Baptism of Our Lord - January 11, 2009

God Claims Jesus (and us) FOREVER!
Mark 1:4-11
Baptism of Our Lord – January 11, 2009

On Christmas Day, Andy & I went to see Marley & Me. If you've seen it, or even if you've just seen the commercials, you know that Marley was the world's worst dog. Maybe his owners should have suspected something when the breeder put Marley on clearance, telling them that they could have him for much less the other dogs. But it wasn't long before they found out what a handful Marley was. The movie chronicles their life together as people and pet, showing all of Marley's misadventures – from his huge appetite for food and drywall and jewelry to his terrorizing of the dog trainer and dog sitter to his unauthorized romps through houses and yards and parks. Hardly a day went by when Marley didn't get into some kind of trouble, usually big trouble.

Well, one day, Marley and Josh (the “me” in Marley & Me) go to the beach. Josh had been warned long ago to keep his dog under control there, because people were just looking for a reason to get rid of the dog beach. “Don't ruin it for everybody else,” the guy said. And so every time they went, Josh kept Marley on the leash, kept a watchful eye on him, kept him under control. But on this day, Josh decides to let Marley off the leash. And it was a beautiful scene. Marley goes tearing off into the water, leaping and bounding in his release from the leash that had held him back for so long. Inspired by Marley's obvious happiness, the other owners set their dogs loose too, and for a few brief moments, we revel in the sheer unadulterated joy of dogs set free to be what they were created to be, swimming and running and playing, given new life there in the water.

But -- all good things must come to an end, and of course, it's Marley who has to ruin the fun for everyone else. If you've seen the movie, you know what happens, and if you haven't, well, I'll leave it up to your imagination. Let's just say he's back to his old tricks again, and Josh & Marley leave in shame, with Josh hopelessly reminding Marley that he really is the world's worst dog. And with all the things Marley puts this family through, you start to wonder why it is this family didn't just get rid of Marley a long time ago. It sure would've made life easier!

So why am I telling you this story? It's not just because it's a good movie, it's because it reminded me of the story Mark tells in the gospel we heard this morning. The people he tells us about, the ones from Jerusalem and the surrounding countryside? They were kinda like Marley. They just kept getting themselves into trouble. Their lives were just one misadventure after another. Their sins had piled up and piled up, until they knew that they, like Marley, were the worst dogs ever. Or even if they weren't quite the worst they were at least in the running for the top five. Unlike Marley though, they knew something had to change.

And then John the baptizer appears in the wilderness. He comes into their lives calling them to repent, offering them a chance to start over, reminding them that old dogs can learn new tricks. And so they come to the river, plunging in, confessing their sins, and letting the water wash over them, knowing that their sins are being washed away with it. For those few moments as they are baptized in the river, they are released from the hold sin has on their lives. They, like those dogs, were set free in that water, set free to be who they were meant to be. Can you see them rejoicing there in the water, splashing around, knowing that they have been given new life there?

But -- all good things must come to an end. There in the river, they know that they have been forgiven, but they know it won't be long before they mess up again. And what happens then? What happens to that promise of forgiveness when they sin again? What happens when they leave the water and find themselves back in the real world, just the world's worst dogs up to their same old tricks?

It's a good question. Have you ever wondered about it? Week after week, we come here to this place, and we hear John the Baptist's voice echoing in the call to repent, to confess our sins in the presence of God and of one another. We find ourselves drawn back to the waters of baptism, knowing our need to confess, and hearing the promise of forgiveness. And we rejoice in those moments, knowing that God has set us free from the hold sin has on us. We celebrate that new life that only God can give through the waters of baptism, and we want to stay and play awhile, splashing around in that water, knowing that here, at last, we can be the people God has created us to be.

But -- all good things must come to an end, and as soon as we confess, we're back at it again, the same old dogs up to the same old tricks. And what happens then? What difference does baptism make if we're just gonna fall prey to the same old pattern of sin (in its many and various forms) over and over again? How can God keep forgiving us, how can God keep forgiving everyone else over and over again? What is God gonna do with us when God realizes that underneath it all, we are just the world's worst dogs ever? It starts to make you to wonder why God didn't just get rid of all of us a long time ago... it certainly would've been easier!

Well, in the movie Marley & Me, we hear from the family itself why they don't just get rid of Marley. There's one point where the wife has had it. She's done, she wants Marley gone, he causes too much hassle for one family to bear. But then she remembers that for all of the trouble he gives them, as difficult as he can be, Marley is part of their family. They took him when he was just a clearance puppy. They chose him, and they named him, and they claimed him as one of their very own. Marley was a part of their family – and you don't give up on family. You don't get rid of family, because family is forever.

And that's why God doesn't just get rid of any of us. We hear this same promise ringing loud and clear in Mark's story of Jesus' baptism. In Mark's version of the gospel, this is it; this is the very beginning of Jesus' story – there's no word about Mary & Joseph, no trip to Bethlehem, no angels, no shepherds, no wise men. For Mark, the story starts with Jesus. Jesus, who comes down to the river Jordan where John was baptizing, Jesus who plunges into the water that holds our sins, taking those sins on himself. And while he stands there in that water, before all good things come to an end, God appears. God tears open the heavens and speaks: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Before anything else happens, God names him and claims Jesus as God's very own. Jesus is part of God's family.

And the promise God speaks to Jesus comes to us too. It comes in the waters of baptism and echoes through every day of our lives, as God tears open the heavens, and comes into our lives, saying, “You are my child, my beloved.” “I choose you, clearance puppy or old dog though you may be. I choose you, and I name you 'child of God', and I claim you as my very own. No matter what you do, you are part of my family. And no matter what happens, you don't get rid of family, because family is forever.”

Thanks be to God. Amen.