarian cities alike, as each one's lot has been cast, and follow the customs of the country in clothing and food and other matters of daily living, at the same time they give proof of the remarkable and admittedly extraordinary constitution of their own commonwealth. They live in their own countries, but only as resident aliens (paroikoi). They have a share in everything as citizens, and endure every thing as foreigners. Every foreign land is their fatherland, and yet for them every fatherland is a foreign land. They marry, like everyone else, and they beget children, but they do not cast out their offspring. They share their food with each other, but not their marriage bed . . . They love all people, and by all are persecuted. They are unknown, and still they are condemned; they are put to death, and yet they are brought to life. They are poor, and yet they make many rich . . . They are reviled, and yet they bless; when they are affronted, they still pay due respect . . . To put it simply: What the soul is in the body, that Christians are in the world. (Epistle to Diognetus, 5-6 (mid 2nd century))

In other words, they're different.

In Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony, Stanley Hauerwas and William Willimon say many of us have bent over so far to accommodate the ways of the world that we've fallen in. The church becomes more and more resident in the culture and less and less alien. We've got to get aliener.

Got to get our feet dirty:

A Short Easter Resurrection Sermon with Baptismal Overtones

Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, crucified and risen from the dead, is the reason I stand before you this Easter and every Sunday.

“Alleluia! Christ is risen,” I said at the beginning of this service. And you replied, “The Lord is risen, indeed. Alleluia!”

And there you have the central, key, pivotal, most important— how ever you want to put it—doctrine of the Christian faith; the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead.

St Luke writes it in our first reading from Acts:

God raised him (Jesus) on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. (Acts 10.40-41, ESV)

And then we heard from St Paul as he writes to the Corinthians:

He (Jesus) was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, …he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. (1 Cor 15.4-8)

Consider the details: eating and drinking, names and numbers of real people. John records a breakfast on the beach of fish roasted over an open fire. It doesn’t sound like a myth.  And those were written while most of the people about which Luke and Paul were writing were still alive and could easily have refuted the story. But there is no evidence of anyone doing so. We’re not here celebrating a myth this morning. The historical and scholarly evidence for the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead is compelling.

Bishop of Durham and respected New Testament scholar Tom Wright puts it this way:

Jesus of Nazareth was certainly dead by the Friday evening; Roman soldiers were professional killers and wouldn't have allowed a not-quite-dead rebel leader to stay that way for long. When the first Christians told the story of what happened next, they were not saying: "I think he's still with us in a spiritual sense" or "I think he's gone to heaven". All these have been suggested by people who have lost their historical and theological nerve. (See the rest here.)

How’s your historical and theological nerve this morning? How’s your “faith nerve”? Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Literally. Actually. Unmistakeably. That fact defined and generated the church and has been its message when it has been faithful and true. It must also define us and it must be our message.

Tomorrow, the 13th of April, it will be ten years since Jude and I began our ministry, in His name, among you at St Barnabas.

This is and has been my heart’s desire for these past ten years:

• For those of you who already have a saving faith in the literally risen Jesus Christ; that your faith be increased and strengthened.
• For that those of you who have not yet come to such a personal, saving resurrection faith, that you will do so.
• That you all become convincing and fruitful witnesses of the Resurrection of Jesus.

You see, “grace flows like a mighty river,” Robin Mark sings in one of his songs. That grace is flowing all around and through us this Easter morning. Robin draws a lovely lyrical image as he goes on to sing, “and one day I just dipped my finger in, and a love caught and dragged me to a deeper place, I laughing and flailing some some water babe when grace flowed like a mighty river.” (Central Station, East of the River)

Colin Stabler and Donna-Lee Sheardown have decided to dip their finger in that mighty river today on behalf of their little son, Rylan. 11 year old Christopher Sheardown has decided to dip his finger in on his own. Will you join them? As they make their Baptismal covenant, and we renew ours, will you assure your salvation by making that an Easter “yes” to Jesus. Will you allow the love of God, uniquely and wonderfully expressed in the person and the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ, to catch you this morning and sweep you into that  deeper place where life is richer, where chains fall off and where amazing grace abounds?

If so, make your renewal of your baptismal vows today be a new personal “Yes” to belief in the risen Jesus. Make the Eucharistic prayer a new personal thanksgiving for all he has done and a new offering of yourself for his service.

A Baptism Sermon: for Our Ministry Fair and Chukwuemeka’s Baptism with Reference to Mk 8:27-38 and Casting Crowns' "Lifesong"

A favourite song on the Polish mission trip was Lifesong, by Mark Hall of the band Casting Crowns. One of the verses goes like this:

May the words I say / And the things I do / Make my lifesong sing / Bring a smile to You.

And then the chorus:

Let my lifesong sing to you / Let my lifesong sing to you / I want to sign your name to the end of this day / Knowing that my heart was true / Let my lifesong sing to you

If Jesus was to ask us the same question He asked the disciples in our gospel, “And what about you? Who do you say I am?” and if our lives were songs…lifesongs…who would they say Jesus is? How obvious would He be? To whom are our songs being sung? How can we make Jesus more obvious in our lifesongs? How can we sign His name to what we say and do?

In a few moments, Felix and Jackie, along with Chukwuemeka’s sponsors, are going to take an important step in composing Chukwuemeka’s lifesong and establishing to whom it will be sung. They will be answering Jesus’ question by saying who Jesus is: they will say Jesus is their Saviour and Lord. And we will join them in saying that Jesus is the Son of God and the good news of God.

Felix and Jackie will be saying, let Chukwuemeka’s lifesong sing to you, Lord Jesus. We want to sign your Name to our son.

It is also fitting that on this, Ministry Fair Sunday, Felix and Jackie are formally announcing that from this day, their parenting of Chukwuemeka will be a ministry. From this day, how they raise Chukwuemeka will be a way of saying who Jesus is to Emeka and to those who see them in action as parents. They will be denying themselvesfor the sake of Emeka—most parents do this out of instinct and love for their children anyway—but by doing what they have come here to do today, Felix and Jackie are making a public statement that they intend to do it in Jesus name. They will be taking up the cross of parenthood in the name of Jesus and in doing so they will be following Jesus and teaching Emeka to do the same.

It’s Ministry Fair Sunday…an opportunity to sign-up for something new…to try something…or to sign-off from something you’ve tried…take a break…try something new. We have some serious needs…particularly in our Children’s and Youth ministry areas. I think we’re at the point where we have to pay some serious attention to some building issues, too.

Ministry is service. Ministry is an opportunity to say who Jesus is by our actions. Ministry is what keeps this little branch of the Body of the Risen Jesus going. Signing up for ministry will, most probably mean denying ourselves in some way so that we can contribute to the way and how effectively our parish says who Jesus is. We may have to deny ourselves some evenings of television, some Saturday mornings, doing what we want to do. But Jesus says if we want to go after Him, we have to do that. Deny ourselves, take up our crosses (act sacrificially) and follow Him. There is a gym full of ways to do that waiting for us after this service. The ministries in the gym aren’t the only ministries there are…they’re the ones we do just now. Just think about it this morning and remember that you’re only signing up for a year—not necessarily for the rest of your life—there will be an opportunity to sign-off next year.

Chukwaemeka is about to be baptized. Baptism was the beginning of Jesus’ ministry…his service. Baptism ought to have been the beginning of ours, too.

Which brings me back to the original question…the one Jesus put to the disciples. Who do you say I am?...by the way you live…the way you dress…by the way you treat people. Who does my husbanding say Jesus is to my wife? Who does my wifing say Jesus is to my husband? Who does my parenting say Jesus is to my children? Who does my work say Jesus is to my workmates and my employer? My customers? How does the way I live my life, spend my time and money say Jesus is to my friends? Does my life say Jesus at all, even quietly?

So, a question for a celebration of Holy Baptism on Ministry Fair Sunday; who does our contribution to the ministry of St Barnabas Church say Jesus is? Does it say He is our Lord, our Saviour, Son of God, good news of God? Or something less?

Let’s pray:

Lord Jesus, may our lifesongs sing to you (especially Felix and Jackie and Chukwuemeka from this day on). May our lifesongs sing to you as we answer your call to ministry in this congregation. We want to sign your name to our lives, relationships and ministries. Help us to keep our hearts true to You.

May the words we say / And the things we do / Make our lifesongs sing / Bring a smile to You.

Five Alive: a Short Sermon On the Occasion of Five Baptisms

I’m using a new Daily Devotional Guide.

The prayers I pray each day are entitled, “Prayers for Winter.”

One of the petitions in the Prayers for Winter is "For those who do not believe, and those who have fallen away, that a saving faith may be kindled in their hearts." All kinds of people have faith in all kinds of things, but not all faith saves. There is a winter faith which may well seem to be clear, serene, even beautiful, but which is cold and dormant. And there is faith which leads to warmth, spring, growth and resurrection; saving faith. To be baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is the public expression of that kind of faith; saving faith. Olivia is here today to be baptized because a saving faith has been kindled in her heart. Travis, Madison, Jackson and Avery are here today because their parents hope that a saving faith will be kindled in their hearts, too.

The sub-title of my “Prayers for Winter” section is “prayers in the light of the ministry of salvation.”

We share that ministry, you and I. We gather week by week to worship the Living God and as we do that we are, or ought to be, empowered to work at the ministry of salvation. To get folks saved.

Baptism is, among other things, a key part of that ministry of salvation. People believe, are baptized and are saved. If there was any doubt as to whether Olivia was saved, and I don’t think there was, she is a believer, today that doubt is gone.

On top of that she and Jody, Carmen and Mike, Tyer and Tara, are embarking on a ministry of salvation for their kids. Today they are taking a major step in that process. They are publicly committing themselves to it. They are here because they intend to do everything in their power to ensure Travis, Madison, Jackson and Avery are saved. It is vitally important that this ball never gets dropped. Here are some practical ways to keep going:

• Keep believing—we have to work at that, feed it.


• Let your kids see prayer happening in your home—more than just the occasional, “O God!” in an emergency


• Resist evil and tell them why


• Be a witness, an example, of the Good News for them


• Treat others, and especially your spouse, well and with respect—your children will tend to treat theirs the way they have seen you in action

You get reminded and encouraged to persevere in all of that by coming to church. That’s why I am so boring on the subject. The ministry of salvation gets fuelled and done here and no where else. It is not a solitary endeavour. It is a messy community one, done in the midst of God’s family, the body of Christ, the church. It means choosing to get up out of that nice warm bed and get the kids up every Sunday morning and bringing them here. That’s the job to which you’re committing yourselves this morning…the ministry of salvation for the benefit of your kids.

Today the Spirit of God will hover over the water in that font. God will say “Let there be light,” in these five souls. Sins will be forgiven. The Holy Spirit will be released into five lives.

And we all get to share in a real, live, winter-time ministry of salvation.