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The Tenth Sunday After Pentecost , Year A
July 20 , 2008
by
The Rev. Glenn G. Mahaffey
One Sunday morning in Scotland, an elderly Pres- byterian minister was accosted by one of his deacons prior to the service. “Something is wrong with your preaching and your work. There's been only one person added to the church in a whole year, and he's just a boy." The statement cut the minister to the heart, his eyes began to moisten and his thin hands began to tremble. “Deacon, believe me when I say that I feel it all," the minister said, "and God knows I've tried to be faithful." After he finished the sermon that day, the minister felt a strong inclination to resign. After everyone else had left the church, that one boy came to him and asked, "Do you think if I worked hard for an education, I could become a preacher--perhaps a missionary?" Again tears welled up in the minister's eyes. "Ah, this heals the ache I feel," he said. "Robert, may God bless you, my boy. Yes, I think you will become a preacher." It was many years later an aged missionary returned to London from South Africa. His name was spoken with reverence. Nobles invited him to their homes. He had added many souls to the church of Jesus Christ, reaching some of South Africa's most difficult areas. His name was Robert Moffat, the same Robert who years before had spoken to the pastor that Sunday morning in Scotland. A missionary who laid the groundwork for Bishop Tutu and Nelson Mandella.
Lord, help us to be faithful. Then give us the grace to leave the results to you.
- Just think for a moment with kids you grew up with, did any of them surprise you?
- Did the “geeks” turn out to be incredible adults?
- Did those with great potential, turn out to be less than we had expected?
- We never know how it will turn out until the end.
- Do we produce good fruit in our lives? Do we nurture wholesome fruit in our minds and souls which are reflected in our actions?
- And so St. Paul says “I work out my salvation with fear and trembling.”
Lord, help us to be faithful. Then give us the grace to leave the results to you.
This is what Jesus is talking about in the Gospel lesson today of the Wheat and the Weeds. Weeds and the wheat grow up together – until they come to maturity and see what they become. Jesus uses a wonderful metaphor about life.
So we come to God in faith, baptizing our children.
- Water poured over their head is a symbolic action of death and resurrection.
- More than a dedication of a child, as we mark them with chrism we say that “they are marked as Christ’s own forever.” So Christ is marking them. God is doing something that we can only understand in faith. It is not something we can see, it is something that will only be evident when they reach maturity.
Baptism is an indoctrination into the family of Christ.
- Church is a family, just you come from families with own traditions like at Xmas, Easter, who cuts the thanks. turkey
- Alek will be raised with distinctive family traditions of Christians, learning about the importance of prayer, the value of scripture, the spiritual feeding of Holy Communion.
- In the Christian family, he will grow into our traditions during major turning points and “stages” in his life: Confirmation, married in the church, know the fellowship of brothers and sisters if sick and receive unction, know that there is always a way back if you get lost through confession and forgiveness, and end life in faith of a God who is beyond the portal of death.
- In Christian family, Alec will live out year after year the life of Christ. The ashes of Ash Wednesday when he will hear the humbling pronouncement of “remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return”, through Lent and into Holy Week and the glory of Easter. Each year through the joy of the Easter Season on to the feast of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit comes down upon the Church, through the long season of Pentecost to Advent as we prepare for the birth of light in the darkness at Christmas, then on to the Epiphany, learning how God is manifest in the life of Jesus and in our world today.
Notice that this is a bigger task than one person or one family can take on. These are tasks of a community. Which is why when we baptize a child, it is the parents, godparents and congregation present that take the vows!!
- Indeed it does take a village to raise a child!
- Life stages are bigger than the individual, bigger than even the local congregation.
- We bring children up into a never ending history of the kingdom of God.
- Giving each and every person the opportunity to take their place in that history!
We are giving Alek something today that no one can ever take away, a place at the table of Christ!
- No one can take away his place
- Not his parents, or his Priest, not his Bishop or the Archbishop of Canterbury, not the Pope.
- Why? Because we are not the one inviting people to the feast, Jesus is! It is not our table, it is the table of Christ!
- There is only ONE person who can take Alek away from the table of Christ – Alek himself.
- This is why we say as a vow that we will “repent and return to the Lord.”
Today is a celebration. A celebration for not just Alek, but for all of us.
- Not just about Alek’s baptism, but about our baptism.
- Not just about vows for Alek, but vows we take for ourselves.
- Why we use the asperges and aspergillium to spread the “holy water”, the water of baptism around, when it touches us we too make the sign of the cross, as our symbol of being a part of Christ’s family.
Stong family according to 1983 study from University of Nebraska had the following:
Appreciation. "Family members gave one another compliments and sincere demonstrations of approval. They tried to make the others feel appreciated"
Ability to Deal with Crises in a Positive Manner. "They were willing to take a bad situation, see something positive in it and focus on that."
Time Together. "They structured their schedules to spend time together."
High Degree of Commitment. "Families promoted each person's happiness and welfare, invested time and energy in each other and made family a priority."
Good Communication Patterns. "These families spent time talking with each other. They also listened well, which shows respect."
Religious Orientation. "They considered themselves highly religious."