The longer
I’ve lived in West Virginia the more I have become
aware of the spirit of independence expressed in West Virginia’s motto “Mountaineers are Always Free.” Many attribute such a heritage to their
Scots-Irish background. I can understand that. Though a native born British guy, I am the grandson of a fiercely independent
Scottish lady called Isabella Marguerite Pratt, who was so proud of her heritage that she named my Father Maxwell Morrison
Pratt, that middle name coming from the Morrison clan of her Scottish forefathers.
It is part of the history of Great Britain that the Scots
and the English didn’t always get along. That didn’t change once many immigrated firstly to Ireland and then onto the New World. The Declaration of Independence was printed
by an Ulster-Scot, John Dunlop, in 1776. It was first read in public by a first generation Scots-Irish American Colonel, John
Nixon. The only signature on the Declaration of Independence by a clergyman came from the hand of a Scottish born Presbyterian
minister, John Witherspoon.
Today though I don’t want to speak to you
about making a declaration of Independence, but rather encourage you to make a Declaration
of Dependence. As we look together at the baptism of Jesus recorded in Matthew’s gospel I hope you will see
that whilst there has never been a more independent and free spirit that has ever walked amongst us than our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ, His sense of independence came not from being disconnected to others, but entirely from the strength of His
relationship with His Father God.
I will invite you this morning to consider your
own baptism and at the conclusion of this sermon to take part in a time of reaffirmation of our baptismal promises. This is
not something that we do every year, but this year is one in which I believe we face new challenges and one in which God is
opening before us new opportunities for us to grow in the love and grace of Jesus Christ.
One challenge that we need to face in the long
term is how best to be good stewards of this beautiful facility God has blessed us with. Last year we engaged the services
of an architectural firm to completely go through our building with a fine tooth comb, tell us what we need do to keep afloat
and help us dream of what could be. The process of discernment as to the way
forward is one that I hope will engage us all.
In the more immediate future in a few weeks time
we are launching a spiritual growth campaign called the “40 Days of Purpose.” 40 days is a significant Biblical
period. Immediately after His baptism, Jesus went into the desert and was tested by Satan for 40 days. Those 40 days were
a time that prepared Him for all he would later face. It is my prayer that as we travel through the 40 days of Lent we will
find a new purpose and vision emerging in the life of this church that will prepare us for whatever we may face in the future.
Let me draw out three things we see in the baptism
of Jesus by John in the River Jordan.
- A
reluctant player. John wasn’t sure
of the part he had to play.
- A
recognized purpose. Jesus tells John that this was a proper thing to do. It was the
right place and right time.
- A
revealed Pleasure. The baptism of Jesus
pleased God.
1) A reluctant player. John wasn’t sure of the part he had to play. Matthew 3:14 reads; “John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
Sometimes it is difficult to acknowledge that
we don’t have all the answers. Sometimes we think we have it all figured out and then God decides to do things in a
different way. John had it all figured out. The King was coming. Prepare the Way. He had enough of a belief in Jesus to know
that Jesus was the One through whom God was going to be shaking everything up.
John doesn’t seem to have fully taken on
board the notion that Jesus would come as a suffering servant, the great vision that Isaiah expresses. John seems to have
shared in the common view that when the Messiah came it would be in awesome power and majesty to blast all the opposition
out of the way.
John is suffering from some role confusion. Maybe
John thought that once Jesus came he could take a step back because his work would be done. “Hey, Jesus, you are the
one that needs to be doing the baptizing now, I’ve done my bit, what’s the deal here?”
That’s one of those crazy things about
being a disciple. You think you have it all figured out and then God sideswipes you and you realize you’ve only got
part of the picture. You find yourself getting involved in ways that you had never expected, facing challenges that weren’t
on the list of “Things I intended to do with my life in 2008.”
Maybe that’s how you feel about this upcoming
“40 Days of Purpose” campaign. “I’ve read that book already” or “What if I read it and
I don’t like it?” or “What’s the point in getting involved with a small group to do something I can
do in my own way?”
What can I say? Maybe God is throwing you a curve
ball. Maybe you are being called to a new level of commitment that you hadn’t envisaged ever before. Maybe God is trying
to get you to review your role in His purposes and plans. Maybe you need to look to Jesus for the answer. When John did that
his perspective became changed. The next thing we see in this account is:
2)
A recognized purpose. Jesus tells John that this was the proper thing to do. It was the right place and right time. Matthew 3:15 “Jesus answered
him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”
Fulfilling all Righteousness?
What does that mean? If you break it down it means “John, Do the right thing.” Jesus is telling him, “Baptizing
me is the right thing to do.” Jesus uses the word ‘proper.’ He says, “"Let it be so now.” It was the right thing. The right
time. The right place.
Every time we gather for
worship it is the right thing, the right time and the right place, not to make a declaration of independence, not to say,
“I’m so glad I’ve got everything figured out and my life is all together…” but the right time,
the right place and the right thing to declare, “Lord, I am totally dependant on You.”
That’s why we have
that time of confession in our worship. It refocuses us. It reminds us that we have a great need to get ourselves straightened
out. It reminds us that we are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God.
Our 40 Days campaign is
based around Rick Warren’s book called “The Purpose Driven Life.” I have to say that the one word I don’t
like in there is the word ‘driven.’ To my mind we are already such a driven society that we really don’t
need to be told to do anymore driving! But the book isn’t suggesting that we need more of anything.
Rather we are encouraged
to acknowledge that we are already driven people, but then take that one step further and ask; “What’s driving
us?” What’s driving us as a church here in this uptown location? What are we doing that is in line with what God
is doing and what are we doing that we just do because we feel driven to do it? They are not necessarily the same thing!
We need to recognize what
is driving us as a church and as individuals. John questions his role and his purpose and Jesus answers by telling him that
to do the right thing John needed to baptize Him, there in the River Jordan and do it straight away.
What is God asking of
you here and now? Are you the reluctant player? Are there things you’ve
been putting off? Resolutions that you intend to make? Things you need to do but never quite get around to? That call you meant to make? That visit you intended to get to? That invitation you were
going to offer? “Let it be
so now” Jesus tells John.
And when John goes ahead
…what do we see?
3)
A Revealed Pleasure. The baptism of Jesus pleased God. Matthew 3:16-17 “And when Jesus had been baptized,
just as He came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to Him and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a
dove and alighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the
Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
Our Presbyterian Brief Statement of Faith begins
“In life and in death we belong to God, through the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit.” When we are baptized we are marked with the water as children of God. It matters not what stage of life we may be at,
the waters are a sign that God claims our lives to be His own. God is pleased when we live our lives in such a way as to reveal
to whom we belong.
‘Belonging’
is so important. Everybody needs a sense of belonging somewhere. That’s why folk get all teary-eyed singing national
anthems. That’s why flags and state motto’s arouse such emotion. That’s why team games get us so excited.
That’s our team out there. They are pulling for us and so we are pulling for them. It is also why folks get so involved
with genealogy and trying to figure out where they are from and what their heritage might be.
Even the Declaration of
Independence, that those independent Scots-Irish folk had a significant influence upon, was formed in the midst of a crisis
that was all about “Belonging.” Do we belong to where we have come from? Are we subject to what has been? Or do
we belong here, with the freedom to live our own lives in the way we feel is best? The Declaration of Independence is about
declaring what and where you belong to.
That’s why I wanted
to talk this morning about a ‘Declaration of Dependence’. As we face a New Year in our church’s life I want
us all to remind ourselves that we belong to God. And that as children of God we are cherished and loved so that we can be
challenged and changed.
The State motto declares,
“Mountaineers are Always Free.” But true freedom is never a matter of doing what we want, how we want and with
whom we want. True freedom always has boundaries. God calls us to place the boundaries of His love around our lives. So I
invite us today to rededicate ourselves to being people who live in dependence on the grace and hope and love of Jesus Christ,
in the power of His Spirit and life.
Rather than say together
our usual Creed this morning I invite you to join with me in a reaffirmation of faith and baptismal covenant.
Reaffirmation
of Faith and Baptismal Covenant.
Sisters and
brothers in Christ, our baptism is the sign and seal of our cleansing from sin, and of our being grafted into Christ. Through
the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Christ, the power of sin was broken and God's kingdom entered our world. Through
our baptism we were made citizens of God's kingdom, and freed from the bondage of sin. Let us celebrate that freedom and redemption
through the renewal of the promises made at our baptism. I ask you, therefore, once again to reject sin, to profess your faith
in Christ Jesus, and to confess the faith of the church, the faith in which we were baptized.
Renunciations
Trusting in
the gracious mercy of God, do you turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world?
I do.
Do you turn
to Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Lord and Savior, trusting in His grace and love?
I do.
Will you be
Christ's faithful disciple, obeying His Word and showing His love?
I will, with God's help.
Do you renounce
all evil, and powers in the world which defy God's righteousness and love?
I renounce them.
Do you renounce
the ways of sin that separate you from the love of God?
I renounce them.
Do you turn
to Jesus Christ and accept Him as your Lord and Savior?
I do.
Will you be
Christ's faithful disciple, obeying His Word and showing His love, to your life's end?
I will, with God's help.
May God help
us, through the strength and fullness of the Holy Spirit, to live in these promises to the glory of our Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ. AMEN.
