Lectionary 13, Year B – 28 June 2015
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Last Thursday evening, Steve and I
traveled to downtown Ft. Worth with Pr. Vicki Taylor (from Lord of Life Lutheran Church) to join a
march to support our brothers and sisters in the African Methodist Episcopal
Church – both those who live here in North Texas, and those who live in
Charleston, South Carolina, and elsewhere. We arrived just in time to join the
group as they began the march. We were greeted by those at the head of the
group, and then we joined our ELCA colleagues who were further back. And we
walked.
As we walked, someone began to sing: “We are one in the Spirit, We are one in
the Lord…And we pray that all unity may one
day be restored. And they'll know we are
Christians by our love, by our love. Yes,
they'll know we are Christians by our love.” And then different verses of, “We
are marching in the light of God, we are marching in the light of God…”
And
then, “We shall not be, we shall not
be moved.
We shall not be, we shall not be moved.
Just like a tree that's planted
by the water.
We shall not be moved.” Someone at the head of the group began to
sing the verses, call-and-response style. And so we sang, and we walked.
We reached the Historic Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church
and we were greeted at the door. It was a muggy evening, and I was overjoyed to
find a pew right underneath a ceiling fan that was spinning on high. One of the
pastors made an announcement for us to greet one another, and so we all got up
and introduced ourselves. The members of the A.M.E. church moved through the
crowds of visitors, greeting us with smiles and welcome. An elder member made
her way to me and, seeing my collar, she invited me down front to the clergy
section.
The service began, and the pastor asked us to shout
out the names of our churches on the count of three – and the cacophony of
names rang out all around us. Then he asked us –on the count of three - to
shout out the name of our Lord and Savior: “JESUS!” was the loud reply, from
Lutherans, and Episcopalians, and Methodists, and Baptists, and from the
African Methodist Episcopal Church members, and any other ilk of Christian who
was in that room.
We spent two hours in prayer and praise together –
united under the cross of Christ. At several points in the service, the choir
sang. Their songs of praise were so rich and full and powerful that we joined
in. Our songs of praise together were so rich and full and powerful that I was
overwhelmed. I was overwhelmed by God’s power and love, and with the love in
that room.
We so easily could’ve chosen to hate one another
instead. We so easily could’ve found angry words to cast at each other, and
I’ll just say that if the tables were turned – if an A.M.E. church member went
into an ELCA church and killed nine people, I’m not sure I’d be able to resist
the temptation toward anger and hatred and retaliation – because those are so
very easy. To choose welcome, to choose love, instead – those are the harder
things.
Maybe that’s part of why I find
Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 13 so particularly appropriate for followers of
Christ right now. “Love is patient,” he says. “Love is kind. Love is not
envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it
is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices
in the truth.” Love endures because it’s “like a tree, planted by the water.” Love
that is planted and rooted in the love of God – that kind of love bears all
things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
This is the same power that
overwhelms us when we are baptized, as Avery will be today. Now, we keep things
calm and quiet here – I will pour water over her head and she won’t be
literally overwhelmed by the water that washes over her. But even in that
little bit of water that will fall over her, there will be found the
overwhelming power of God’s love. And she will be sealed with the cross of
Christ, and marked as Christ’s own forever.
Martin Luther said that baptism
should be like a “daily garment” that we wear all the time,[2]
and so the living out of her baptism is still to come. You as parents and
grandparents, and we as representatives of Christ’s whole Church, will make
promises to help her get out this garment every day – to help her wear her
baptism each and every day of her life.
For when we are baptized, we are
not only baptized for our own sake. We are baptized for the sake of the whole
world. We are made new creations in Christ, and we are sent to love others.
“See what love
the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God; and
that is what we are!”[4] This
world needs enduring love, and that is lived out in us. So, live out this love
as God’s beloved children. Be the love of God that we are called to be in the
world. In Jesus’ name.
Amen.
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