The Minister's Sermons
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"At the Baptism of a Baby" by Revd Bruce Waldron - 21st August 2005 John 3:1-8
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Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world,
but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe
in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already,
because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And
this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people
loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all
who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their
deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light,
so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." |
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| Have you ever stopped to think, that when the human heart is functioning at it's best, whenever human relationships are at their most joyful, whenever we are interacting with others at our healthiest and most creative, there is profound love. | ||
| We know that it is right that when a child is born, the parents feel this great overwhelming, self-giving love, and the child responds. If this is not the experience of parents and child, then we know, instinctively, that something is not as it should be. | ||
| We feel sorrow for the person who does not feel that love; we invest considerable resources to correct whatever has gone wrong, hormonally, psychologically, sociologically, relationally. We call in doctors and psych's and counsellors to fix it. | ||
| We want the relationships to be "as they should." We want the mind to operate "as it ought." We know instinctively that the sort of feelings that Rebecca and Steven feel for each other and for little Harry are the way things ought to be - and little Harry responds as we know a child is meant to respond - with delight and love. | ||
| These things are an echo of God who is immensely present in the birth and nurture of a little child. | ||
| God is creator, sustainer, the giver of life. With the birth and nurture of a child, this new creation of life, we are in a sense closer to God than at any other time, for here the miracle of new life is before us, in all its diverse complexity, potential and lovableness. And the best human response, in this moment, echoes the essence of God who gives us life: present in this experience of profound love. | ||
| Did you notice that in his conversation with Nicodemus, Jesus uses the imagery of birth as an image of how we move into a relationship with God. At birth, love, unity and creativity are mingled at their most powerful. This is a picture, a metaphor, a sign that conveys to us the essence of God's love for you and me. | ||
| In our world, we tend to always make these things so material. We call sex love, but we all know that it isn't. We call our appetite for food and clothes and pastimes and work love, but it isn't. Love is a very different thing. | ||
| It is the abandonment of self for another, not because they are perfect or better than any other, but because love is, because it exists, because love is connexional. My life for you, without reservation, without conditional get out clauses; for life or even longer. Such is the love of God, a love so beautifully metaphored in the gift of a child and our response of love, when we are at our healthiest, when it is the way we know it should be. | ||
| The echo of God's love and grace lives on in us. We know instinctively what is best. We rarely attain it, but we know the way it ought to be. At its best, it is an echo, a taste of God's love. | ||
| This is why John wrote those words: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him will not perish but live eternally." | ||
| This love is divine. It never dies. It is given, even though it is painful and costly. It is in understanding and responding to that love, that we become born to that which lasts forever. This is the meaning of salvation. | ||
| Harry's baptism today, touches into these things that always remain a little beyond our finite grasp, that speak of things that are almost impossible to put into words. This is the divine mystery centred around God's love and the new birth it brings. | ||
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As John's gospel attests, it has nothing to do with condemnation, only an invitation, in love, to believe and know and be. As we baptize Harry, Steven and Rebecca and we as a church are committing ourselves to do all we can to help Harry grow into an understanding of this divine mystery. |
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| We offer his family our prayer and love, and ask for God's guidance for them and ourselves. This is the greatest of all discoveries, of all gifts, and we are the people to whom this trust is given. May God guide us and empower us, for Harry's sake. | ||
| Amen | ||
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