Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus?

This question is big with some churches.

One interpretation is that being Christian is all about the person and Jesus. It can mean being guided in one’s personal choices by how they understand Jesus is speaking to them.

That’s not a bad thing. But is Christianity really a faith practiced in solitude?

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Let’s go to God in prayer.

God of wisdom, may the words that I speak, and the ways they are received by each of our hearts and minds, help us to continue to grow into the people, and the church, that you have dreamed us to be.

Amen.

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Every year, on the first Sunday after Epiphany.

Epiphany is January 6, so that means the Baptism of Jesus is the Sunday between January 7 and January 13.

And every year we read a passage from the Gospels about the Baptism of Jesus:
one year from Matthew, one year from Mark, and one year from Luke.

Then we repeat.

The original story is probably from Mark. Any story that shows up in Matthew, Mark, and Luke probably came from Mark and was repeated in Matthew and Luke, which were written later.

It’s a story that seemed important enough to be in all three Gospels, but why Was Jesus in need of having his sins washed away?

In Matthew’s account, John the Baptist is quoted as saying

“I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

– Matthew 3:14b, NRSVue

There’s something that happens after this baptism: He goes into the wilderness, is tested by the tempter, and then Jesus begins his ministry.

I think we’re called to ministry by our baptism as well. But when?

The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) practices a believers baptism by immersion. That means that one must make the decision to be Christian and to be baptized, and the baptism involves being completely underwater.

The United Church of Christ, being a merger of many denominations, practices may kinds of baptism: believers baptism as the Disciples do, but also infant baptism. The UCC also has churches that will sprinkle or pour water over a person’s head or do a full immersion.

We don’t really expect much ministry from a babe-in-arms who has just been baptized but hasn’t yet said their first words. For people who were baptized as infants we have something called “confirmation.” Put simply – maybe too simply – confirmation does for someone who was baptized as an infant what the person would do before a believer’s baptism. If someone was baptized as an infant, they didn’t have much say in it. But if they decide they want to confirm the choice of being baptized, that is confirmation.

In some churches, one must have either a believer’s baptism, or an infant baptism and confirmation, to be a member.

If all we were concerned about was washing away sins, confirmation wouldn’t be that much of an issue. But a believer’s baptism, or infant baptism and confirmation, have a deeper meaning: they begin a person’s ministry in the church.

That’s more than just “a personal relationship with Jesus.” But what does that ministry look like?

Well, we’re in year C of the Lectionary this year, which is the Luke year, so let’s see what Jesus does in Luke.

He starts to teach in synagogues.

He tries to teach in his home town, but they reject him.

He heals some people.

He teaches in more synagogues.

More healing.

Is challenged by religious leaders.

More healing and teaching.

Teaches about loving others, and not judging.

Healing.

Raising people from the dead.

Forgiving people.

Has women in his entourage.

More teaching.

Calms a storm.

More healing.

Feeding hungry people.

Even more healing.

More teaching.

You may see a pattern.

He starts out teaching in houses of worship.

Then he goes out onto the streets to help people.

This sanctuary is beautiful. But we can’t just live in here. This building cannot be the only place of ministry, but it can be the base of ministry. I know it’s asking a lot, but we need to do some things outside the building as well as inviting people into our buildings.

We may be motivated by concern for our small congregation, but we ought to be more motivated by love for people who are not part of our congregation

who need to hear a message of love, inclusion, reconciliation, and affirmation;

who need the healing of being welcomed into community who loves them as they are and as they will become;

who need the resurrection power that give them new life and new hope for the future;

who are hungry for basic necessities.

I’m not discounting the charity work we do: giving to TAY, Betty Chinn, Food for People.

But none of these things tell the story that people need to hear.

I’m going to share a little bit of an email I received.

Someone who is not part of our church asked:

Do you guys actually thinks that being gay isn’t a sin?

I know this probably isn’t the right place to message, but none of the hotlines have been any help. I don’t know what to do. I feel like I’m going crazy and I can’t stop crying constantly. I have an amazing partner who I genuinely love- but I’m so scared that I’m going to go to hell for being gay.

That person’s name will remain confidential, but I wanted to share this message because I want us all to realize that there are people out there who are suffering needlessly because of what they have been taught.

This particular message was about being gay, but it could be just about anything. I get email about all sorts of things.

The point is that we need to have our message out there, and that means we need to be on the street. It means showing up at public events. Maybe we have a little book table with free pamphlets and books for nominal fees.

We need to be out there because people need us to be out there.

I’ve gone to some of these alone, but when I do, I risk looking like I’m just trying to get more customers. We need members of the congregation to show up because that’s how the church is really represented: by our members, by the priesthood of all believers.

So my challenge for all of us this week is to think of ways we can be present to people outside of our congregation: to tell them that they are beloved, and that they are valued.

We’ve all been baptized into ministry.

Now let’s get to work.

Amen.

Let’s sing CH 75 I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry

* Scripture quotations marked NRSVue are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. https://www.friendshippress.org/pages/about-the-nrsvue

* Scripture quotations marked KJV are taken from the King James version of the Bible.