January 11, 2004

First Sunday after Epiphany

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

 Look Out Below

     Things can happen, great things can happen when one looks up to the heavens.

     A few years ago a little orphan girl named Sofi was living in Siberia (that’s a place in Russia that’s almost as cold as Connecticut) and looked up at the starry night sky and dreamed she could fly away.  Her dream came true when she was adopted by a woman in Arizona.  Reflecting back on her experience, she said she felt “spirit” and “opportunity” when she heard she was coming to America and it gave her hope.  She wrote about this in a school essay and out of 10,000 entrants in a Lego writing competition, hers was selected as the winner.  As a prize, she was given a trip to the Kennedy Space Center where the themes of her essay were picked up by NASA officials.  Now, a little robot named “Spirit” is exploring Mars and next week a second robot named “Opportunity” will join the mission.  This must be quite a thrill for this elementary student who must now realize an important lesson - when you look up, great things can happen.

     From the heavens a dove descended and a voice spoke, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”  Jesus stepped out of the water and looked up to see that dove, to hear that voice and great things started to happen.  It was as if his life was jump-started in that moment.  In an instant, he had a whole new purpose, a new direction. 

     For thirty years Jesus seems to have lived a mostly unremarkable life.  At least we know no one felt compelled to remark about it.  There were, of course, the accounts of his miraculous birth (Matthew and Luke) and that one story about his visiting the temple when he was twelve (also Luke), but that’s it. 

     He may have been working as a carpenter, following his father’s trade, but there’s not much mention of this.  He was, of course, recognized as a rabbi, so he must have studied for the priesthood at some point.   Mostly, however, there were thirty quiet years.  For the most part, he probably seemed to most people and maybe even himself, a normal guy living a normal life.  Until that day…that day he was baptized and stepped out of the water to look up and see that dove and hear that voice.  And yes, “look out below“, for the result of that Spirit’s descent was a complete reorientation of his life.  There may have been thirty quiet years, but after that, everything Jesus said and did mattered to just about everyone he met.  He was a man on a mission.

     Some biblical scholars believe the day of Jesus’ baptism was the day he became the Christ, the Savior.  Interesting thought.  Perhaps they’re right…only the Gospels of Matthew and Luke bother to tell the story of Jesus’ birth and only Luke mentions the experience Jesus had when he was twelve.  Other than that, there is silence all the way up until he is about thirty years old.  But then that baptism by John the Baptist in the Jordan River and BAM! things really take off!  This fact certainly wasn’t missed by the writers of the four Gospels as this particular story is the first one they all tell.

     And all because Jesus looked up and the dove came down.

     I think sometimes we look at our lives and wonder where the inspiration has been.  Have I had a sense of purpose in my life?  Have I accomplished anything great for God, for anyone in my life?  Time gets away from us as we go about the normal things that people do.  We live, pay our taxes, work, raise our kids, pay our taxes, have some recreation, pay our taxes - basically normal folks living normal lives.  What great thing could come of this?  God only knows.

     Yes, maybe God only knows.  What we know is that Jesus lived most of his life in an unremarkable way until that day when BAM!…look out below…he was a man on a mission!  In a few short years, he changed the world.

     So who’s to say something like that won’t happen to any one of us at thirty years or forty-five years or sixty years or eighty?  We may not see the heavens open up (and then again, we might!), but the Holy Spirit is promised to each of us to be with us and to guide us.  The heavenly dove is ready to descend.  As the Apostle Paul wrote (Roman 8:14-17):

“All who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.  For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption.  When we cry, ’Abba! Father!’ it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children of God, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.”

     Adopted by God?  Joint heirs with Jesus Christ?  “This is my beloved Son”, spoke the voice of God from the heavens.  Paul would have us believe God speaks in a similar way to us.  We are God’s children.  We are heirs with Christ.

     That would mean there must be some great mission awaiting each of us and certainly, collectively for us as a church.  It could happen, even after all these years.  It could happen if we look up…and also if we listen to that voice.

     And that’s probably where things get hung up a bit…the listening part.  Jesus would often conclude a parable by saying, “Let those who have ears, hear.”  I used to wonder what in the world he was talking about, but now realize he meant that even though everyone has ears, not everyone listens.  We are deafened by our busyness, our often narrow self-focus and our desire to be unchallenged and unchanged.  We may not want to look up too much or listen to that voice too much because, after all…look out below…when that dove comes down we may well find ourselves in unfamiliar territory, on a road not of our own choosing. 

     But God has big plans for us.  There is a troubled world out there in need of the Good News of forgiveness and eternal love.  It is the hope of real and lasting peace in our families and communities and world and God knows, that word of hope needs to get out there and who better to take it to the world than God’s own children, heirs with Christ, you and me?

     I know many of you are on the way and I know many of you have followed your inspirations and I know this church and others have been blessed because of you.  I am encouraged.  But we are still on the way and I encourage you to keep looking up.  And if you haven’t yet, then start looking up.  The world needs you to do this, this church needs you to do this, you need to do this.  Look up and listen.  Listen a lot for the dove doesn’t always make a lot of noise. 

     As a former pastor (Rev. Alan Hermansader, I believe) used to say, listen for the ‘noodges’, the little nudges of the Holy Spirit.  Those nudges may come as the first small sparks of an idea, the hint of an inspiration, a simple opportunity, the soft breath of the Spirit, but they come most assuredly, they come to all who have ears to hear and listen.

     As I said last Sunday, this New Year our church must travel down new paths, paths the Holy Spirit opens to us, if we are to go forward as a church to be a vital and growing witness for Christ.  And also like I said last week, I don’t really know at this point exactly where or how that means we should go (although I believe we‘re beginning to see some signs!), but I do know we need to look up a lot and listen a lot and move in faith when those “noodges” come.

     And then - oh happy day! - look out below -  for that great call has come upon each of us and upon our church!