Church
of the Redeemer The
Rev. Nancy E. Gossling
In today’s 1st letter of John, the author writes two
things that caught my attention:
- “Perfect love casts
out fear, and
- “Those who say, “I
love God,” and hate their brothers or sisters are liars.”
So let’s first talk about fear. I
totally get it. I am afraid of many and various things, beginning with snakes.
I am afraid of losing people I love. I am afraid of not fulfilling my
potential, of failing others, and of not loving myself or others the way that
God loves me. I am not afraid of dying but I am afraid of having pain that
makes me want to die.
I do not love perfectly. I have a
lifetime of evidence to attest to that confession. Maybe if I did, I wouldn’t
be so fearful. Because, you and I know, that when we are fearful we are not
acting in loving ways. So I remember a classic book that was recommended to me
several decades ago, entitled Hinds Feet in High Places. It is based upon the
Old Testament book of Habakkuk. In it, the primary focus is on the journey of
someone who is called “Little Miss Much Afraid.”
At that time in my life, my
spiritual director called me “Little Miss Much Afraid.” That was me. And so as
I journeyed together with the leading star in this book, I realized that the
only way to move forward in my life was to take leaps of faith. I found courage
to change, and take appropriate risks, even when, and especially when, I didn’t
know the outcome. I had to trust God and those who loved me. One day at a time,
one step at a time.
Fear is rampant these days. We are
afraid of our national security in the face of escalating international
conflicts. We know that boundaries are
being crossed over our national, social, and personal borders. We argue
about our first amendment rights, and what is and is not acceptable in our
public and private squares. We are afraid for our futures.
Protests and public discourses
have dropped to new lows; and serious violations in crime and personal safety
have caused many to withdraw in fear. I often wonder who wants to step forward
in faith when our culture dismisses the importance of religion. Or how we do
not honor the many and various ways in which people connect with God.
Which brings me to my second point. How is it then that we can say, or the
author of 1st John can say, that “those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their
brothers or sisters are liars.” To be honest, I cannot, for the life of me,
understand how anyone can hate any group of people, most especially the Jewish
people at this time, or the people of Gaza, or the people of any faith or
country and still say that they love God. We can disagree passionately about
our politics and even religion. But hate? Amd hate that leads to violence and
death?
I am aware of how the opposite of
love is not hate, but rather indifference. Indeed hate is love that has
despaired so greatly that it has flipped from one extreme to another. And so to
be indifferent is to say that you don’t care about all that God has created,
every piece and parcel of creation, every single human and living creature. And
while I may not like snakes, and even some people, I can say that by the grace
of God, I can love everything and everyone because God loves us first, and God
loves everyone and everything. God is good, all the time; and sometimes we are
not.
When I was a little girl, I loved
drawing a picture of a tree growing alongside a stream of blue water. The sky
was blue; the sun was bright. Apples were red and rosy. And this, for me, was
the equivalent picture of the true vine. Implicit in this picture is God, who
is the vine grower, and the Tree of Life, the Creator of all creation and all
creatures. And yet, idyllic as the scene may appear, we all know that vines
need pruning, fruits need nutrients, and some branches may even need to be cut
off.
This morning we will have a
baptism, and our reasons for baptism will vary. “Some are baptized as babies
and do not remember it, but maybe will be grateful for it later. Some are
baptized because they turned eight years old and decided that they were sick
and tired of not getting to drink the grape juice at the Lord’s Supper. Some
are baptized on the spur of the moment like the Ethiopian eunuch in today’s
reading.
Some have never been baptized
because they have never seen any reason why they should be. And Jesus was
baptized because he believed that God was calling him to a different kind of
life. When Jesus rose from the waters of the Jordan River, he heard a voice
say: “You are my child. I love you. I’m delighted with you.”
People who are baptized are called
to live a different kind of life. They tell the truth in a world that lies;
they give in a world that takes; they love in a world that hates; they make
peace in a world that fights; they serve in a world that wants to be served;
and they pray in a world that waits to be entertained.” (Brett Younger, www.d365.org, January 9, 2016)
So today, we will baptize Grace
Rebecca Wilford. And baptisms are all about love, God’s love and our love for
God and others. Grace is fresh fruit, which is being added to the vine that we
call the Tree of Life. Her pruning and growth will continue over the years as
she, hopefully, stays connected to the true vine grower, that is to God.
Over my decades of motherhood and
priesthood, I have increasingly become more and more convinced that it takes a
whole community of family, friends, and faithful people to raise a child. It
begins at birth, and never ends. Thanks to all of you who are part of her life
and her journey today and will be in the days and years to come.
Today, we welcome Grace, as a full
member of the Body of Christ, and an heir of God’s eternal kingdom. May she
grow strong in her faith journey, and stay close to the vine, the true vine
that is Christ. May the Spirit of God help her to bear fruit that will last.
Acts 8:26-40 1 John
4:7-21 John 15:1-8
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