Baptism

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved;with you I am well pleased.  12 And the Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 He was in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan; and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels waited on him.  14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.”  16 As Jesus passed along the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you fish for people.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him. 19 As he went a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 Immediately he called them; and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men, and followed him.  Mark 1:10-20

My baptism took place when I was twelve years old at Eden United Church of Christ in Cedar Rapids, IA.  I remember the sun streaming in through the stained glass window.  I remember I wore a corduroy jacket with patches on the elbows...very stylish.  I remember my aunt and uncle stood up with me.  I don't know why my parents waited to have me baptized...but I am thankful that they did.  Baptism is one of those moments that takes a few seconds...and lasts a life time.  As Barth said, "We are always and forever beginners."  I don't think we ever "figure" out the faith as though it is a mathematical equation to be solved.  At moments we have insights and ideas that seem so brilliant, only abandon those thoughts a few years later.  

What I love about Mark is his willingness to set the life of faith in tension.  Each verse above has a built in yin and yang sense to it.  

Mark tells us the heavens are TORN open...and then...a dove claims Jesus as beloved.

Mark tell us there was wilderness and temptation....and then....angels wait on Jesus.

Mark tell us John was arrested....and then...Jesus comes proclaiming Good news.

Mark tell us in the midst of an ordinary day while fishing...and then...Jesus calls us to be disciples.

There is a built in tension within these verse that tugs at us back and forth, which is one way to describe life.  This truth might lead us to ask Scripture to read our lives by pondering prayerfully:

What is torn open right now in your life...and where do you still feel beloved?

What is wilderness or tempting you right now...and where do you need to be attended to by someone else?

What feels trapped, arrested...and where is there still good news?

In our compartmentalized way of viewing the world, we often don't always allow for such tensions.  Immigrants are all bad, politicians declare.  We need more bombs...even though we have enough to blow up the world multiple times over.  It is the worse ever....except when women could not vote (or run for president), we justified slavery, we declare people communists, we hid under desks in fear of Cuba, we were in an arms race with the Soviet Union, AIDS was killing people left and right.  It is true that those who do not hold onto history will repeat it.  And we often fail to learn from the past.

But then again...we are starting to say that we need a different view on immigration.  We start to say that perhaps violence begets violence.  We start to see people as people regardless of gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation.  We stop thinking we can bomb for peace.  We start to question what is sustainable in a world/creation groaning for relief?

Notice that Jesus doesn't swoop in like a superhero to solve all the problems.  He doesn't wear a "S" on his chest.  He doesn't say, "Elect me and everything will be chocolate rivers and pony rides."  He says follow.  Follow down the path that will lead to a cross and resurrection which is perhaps one of the most paradoxical, tension filled truths at the heart of the faith...but more on that in a future post. 

For today, I invite you to ponder prayerfully where you sense tension...where you feel tugged this way or that.  And as you do may you find not only the bad news...but the good news and more than a trace of God's grace.

Blessings ~