The First Sunday after the Epiphany-The Rev. Melanie Lemburg

 First Sunday after the Epiphany-Year B

January 10, 2021

        When I worked at Stewpot, the inner-city non-profit that was a feeding ministry and so much more, I got to know a man named Clyde Jones.  Clyde was a community member who lived in one of the neighborhood’s personal care homes, and I learned from our conversations, that Clyde was always thoughtful and had a deep faith and interesting ideas about life and the world.

        On special occasions, our Executive Director would invite Clyde to share one of his hidden talents at our daily chapel service.  Clyde could recite the entirety of James Weldon Johnson’s poem The Creation, accompanied by appropriate movements.  Every time I watched and listened to Clyde do this, I was moved by the incarnate nature of our God.

        The poem begins

“And God stepped out on space,

And he looked around and said:

I'm lonely -

I'll make me a world.

 

And far as the eye of God could see

Darkness covered everything,

Blacker than a hundred midnights

Down in a cypress swamp.

 

Then God smiled,

And the light broke,

And the darkness rolled up on one side,

And the light stood shining on the other,

And God said: That's good!”[i]

        There is a deep connection with the God of Johnson’s poem, who begins to create all that is by saying, “I’m lonely; I’ll make me a world.”  And then, over and over again, proclaiming, “That’s good!”  and the God of Mark’s gospel, who when Jesus steps out in baptism proclaims once again, “That’s good!”  In both instances, we see God stepping out creatively, reminding us all of God’s favor, and beginning something new in this world that is based on God’s desire for relationship. 

        I’ve been reading the gospel of Mark as a part of the Good Book Club—the scripture reading initiative that we shared with y’all in the announcements this week.  There’s also a companion devotion book that goes along with the readings and has daily devotions written by clergy, scholars, and bishops from around the Episcopal Church.  I was struck by a portion of the reflection for this portion of Mark’s gospel about Jesus’s baptism:

        …“ ‘Baptism is primarily an event, as it was with the baptism of Christ, ‘a solitary plunge’ in the waters of Jordan that flow through our neighborhoods today; that is, a commitment to walk in solidarity and compassion with others, sharing their hopes, tears, joys, and pain.  As such, baptism is fundamentally a missional act, an act of stepping out with Christ for a life for others.’”  The writer continues, “Our baptism immerses us in the affairs of our neighborhood, our nation, and the world.  It marks us for ministry in the name of Christ’s love, with justice and peace for all.”[ii]

        It has been a difficult week.  The images from our nation’s capitol that have continued to play on our news-feeds since Wednesday have me deeply unsettled.  We seem more divided than ever.  What good news do these pictures of God and this understanding of baptism, along with our renewal of our baptismal vows today have to offer are grieving and troubled hearts?

        In my continuing education class on family system theory that I’m taking this year, our instructor told us that the counter-intuitive way that you break the cycle of anxiety in a family, a church, or even a society is through creativity.  It’s counter-intuitive because when we are anxious and trapped in conflict, our brains go into survival mode and refuse to think creatively, clinging to old practices and old patterns. 

        Today, I am struck by the creative act of God and the creative act of Jesus when he steps out into the water to baptized, and I am grateful for the reminder that in and through our baptism, we are invited to participate in the act of creation with God and Christ.  When we renew our baptismal vows, we are reminded that what we say and what we do matters tremendously.  We remember that our faith is not a static, unchanging thing but an aspect of our relationship with God who is alwasy creative and creating.  The renewal of our baptism vows invites us to join God in God’s creative work, and it reminds us that in every moment of our lives, in everything we say or do, we are either moving closer to God and each other or moving farther away from God and each other.  Our baptismal vows remind us that we cannot move closer to God if we are moving farther away from our neighbor. 

        So, in the midst of this difficult week, I invite you to spend some time with the baptismal covenant.  Look for ways that your might respond creatively to the world around you, by living more deeply into the promises you have renewed this day. 

        In this season of light that is the season after the Epiphany, may you look for ways to shine the light into this world, look for ways to reach out in kindness to stranger and to friend.  And may you know that when we do this, God will continue to bless us and say, “That’s good!”

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[i] Johnson, James Weldon.  God’s Trombones.  The Creation.  1927.  https://www.poetry.com/poem/20733/the-creation

[ii]  The Journey with Mark: The 50 Day Bible Challenge.  Ed. Marek P. Zabriskie.  Day 1 Reflection by The Rt. Rev Fred Hiltz quoting missiologist Christopher Duraisingh. Forward Movement: 2015, pp 14-15.