Baptism of the Lord

Let us pray. May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight,

We all know the movie studio countdown: “Three, two, one – Camera! Lights! Action!”

But even if we didn’t know those words, we still would know the sequence; because it’s the rational, the logical, the reasonable way to do things. First, you get everything and everybody ready; and then you begin the acting.

But Jesus so often turns that sequence on its ear. Not “Camera! Lights! Action!” But “Action! Camera! Lights!” instead. When Jesus comes along and encounters us, he rarely if ever sends us back home to “think about it for a while.” Rather, he calls us to act now, in response to his presence and his call.

That’s the way it was, also, in our Gospel lesson for today. Jesus had just been baptized by John the Baptist the day before. Evidently he had decided to spend a little time down near the Jordan River, before returning to his home up in Galilee. As he was leaving the scene of his baptism, he passed by John and two of John’s disciples. Dedicated forerunner that he was, John said, “Behold the Lamb of God,” and nodded toward Jesus.

The disciples, of course, immediately turned their heads and began staring at this person so oddly and unusually identified. After all, it surely isn’t every day that someone is introduced to you as “the Lamb of God!”

As he sees them looking – maybe “gawking” is more to the point – Jesus says, “What are you looking for?” Respond John’s disciples, “Where are you staying?” They want the information, just in case they might later feel that they would like to learn more or get acquainted.

But Jesus doesn’t respond to their request for information; he doesn’t say, “Well, think about things, and then let me know if you want to come over and get involved.” Instead, he says, almost abruptly, “Come and see.” Or one commentator says that a better translation is, “Come along and keep on coming and you will see.” Again, Jesus does not say, “Think things over for a while and then get in touch if you are interested;” but he says, “Come….” Not “Say goodbye to your friends” and come; not “get your things ready and come;” but simply, “Come. Come and see.”

Now that must have been quite a surprise to those two disciples – who were, by the way, Andrew and another unnamed disciple. Because, as disciples of John, they probably had been through an extensive education in his company. Odds are it was the kind of thing that happens in religious orders even today: a candidate applies for admission, and then spends quite a bit of time in study and preparation before being admitted; and even then there is more study and preparation yet before admission is made permanent. There is much preparation, I mean, before one is ever asked or expected to act. After all, the reasoning goes, how can one act in good faith for the order before he or she has studied and prepared?

And something like that surely was what Andrew and the other disciple expected with Jesus. They surely expected a time of study, a time of getting acquainted, a time to consider and reconsider what life with Jesus might be like – an application process, followed by a logical and reasonable time for reflection, discussion, and decision.

Surprise! They found out that’s not how Jesus works. In fact, in our lesson, Jesus never even answers the simple question that Andrew and the other disciple ask – “Where are you staying?” Instead, the very instant that he perceives their souls are attracted to him, Jesus issues a call to action: “Come!” he says; “Come and see.” It’s not, “Lights! Camera! and then Action!” But it’s Action! first of all. Study and preparation will come along the way, as they walk with him.

And the amazing thing is that that is just what they do. They haven’t, you notice, even yet said they wanted to be disciples of Jesus. They have just expressed interest. Nonetheless, Jesus issues a command to action and they respond. Evidently, even the decision to be a disciple will be considered along the way – as they respond to the call to “Come along and keep on coming….” The call to action is the first response that Jesus makes to these first two who express an interest in him.

There is a branch of psychology in our own day that promotes the same sort of thing. You don’t really learn by reading and reflecting, it says; you really learn by acting – and then reading and reflecting upon what you have done. You don’t gain or regain mental health by talking to a therapist, and then trying out what you’ve talked about; but you act in some new and healthy way, and then you begin to incorporate into your life the learning and personality change that healthy action initiates perhaps in conversation with your therapist.

The true story of Les Brown is a great illustration. Les Brown was a Black, inner-city teen who had been identified as mentally retarded. One day in the 11^th grade, Les dropped in on a class where he wasn’t enrolled. Soon the teacher appeared and asked him to go to the board and write. He replied, “I’m not one of your students.” Responded the teacher, “That doesn’t matter.” Still, Les protested that he couldn’t do that. “Why?” queried the teacher. “Because,” Les explained, “I am mentally retarded.”

“Don’t ever say that again,” responded the teacher. That teacher became a kind of mentor to Les. He kept on encouraging him to do things that Les didn’t think he could do.

The result? Les Brown grew up to be a motivational speaker with his own web site that you can check out as soon as you leave church this morning. Toastmasters International named him one of America’s top five public speaker in 1992. He has produced five public television programs, written a book, and served as host on a TV talk show.

And it all began with a teacher telling Les to go to the board and write. The change in Les’ life began with one small action – an action that he didn’t think he could accomplish. Because he took that action and went to that board, life has never been the same.[1]

Or that’s the same sort of thing that the Acts 16:5 initiative wants to say about how we renew a church. It doesn’t often happen as a result of months or years of study. But renewal happens as Christians sense God calling them to act in loving, caring, outreaching sorts of ways and begin to do that; and then learning and reflection help shape what comes next.

Or that’s what some scholars say about Christian faith development itself. People don’t gain or develop their Christian faith so much by reading and classes, they say, as by choosing to engage in actions that are a catalyst for the growth of belief within them. Oh, the reading and the classes are very important; but they don’t achieve their intended result of developing disciples till the individual Christian takes that first action, that first step, along the road of discipleship.

And what does all that mean in the real world? It means this: if you want to test out faith, if you want to regain faith, if you want to renew a church, if you want to be a disciple, stop simply thinking about it and do something!

If you wonder about the worth of church, volunteer for a day in our Soup Kitchen, or an hour tutoring our Barberton children, or a morning on an all-church workday, or even a couple of hours decorating the church for Christmas next year. And, next thing you know, you’ll be telling someone else, and bringing someone to church with you. Because you first did something.

If you wonder about how seriously you can take the Bible, volunteer to teach Sunday School for a while. Pretty soon, you’ll know as much about the Bible as anyone around you, and you’ll have begun to discover the riches in it that have made so many millions of people turn to it so many millions of times over the centuries. Because you first did something.

If you wonder about the worth of worship, offer to serve as a liturgist – or join up with the choir. And, before you know it, you’ll be asking to join the Worship Ministry also. And you’ll want to be here more often. Because you first did something.

If you wonder where God is after you’ve undergone some deep loss in your life, go to the hospital and pray with someone there. As you care for another, you’ll begin to see where God is, and how God works. Because you first did something.

This is the Martin Luther King, Jr., weekend; Monday is the holiday. It calls us to think about that great man of faith, and how he became who he was.

Surely King’s faith was a deep one. Two months before his assassination, King offered these words to his congregation at Ebenezer Baptist Church: “Every now and then I think about my own death, and I think about my own funeral. If any of you are around when I have to meet my day, I don’t want a long funeral. And if you get somebody to deliver the eulogy, tell them not to talk too long. Every now and then I wonder what I want them to say. Tell them not to mention that I have a Nobel Peace Prize, that isn’t important. Tell them not to mention that I have three or four hundred other awards, that’s not important. I’d like someone to mention that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to give his life serving others. I’d like someone to say that day that Martin Luther King, Jr., tried to love somebody. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try, in my life, to clothe those who were naked. I want you to be able to say that I did try to visit those in prison. I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity. Dr. King concluded with these words: “I won’t have any money left behind. I won’t have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind.”

What a faith! But did King have that level of faith when he began his ministry? I doubt it. Like many others, he had youthful enthusiasm, he had strong convictions, he had a solid family background, and so on. But, odds are, he didn’t yet have that level of faith. But King – like all other people who are truly captured by the Spirit of Christ – found that depth of faith only after making the decision to walk in the Master’s footsteps and doing it.[2]

If you wonder whether you could ever truly be a committed Christian, both like King and like people you know and admire right here, Christ already has his eye on you. And, regardless of how you put your question, he already has his response: “Come! Come and see.” And if you do, what awaits you – as it awaited Andrew and that other disciple – is the most fulfilling, the most deepening, the most thrilling, the most worthwhile life you could ever imagine. Faith is created as we act in our anticipation of it. Faith is formed as we too encounter the Master, and “come and see.”

[1] Keith Wagner, St. Paul’s UCC, Sidney Ohio. An “Biography of Les Brown” at www.allamericanspeakers.com.

[2] King Duncan, Collected Sermons.