Shall We Gather at the River (and the table)?

Sometimes people get the impression that the God of the Old Testament is angry, while the God of the New Testament is loving. But there are innumerable examples of God expressing love in the OT. In today's reading from Isaiah for example, God's words are extraordinarily tender: "But now thus says the Lord, "Do not fear, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine." "…you are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you."

In Luke, by contrast, the attitude John the Baptist ascribes to Jesus is far from tender: Jesus will come and gather the wheat into his granary and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire.

I think Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, reveals a God who has always loved us deeply. God's anger is sometimes our projection because we can hardly believe that God loves us so much. But perhaps it is also God's frustration at how often we refuse to accept God's love-how often we allow our fear, or our guilt or our pride dominate, leaving no room for God's love.

There are signs of God's love everywhere-in creation, in the people around us, even in ourselves. But because we so easily miss it, God sent us Christ as the ultimate sign of God's love for us. Christ is like a neon sign or a billboard announcing God's love. He is our sacrament-the Prayer Book defines a sacrament as an outward and visible sign of an inward and invisible grace. The inward and invisible grace is God's overwhelming love for us, and Jesus is the outward and visible sign.

Baptism and the Eucharist are also visible signs or sacraments because now that Jesus is no longer with us in the flesh, we need constant reminders that God loves us. We may be made in God's image, but we have limited attention spans and we're all too prone to forget that we are God's beloved.

So, as a reminder, we have baptism-a sign of God's call to us, and our response to that call. God calls each of us by name, as Isaiah says. Our calling often refers to the work God has for us to do, our vocation. But before God calls us to do anything, God calls us to a relationship with God. We can only be ourselves in relation to another-it is through God that we realize our deepest identity as God's beloved. Living life in relationship with God gives our lives meaning. At the beginning of the baptismal liturgy, we affirm in the words of Ephesians that "there is one hope in God's call to us." God's call to us is a call to be fulfilled and made whole as human beings by entering into relationship with the One who created us, loves us and has redeemed us. God calls each of us by name-there is nothing impersonal or anonymous about God's invitation to us. The power that created the universe and everything in it, is also a Person who longs for a relationship with each one of us.

Baptism is our yes to that call.

Even Jesus was baptized and people have puzzled over that because why did he need to be baptized if he was without sin? But baptism isn't only about washing away sin, though forgiveness is part of the grace we receive. Baptism is about stepping into the waters of God's love, and committing ourselves to live life in relationship with God. Jesus was human as well as divine, so like all of us, he had a choice-to say yes or no to God's call. When he plunged into the waters of the Jordan, he said yes to God. Yes, I will open my heart to your love, and live as your beloved. Yes, I will listen to your voice, rather than the voice of fear, guilt or despair.

Though as Episcopalians, we mainly sprinkle at baptism, I sometimes wish we could baptize in a river or a pool, so we could experience being immersed-and feel physically the spiritual immersion in God's love. We are like fish swimming in the sea of God's love-it is all around us, completely essential to our lives, but so close that we take it for granted, and even forget that it is there. So baptism is a moment to splash that water and rejoice that it is an ever-flowing stream-of love, belonging, meaning, forgiveness and new life.

But because we only get baptized once in our lives (at least most of us!), God also gave us the Eucharist. Each week, we are invited to God's table for our shared meal, as a sign of God's love. We feel our hearts open as God feeds us, physically and spiritually. Our sense of unity with one another is strengthened as we keep the feast together. And our bond with our Creator, Redeemer and Lover of our souls is strengthened as well. And again, we're here because God has called us by name. Each of us in all our uniqueness, with our gifts and strengths, our foibles and weaknesses, is precious to God and God has prepared a place for us at the table from before time.

When I first came back to the church after years of absence, I sat in the back. I didn't say the creed because I did not know what I believed, and I did not take communion because I was not sure it was for me-I did not feel worthy. I also cried a lot at that point, so it was helpful to sit in the back where fewer people could see me, or so I thought. By the way, people regularly apologize for crying in church and I would just like to say that this is the place to cry-as well as dance, laugh, be angry, etc. It is the place to be ourselves, knowing that it is our true selves that God loves.

Anyway, after a while, I finally felt moved to come forward and receive communion. I had the oddest feeling that I had returned home after a long absence, only to find my place set for me as though I had never left. God calls each of us by name to share in the feast of hope and redemption and God will not be complete until all of us are there.

Today is our annual meeting. After we renew our baptismal covenant and share the feast of the Eucharist, we will gather for breakfast in the parish hall and reflect on our life together. The past year has been a year of grace in so many ways. God has blessed us and all of you have contributed your presence, your prayers and your time, talent and treasure. We ended 2009 with 20 more members than we had a year ago. We ended the year in the black, having made up a $16,000 shortfall in the budget. We continued our many ministries and even expanded to include a few new ones. We gathered for learning and for fun and fellowship. But the heart of our life together, the most important thing we do, is worship. We come together to reconnect with God and with each other, to remember that we are God's beloved. We gather to be fed by Word and sacrament and to lift up our hearts in thanks and praise to the One who loves us.

As we renew our baptismal vows, and take our places at the table, let your heart be filled to overflowing with God's love. "Do not be afraid, for I have come to be with you. I have called you each by name, and you are mine. You are precious in my sight and honored, and I love you."