Baptism of the Lord (B) + Life, death and love + 1.11.15

(https://catholicismpure.wordpress.com/2014/01/12/bountiful-blessings/)

M. Campbell-Langdell+

All Santos, Oxnard

(Genesis 1:1-5, Ps. 29, Acts 19:1-7, S. Mark 1:4-11)

At Mount Calvary Monastery in Santa Barbara, you will see a calligraphy piece on the wall, created by one of the brothers, a Zen Buddhist quote, and it says:

"Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken. Take heed, do not squander your life."
(- Dogen Zenji)

Life and death, birth and death, those supremely important things. Unconditional love. These are what I see in the scriptures for today. Such short texts but loaded with so much meaning.

But first, let us begin at the beginning. There was a formless void, the waters, the deep, and the Spirit danced over the deep at beginning of time, and then… there was light!

And then… so many years later, another beginning. We enter a scene, as if from sideways. We see men and women gathered around the waters of the Jordan. We see water flowing again, that symbol that still means chaos in the ancient world. This is not a formless void but the river Jordan now, and the skies are torn, and there is that Spirit descending like a dove, there is that voice, proclaiming Jesus as son, as Beloved. It is the birth of a ministry.
This moment, as Jesus has come from Galilee to the Jordan, foreshadows his ministry, which will move from teaching and healing in Galilee to the dark days in Jerusalem and finally, to resurrection and ascension; to soaring like the dove into the ruptured heavens, to healing again.[1]

These passages don’t just talk of births, and life, but they speak of death and endings too.

The Spirit was associated with the end times in the ancient world.[2] People knew that when the Spirit started dancing, the end might be upon us. And in a way this is true, because with Jesus we have both a new day and the very beginning of the end times, even as we await them yet.
In this passage we see the end of Jesus’ ministry foreshadowed too. The word “schizo” used hear to talk about the heavens tearing open is only found elsewhere at the tearing of the curtain of the temple at Jesus’ death.[3] But through it all, the Spirit dances and we are called to awaken.

Awaken to this moment, to every moment.

And as we awaken, we perceive that this moment, the Baptism of Jesus, tells us who Jesus is. He is the son of the Living God. This is very clear.

But it also tells us something else. It tells us who we are.

We know, just as John does, that we are not even worthy to be the slaves of the living God. Because this is what John is talking about when he says he is not worthy to stoop to untie the sandals of the one who is to come. It is a metaphor. Because what would the lowliest slave do when the master returns, but stoop to the master’s feet—a humble gesture, but made much humbler when the slave was exposed to the sweat, dirt and whatever else the master may have gathered on his feet and sandals traveling the long road home. To untie the master’s sandals was the humblest gesture in this very hierarchical world.[4] But John and we know that to be anything to the living God, even the slave, even this humblest relationship cannot be imposed on the Almighty. We cannot presume anything.

And yet Jesus says, I do not call you slaves, but I call you friends. 1 John says that we are children of God. So we are brothers and sisters in Christ, and friends. We are forgiven, no matter how humbling our lives have been so far. It is breathtaking, when you think about it.

We are God’s beloved sons and daughters too. How can this be? Perhaps it goes back to the beginning of creation, when observing all that he had made, God said that it was good. God said that we are good.

In Jesus, God says, “In You, I am well pleased.”

God already loves us, his own most intimate creation. Sometimes we forget that we don’t have to achieve to be worthy. Some moment when you are striving, think about awaking to this truth. Look around you for a moment, and take a breath. Look at this amazing creation, whether you take in the sky or a tree or another person.

You will see just how loved we are, each one of us, each exquisitely special part of the whole creation.

And you may be reminded. Of things like the fact that there is not a deep so deep anywhere, never has been from the beginning, that the Spirit doesn’t dance over. This is why Paul needs to make sure that the Ephesians know about the Holy Spirit, have received its life-giving force in their lives. God’s Spirit dances over our every joy and pain and is our comforter and advocate, a connection between heaven and earth. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of God, who created us, and who calls us his own.

I believe that. I believe that the Spirit moved over France this past week, even as hearts sunk deep in grief. I believe that there is nothing too deep or dark or hidden or chaotic in our hearts for God’s spirit’s reach with her joyous dance.

The Spirit danced over Jesus that day of his baptism, in a dramatic way, with ruptured heavens, a breaking open that foreshadows the tearing of the temple curtain at Jesus’ death. Birth and death.

And the Spirit dances over us all, if we have eyes to see.
What is to be birthed in your life this year? And what must you let die to allow the Spirit to move in you?
To allow you to be the joyful essence of God-child that you already are; that already makes God’s heart glad?

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[1] Mary Ann Tolbert, “Footnotes: Mark,” New Interpreter’s Study Bible, (2003).

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

• [4] Ibid.