I remember the first time my mother ever asked my advice about something. It was a relatively trivial household matter, but I remember my shock that she had asked me what she should do. I think she may have been a little bit shocked herself. As time went on, as we both grew older, the occasions when she asked my opinion became more frequent, but I was always very clear that she would be evaluating my perspective with great care. There were moments when her reaction to my ideas was a look of amazement – something along the lines of the look people have when they see a dancing pig.
Those of us who have been children know that it’s sometimes extremely difficult for those who have known us all our lives to learn from us. Those of us who have been parents or aunts and uncles know that it’s sometimes difficult to be taught by people whom we have known as infants and small children. Both those situations make it very easy for most of us to relate to the experience of Jesus’ teaching in his hometown synagogue. We know what it’s like to speak our truth to those we have known all our lives. We also know what it’s like to have some young whippersnapper try to teach us about something we’ve doing all our lives.
Jesus came back to his hometown of Nazareth after successful ministry in other
parts of the country. The power of his teaching, preaching and healing—
the strength of his voice against the oppressive colonialism of the Romans—the
strength of his voice against the iniquities and the inequities of the systems
in which they lived—the strength of his voice against the injustice that
prevailed in all levels of society—convinced the people he met that he
was a prophet.
Prophecy in the scriptural understanding is not ability to foretell the future
but the clear voice which describes the current reality. Reality is the last
thing some of us want to see, especially when it concerns our own values or
behavior, but in Jesus’ time, prophecy was understood as necessary and
the voice of the prophet was valued.
Jesus was a prophet who spoke with truth and disrupted the world around him. As Christians, we believe that Jesus was a prophet sent from God and that he spoke with special authority. All those who dissent are not necessarily prophets, but our comfort with what those dissenters say is not the criterion for judging their authority. We must hold space for the possibility of prophecy. We must listen for the voices that cause us discomfort in our nation and in our church. We must listen in awareness of the possibility that God speaks to us through the voice that is most disturbing to us.
Today we baptize two baby boys into the Body of Christ. Ryan Matthew Nix and Tristan Chase Beason-Foster. Big names—little boys. They are precious little boys who are gifts from God, and each brings his own set of gifts of the Spirit to enrich his family, this community and the world. It may be that these little boys hold the gift of prophecy. It’s a little too soon to tell. I do know that they will ask questions – questions that their parents may not want to hear – especially in the grocery check-out line or at large family gatherings. But they will ask questions – questions that will call us into awareness of the world around us. As we renew our baptismal covenant, I ask that you pay special attention when I ask one particular question: Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being? This question lies at the heart of our ability to live in prophetic witness to the power and presence of God in the world.
We baptize these little ones whose parents are entrusting us to help them grow into the baptismal covenant we make for him today. Ryan’s parents, Ned and Kelly, and Tristan’s parents, Bill and Rachel, are trusting us to help them nurture the gifts the Spirit gives to their child, and we will promise to care for and pray for and support them in their journeys with us and with God. As we make this promise, I ask that we be mindful of the other times we have made these promises. Be mindful of the ways we may not have lived into these promises. Be mindful of the ways in which we need to grow this world for our children. Be mindful of the ways these children can call us into more completely living in to the promises we make for them today.
We are blessed in this day by the Holy Spirit moving in our midst.
We are blessed
by the new life in our community.
Thanks be to God!