Because (you know) It's All About That Grace

EXODUS  30: 17-21

¹⁷ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹⁸ “Make a bronze basin, with its bronze stand, for washing. Place it between the tent of meeting and the altar, and put water in it. ¹⁹ Aaron and his sons are to wash their hands and feet with water from it. ²⁰ Whenever they enter the tent of meeting, they shall wash with water so that they will not die. Also, when they approach the altar to minister by presenting a food offering to the Lord, ²¹ they shall wash their hands and feet so that they will not die. This is to be a lasting ordinance for Aaron and his descendants for the generations to come.”


MARK 1:4-8

⁴ And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. ⁵ The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. ⁶ John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ⁷ And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. ⁸ I baptize you with^[a] water, but he will baptize you with^[b] the Holy Spirit.”

1 CORINTHIANS 12:8-18

⁸To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.¹³For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

14 Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many. ¹⁵If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁶And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. ¹⁷If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose.

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When I think of church rituals like baptism, it boggles my mind. 

Baptism is over two thousand years old. The world has made and remade itself again and again. Empires have come and gone. Languages have been created and died. We have been to the moon and flown ships across space. We’ve been to Antarctica and the bottom of the ocean. And yet here we are. Celebrating life. Celebrating God. Celebrating Christ’s forgiveness with water and the Word.

Baptism reminds us who we are in a universe that that is so vast it can be frightening. Baptism reminds us that no matter where we go, God is with us. In this changing world full of different people and ideas, we are baptized into the singularity, the oneness of God.

We baptize with the water, the first order of creation. If you remember the opening story of the Bible, in the beginning God hovered over the water and then started creating the world as we know it. If you're more of an evolutionist, water still comes first. It's still vital to life on earth. It was out of the water that that we came. Wherever you are in the world water is foundational to our existence and our flourishing. It's no wonder water is so symbolic.

We have three Bible readings today that show us the important role water has played in our religion since the time of Moses. We have ritual washing in Exodus, baptism in Mark and the meaning of baptism in 1 Corinthians.

In Exodus, God gives the command that the priests were to be washed before showing up for work in the tabernacle. Not only that, they were required to wash their hands and feet in the basin that stood in front of the alter.

This washing when approaching the alter reminds me of when I went to work as a chaplain in the hospital, we got instructions very similar to those that we read in Exodus. We sat in a conference room and were given the rituals we needed to prevent the spread of infection. At minimum we were told we must wash our hands each time we entered and left a patient's room. The rule is just like the one in Exodus 30. 

"They shall wash with water so that they will not die."

Well, maybe not exactly like that. But hand washing was important for our safety and the health of the patients. 

Washing and purity were important to the safety and flourishing of the Israelites, too. There has been a basin of water at the alter pretty much since the alter to God was invented. The Israelites knew the importance of washing and purity as a command of God. Today, we understand that water washes off the germs. We also know that some antibacterial soap helps even more.

In the Exodus passage the washing was literal, but the use of water for cleansing became symbolic, too. Not only was the outside made clean but water could be used to cleanse the inside as well. This brings us to our Gospel reading about John the Baptist’s revival on the River Jordan.

John the Baptist was baptizing people in the river. He offered this water ritual to the common people. The Bible says “all the people” came and confessed their sins to this crazy locust eating Jewish prophet. The washing was about more than literal cleanliness. By the time of John the Baptist, immersion in water was no longer just about washing the outside, but washing the inside, too. At the Jordan people confessed their sins as part of baptism.

Mark 1:4 says: John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins

The baptized were cleansed inside and out. Being immersed in the waters of baptism became a symbol for letting go of the sin and pain that keeps us from God.

John baptized with water and a promise. John used water but he also told them that someone greater is coming. Someone who can baptize with the Holy Spirit.

Imagine John’s surprise when that someone came to the river to be baptized by him. I can tell you if Jesus walked through that back door and asked me to baptize him, I’d be shaking in my shoes. But John did it. John baptized Jesus. And today it a sacramental ritual of the faith that all who love Christ share.

So, what does this do, this washing inside and out? What is the meaning of this water ritual? When we are baptized, we are baptized into the church universal. The church of God that expands across time and space. Like God’s  big creation, the church has many parts. Our earth has snow-capped mountains and tropical beaches. It has rainforests and deserts. It has oceans and polar caps and grassy meadows. But, just as God’s earth is both diverse and one, so is God’s church. Paul reminds us that baptism unites us into one body.

For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

And so today, we baptize these girls into Christ’s body, recognizing they are a vital part of that body. As Presbyterians we baptize these children—a preschooler and an infant—because we believe God’s grace is so amazing that it is with us before we can even recognize it.

We don’t just go a particular church, we go to Christ’s church. We are baptized into the body of Christ. Together with all Christians, we ARE the church. We are one body, and the children we baptize today are part of it. They are not the future of the church, they are its present. Like you they bring gifts and energy and needs that help to make us the body of Christ.

Indeed, Paul writes, the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot were to say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear were to say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body’, that would not make it any less a part of the body.

We baptize these little children even though we have no idea where their lives will take them. They may end up colonizing the moon or inventing a cure for cancer. They may end up caring for children or practicing law or maybe even becoming a preacher. Wherever their lives take them, their baptism goes with them. They are baptized into the body of Christ. A body that is stronger than any sin they might commit—a body that will always welcome them with love and forgiveness.

We baptize these children because the Bible tells us that in creation, we are made in the image of God. These little ones are made in the image of God.

We baptize these children because we know that God’s steadfast love endures forever. While they will fail and succumb to sin, God remains faithful.

We baptize these children because it demonstrates that they are part of God’s story, the Bible’s story and our story, here at Reunion church.

We baptize these children because Jesus was baptized. He lived and died so that we might be reconciled with God. Through Christ we are given a new, abundant and eternal life.

We baptize these children because we believe that the God of the universe named them and claimed them before the beginning of time. Before they could sin or repent, God called to them.

We baptize these children because they are important and they matter—to us, to the world and to God.

We baptize these children because we believe the grace of God is more powerful and prevalent than we can ever imagine.

The grace of God will see these girls through their lives of joy and sorrow.

The grace of God will hound them when they stray and surround them when they fail.

The grace of God will laugh with them and dance with them and sing with them.

The grace of God and the love of Jesus Christ will lift them into something bigger and better than ordinary life.

Yes, after thousand of years we are still baptizing in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We know that the One God of the universe offers grace and love beyond measure and we are doing our best to magnify that love and grace for the world. We boldly baptize these children into the promise of God in Christ. Thanks be to God!

Be Generous on Every Occasion

Leviticus 7:11-15The Fellowship Offering

11 “‘These are the regulations for the fellowship offering anyone may present to the Lord: 12 “‘If they offer it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering they are to offer thick loavesmade without yeast and with olive oil mixed in, thin loaves made without yeast and brushed with oil, and thick loaves of the finest flour well-kneaded and with oil mixed in. 13 Along with their fellowship offering of thanksgivingthey are to present an offering with thick loaves of bread made with yeast. 14 They are to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the Lord; it belongs to the priest who splashes the blood of the fellowship offering against the altar. 15 The meat of their fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; they must leave none of it till morning.

Luke 18: 9-14 The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

⁹ To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: ¹⁰ “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. ¹¹ The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. ¹² I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’¹³ “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breastand said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ ¹⁴ “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

2 Corinthians 9:10-11

¹⁰ Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. ¹¹ You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

This year my family is once again hosting Thanksgiving at our house. Because we have hosted for so many years there are some unwritten rules about how it is to be done. There is the early morning turkey ritual, which I am in charge of—slathering the bird with butter and spices. Later Matt gets up and makes the stuffing from stale bread, onions and celery and nothing weird like cranberries or nuts. My mother or sister brings the dinner rolls with onion soup mix. My in-laws come with pies. Everyone shows up with a food offering to complement the basics.

None of these Thanksgiving food rules are written down, but if they were, they would probably read like the Leviticus passage about the peace or fellowship offering. According to my children the feast MUST have the right turkey, stuffing and rolls to be a “real” Thanksgiving. We are a family of strong rituals for this meal. I’m sure you have your own as well.

Similarly, Leviticus 7: 11-14 is pretty much the ritual menu for this offering. It describes how to give thanksgiving to God. If we were to make it sound like a modern menu the Leviticus passage might read like this:

Thinking of this offering like we do our Thanksgiving meal is not that far off. This is one of the only Old Testament sacrifices in which the common people ate with the priests. Everyone gathered together, gave thanks and had a meal.

What’s important about this is the way the Israelites thought of the offering or sacrifice. For this offering, no future blessing was expected in return. They weren’t petitioning God for rain or fertility. They were giving thanks for things that happened in the past.

The people may have brought the bread and the animals as a sacrifice, but they handed it all over to God in the offering. Kind of like if we take a side dish a Thanksgiving meal. Once we hand it to the host, we don’t assume it’s ours. Sure we get a serving or two, but that dish becomes part of something bigger.

For the Israelites, the sacrifice they brought was handed over to God then they ate what was given back—as a gift from God. It is a circle of generosity and thanksgiving between God and God’s people.

God gives to us, we give thanks to God in an eternal and cosmic give and take and give again. But, it’s important to recognize that it’s not just between us and God, the give and take and give again is to occur with the people around us, too.

Thanksgiving is a community meal. This offering of thanks is a community event in which the priests and the people eat together, presumably in the presence of God.

We can be thankful to God in a variety of ways. Our thanksgiving can be expressed in a feeling we have toward God or a prayer or our worship.

But our thanksgiving is also demonstrated in the way we treat other people. Jesus tells us explicitly that our love of God is directly tied to our love of our neighbors. Our generosity needs to extend to others. By sharing generosity and thanksgiving we multiply it. 

Generosity and thanksgiving can spread among people like a good virus. God is generous to us and we give thanks. This inspires generosity in us. We give to others who then feel thankful and hopefully it inspires generosity. And so on. It is dynamic and flowing.



And there's no question generosity and thanksgiving feel good. It feels good to make a difference in the world. I mean, who regrets writing a check to the Good Samaritan Center or wishes they didn’t visit that sick person in the hospital? Nobody.

But, we have to remember that this cycle of generosity and thanksgiving has three parts—think of them as God, you and me—based on Jesus’ reminder to love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Anytime we take de-emphasize one of the parts, we are out of balance.  Jesus knew this. Jesus knew that there could be danger in being generous, following all the rules, donating to the right places, saying the right prayers. The danger comes when we forget how and why we are thankful and generous. 

Jesus tells the parable of a Pharisee and a tax collector. In this parable we have two people who have influential positions in society.  Neither was likely poor or destitute. But they prayed in very different ways.

The Pharisee prays a prayer of Thanksgiving. The tax collector asks for mercy. On the surface it seems like they are both doing the right thing. The Pharisee is thanking God for the many gifts of his life and the tax collector is repenting and asking for forgiveness. The Pharisee probably follows Torah rules. The tax collector probably broke a bunch of them.

Lets hear those prayers again:

God I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.

God have mercy on me, a sinner.

The Pharisee was doing what he should. He had righteousness, but it was self-righteousness. He was out of balance. His prayer all about what he does and it’s not about what God does.  

The Pharisee knows all the rules and practices. He’s a regular worshipper. He tithes. He follows the Ten Commandments. He’s so ingrained in the religious rules that he mistakes following the rules for following God. He was doing the right things for the wrong reasons.

Jesus makes it clear that the Pharisee is out of balance. He's put himself where God should be. There’s too much “me” involved.

 Jesus teaches us that thanksgiving to God should recognize God at the top and not our own actions. 
It should NOT be "I thank God that I am so awesome!"

But, the world tempts us into praying prayers of our own awesomeness and celebrating our own generosity, especially this time of year. Listen to the advertisements. We are to “treat ourselves” for buying gifts for others. We deserve to be rewarded for our generosity. Being a good person means getting a little something for ourselves.


We can feel self-righteous about ourselves walking through the shopping mall, “I’m not like those other shoppers, I bought fifty dollar present and got a free gift for myself! I tell everyone Merry Christmas. And I put money in the Salvation Army kettle. I’m so generous!” At our worst, we can be tempted to leave God entirely out of the picture.

The Pharisee didn’t seem to appreciate where the money he tithed came from. He didn’t see God’s generosity in his life. Sometimes we don't as well. But there's an important connection between God's generosity, our thanksgiving and our generosity.

In 2 Corinthians Paul shows us a deep connection between thanksgiving and generosity, between receiving and sharing.

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and your generosity will result in thanksgiving through us…We are enriched not as a reward, but so that we can be generous. 

God gives and we respond by giving thanks and giving to others. 

As Christ's church, we are witnesses to and examples of God’s generosity. We have felt God enlarging our hearts and inspiring us to thanksgiving. We need to show this thanksgiving and generousness to the world. We need to take Paul's words seriously and be generous on EVERY occasion, remembering that generosity is way of giving thanks to God. When we share what we have been given we are mirroring the generosity of God for the world around us. Be thankful and generous on every occasion.

*Explanation of the offering comes from the Jewish Publication Society's Torah Commentary Leviticus and the Union for Reform Judaism's The Torah, A Modern Commentary.