Trinity Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)

Sermons 

Title: "All Washed Up?"

Text: Isaiah 43:1-7 and Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

The rabbis saw the central problem as whether the people of Israel should continue to bear the burden of being God’s "chosen people" for the next stage in human history. Ultimately, being modern Reform rabbis, they decided that other peoples should have the opportunity to become the "chosen people." So, they petitioned God about this matter.

When God got wind of the rabbis’ concerns, he sent an answer in an unexpected way . . . not through a voice in a burning bush or via a pillar of fire in the sky. Instead, an email message – which most people deleted, thinking that it was just another "spam" message -- was spread around the world announcing that a new item was being placed on the public auction website known as www.ebay.com. Translated into all of the world’s languages, the item appeared as follows:

"Unique opportunity available immediately – Covenant to be God’s Chosen People. Although this opportunity is open to all peoples, preference will be given to bidders whose experience includes being poor, being hungry and thirsty, being merciful, being pure in heart, having been persecuted, etc. (cf. the Beatitudes). Requirements for successful bidders include: "to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God" (Micah 6:8). Ultimately, successful bidders must be willing to bear the burden of being God’s chosen people one day-at-a-time for generation to generation. Renewal of the Covenant is at the sole discretion of the Creator. Details of Conditions and Terms available to interested parties by sending email to creator@god.com.

When the rabbis first saw this item on ebay, they were worried that perhaps God was angry with them for fussing about the long-standing covenant with Israel. Then, on the further reflection, they were intrigued to see if any of the world’s major religions or denominations would be willing to bid on the item.

I can just imagine the 2004 General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U:S:A) debating about whether to bid or not – and if so, which ministry area and which budget area should be responsible for the covenant. And some one would stand up at the microphone to ask if it should be included as a new section in the Book of Order, and on and on. But, being good Presbyterians, the General Assembly eventually would create a Task force to study the history of God’s covenants and their implications for the 21st century post-denominational world in which we live, with a report due back to the 2006 General Assembly. This Task Force on Covenants surely would find a lot of interesting material in the prophet Isaiah, especially in chapter 43, as we heard earlier this morning.

Beginning in verse 1, God says, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." Notice the way the Lord puts this. God is the one in charge of the relationship. God has redeemed the people; God has called them by name (a very important issue in ancient times); and God has made a claim on the people – NOT the other way around. Clearly, Isaiah would have nothing in common with some of our modern sociological ideas about God being made in the image of the people.

Isaiah’s God doesn’t stop there. Even in the midst of the worst circumstances – even flooding rivers and raging fires – the Lord agrees to protect the people.

And why should the Lord do all of this for the people of Israel? Simply put, because that is what God decided to do – to be their "Savior." To Isaiah’s God, the chosen people were worth more than a king’s ransom – even all of Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba.

The Task Force on Covenants would observe that God’s love is unconditional. The Lord declares that "you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you." What powerful words! Just imagine if, every morning when you get up to face the day and every night as you go to sleep, a voice uttered these same words to you – "you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you." Wouldn’t that be wonderful!

The Task Force on Covenants also would take an important lesson from Isaiah chapter 43, namely, that the people of the covenant are NOT alone in the world. Far from it. The Holy One, the Lord who formed and created them, is with them and promises to be with them wherever they are. "Do not fear, for I am with you." These are words that resonate throughout the history of the people of Israel.

But the Task Force on Covenants would not stop with the Old Testament. The members would find plenty of materials in the New Testament, especially in understanding Jesus as the symbol of a new covenant that expanded God’s concern from a single people to all the peoples of the world. The Task Force on Covenants would also be intrigued by this morning’s gospel lesson from Luke chapter 3, where we hear about John the Baptizer and his views about baptism with water compared to the coming baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Listen again to the words of the evangelist: "Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Members of the Task Force on Covenants would ponder the ways in which baptism is an act of response to God’s covenant with all the people. According to the Book of Order (W-3.3602) "The Sacrament of Baptism , the sign and seal of God’s grace and our response, is the foundational recognition of Christian commitment." Moreover, according to W-2.3003, "in Baptism, the Holy Spirit binds the Church in covenant to its Creator and Lord. The water of Baptism symbolizes the waters of Creation, of the Flood, and of the Exodus from Egypt. Thus, the water of Baptism links us to the goodness of God’s creation and to the grace of God’s covenants with Noah and Israel."

With these statements from our Book of Order in hand, the Task force on Covenants surely would notice in Luke’s account of Jesus’ baptism that Jesus was NOT baptized in some special ceremony. He is not even baptized first! In fact, he is baptized LAST! Perhaps this is just one more case of the first being last and the last being first, as Jesus himself often proclaimed.

As in the Isaiah text, the readers of Luke’s story hear the words of God – this time through a voice from heaven and in the physical presence of the Holy Spirit. And what does the voice declare? Simply this: "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

The Task Force on Covenants would observe that love is the first element of God’s relationship with Jesus, the one declared to be "my Son." The voice from heaven could have declared just about anything regarding Jesus and the hearers of Luke’s gospel would have accepted it. The voice might have declared that Jesus was handsome, powerful, would solve the world’s problems, . . . an endless range of possibilities comes to mind for any evangelist worth his salt. Instead, the voice simply declares that Jesus is "loved" – just as in the Isaiah text.

The second element in God’s relationship with Jesus is made clear through the comment that "with you I am well pleased." This remark makes clear that God is paying attention to what Jesus is doing with his life. And it sounds like God has some standards for Jesus to live up to. As Jesus’ ministry develops in the rest of the gospel, we begin to learn more about these Godly standards that Jesus lives up to and, ultimately, dies for.

Finally, the Task Force on Covenants would see that the Luke text shares with the Isaiah text the powerful imagery of water and fire, both important symbols to the peoples of the ancient Middle East. In Luke’s gospel, he has John the baptizer distinguish his baptismal work with water from Jesus’ work with the Holy Spirit and fire. In Isaiah’s text, the Lord declares that he will be present with the people as they pass through the waters and through the rivers – and that even walking through fire will not burn them nor will the flames consume them.

So, in the end the Task Force on Covenants would issue a lengthy report about being God’s chosen people – and would conclude that we already have been chosen! And that the sacrament of Baptism is a certain sign and seal of God’s covenant relationship with each one of us, within our Christian communities. The recommendations of the Task Force on Covenants surely would be to go along with God’s little joke – and agree to bid on the covenant – even though our best theologians are convinced that God already has included us into the covenant.

And what does all of this have to do with us, here in the sanctuary of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Dallas, Texas? As we consider God’s covenant with us, as Presbyterians and as Christians, we should be mindful and thankful that the Lord promises to be with us through the fire and through the turbulent waters.

There is no doubt that, in recent years, many good folks here at Trinity have felt like we have been going through floods and flames. Everyone is aware that membership in the past five years has declined from around 200 to around 140, although this is actually part of a very long term trend that stretches back to the 1950s and even to before World War II. In the past five years, attendance at Sunday worship services has fallen from the 90s to the 50s/60s, as many of the older members of the congregation now are unable to participate fully in Trinity’s worship services and in its ministries in the community.

And, of course, the community around us has been transformed before our eyes in recent years. Today, the 75208 ZIP code around us is nearly 80% Hispanic and has a much lower median household income than the Dallas area in general.

Some folks have wondered out loud and discussed in Session meetings whether the Trinity they have known and loved for so many years can survive in such a transformed environment.

My best answer is that we don’t know yet whether Trinity Presbyterian Church can survive, here in this place. We are now less than a year and a half into a five-year campaign to have Trinity and its ministries come to grips with the realities of our "transformed environment." Only God knows whether we are on the right track.

What we can say so far is that, for the first time in many years, the total membership stabilized in the past twelve months. That is to say, we gained enough new members to offset losses from deaths and transfers. On the other hand, we have suffered four deaths in the past five weeks.

The next few years will see the continuing transformation of who we are. Either we will find new members eager to hear the Word and to spread the Word through their lives and their ministries, or this congregation will not survive. What we can say for sure is that the transformation going on here at Trinity – and in the surrounding community – certainly looks like a period of trial by fire and by water. It is a time of cleansing – not unlike the ritual of baptism itself.

This morning our "Response to the Word" will include a liturgy for the Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant for a Congregation. For some, this will be first time that you have participated in such a liturgy. I believe that you will find it to be a very profound experience. You will sense the Holy Spirit and the fire with which Jesus came to baptize. I urge you to contemplate – through this liturgy – where you are in your relationship with God. Consider as well where this congregation stands at this time. Above all, remember that God’s faithfulness needs no renewal, whereas human faithfulness to God needs repeated renewal (W-2.3007).

If a member of the Task Force on Covenants happens to ask you about what it is like to be a member of this congregation, in such a transforming environment as North Oak Cliff, remember this day – and remember that, as the liturgy for Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant for a Congregation makes clear – we all are children of the covenant.

And if someone, looking at the long-term decline in membership here at Trinity, were to ask you if this congregation’s time is in the past, if it is at the end of its rope, if we are all washed up, then look them in the eye, and say "All washed up? – You bet we are!"

As my mother used to say, "All washed up, and ready to go out to be the best that we can be and to do the best that we can do." Amen.

© 2004 Robert V. Kemper (e-mail: rkemper@trinitypresdallas.org)