Covenant
United Methodist Church
Sunday School 9:45 Worship 8:30 & 10:45 am
HAVE YOU HEARD THE STORY ABOUT THE MAN WHO WAS BURNT OUT ON HIS JOB. HE LOVED HIS WIFE BUT HE WAS REALLY UNHAPPY! IT JUST SEEMED THAT LIFE WASN’T EXCITING ANYMORE. ONE DAY WHILE WORKING HE HEARD A VOICE SAY, “JOHN GO TO LAS VEGAS.” HE STOPPED LOOKED AROUND AND DIDN’T SEE ANYTHING. THE VOICE SPOKE AGAIN, “JOHN GO TO LAS VEGAS.” HE CAME HOME THAT NIGHT AND TOLD HIS WIFE ABOUT THE VOICE THAT KEPT SPEAKING TO HIM. AT FIRST SHE LAUGHED, BUT THEN SHE REALIZED HE WAS SERIOUS. ANOTHER WEEK WENT BY AND THE VOICE KEPT SPEAKING TO HIM. 2 MORE WEEKS WENT BY AND THE VOICE WAS BECOMING MORE INSISTENT! SO JOHN AND HIS WIFE DECIDED THIS MUST BE THE VOICE OF GOD SPEAKING TO HIM. THEY PACKED THEIR BAGS AND HEADED TO LAS VEGAS. THEY HAD NO CLUE WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY GOT THERE, SO JOHN ASKED THE VOICE AND THE VOICE SAID, “GO TO CAESARS PALACE.” SO THEY WENT TO CAESARS PALACE. THE VOICE SAID, “GO TO THE ROULETTE TABLE.” SO JOHN WENT TO THE ROULETTE TABLE. JOHN SAID, “SO WHAT NOW?” THE VOICE SAID, “BET EVERYTHING YOU HAVE ON RED 13.” SO JOHN BET EVERYTHING HE HAD ON RED 13. THE WHEEL TURNED AND LANDED ON BLACK 34, AND THE VOICE SAID, “OOPS.”
WELL OUR SCRIPTURE LESSON TODAY TELLS US THAT CHRIST HEARD A VOICE WHEN HE CAME OUT OF THE WATER AFTER HE WAS BAPTISED. I IMAGINE WHEN YOU WERE BAPTISED FEW OF YOU HEARD THE VOICE OF GOD SPEAKING AND SAYING, “YOU ARE MY SON WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.”IN THAT ONE PHRASE JESUS IS CLAIMED BY GOD AS HIS SON... AND IN THE ACT OF BAPTISM ITSELF WE ARE CLAIMED AS CHRIST’S CHILDREN AND FRIENDS. EPIPHANY IS THAT TIME WHEN GOD IS REVEALED TO US. IT BEGINS WITH THE THREE WISE MEN AND WLMOST ALWAYS WE GET TO HEAR OF JESUS BEING BAPTISED BY JOHN THE BAPTIST. IN THAT BAPTISM JESUS IS REVEALED TO US AS THE SON OF GOD AND THE SON OF MAN. THE SON OF GOD PART IS EASY TO RECOGNISE. GOD SAYS, “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON WITH WHOM I AM WELL PLEASED.’ YOU CAN’T GET MORE DIRECT THAN THAT. BUT THE ACT OF BAPTISM ITSELF IS A VERY HUMAN ACT. IT ISN’T SOMETHING GOD NEEDS. IT IS SOMETHING WE HUMANS WANT AND NEED TO BE CONNECTED TO GOD. CHRIST REVEALS HIMSELF TO US AS THE SON OF MAN IN THE ACT OF BAPISM AND CLAIMS US AS HIS BROTHER’S AND SISTERS IN THE ACT… I ALSO THINK THERE IS A REASON THAT THE TEMPTATIONS FOLLOW THE ACT OF BAPTISM. HE WHO HAS BEEN TEMPTED JUST LIKE US YET WITHOUT SINNING, IS ABLE TO FORGIVE OUR SINS BECAUSE HE KNOWS THE POWER OF TEMPTATION… IN THE ACT OF JESUS BAPISM WE ARE CLAIMED AND FORGIVEN!
HAVE YOU HEARD THE STORY ABOUT THE MONK AND HIS APPRENTICE? THEY TRAVELED TOGETHER TO A NEARBY VILLAGE. THEY SEPERATED AT THE CITY GATES AND VOWED TO MEET AGAIN THE NEXT MORNING TO TRAVEL TOGETHER BACK TO THE MONASTERY. THEY MET THE NEXT DAY AS WAS PLANNED, BUT THE YOUNG APPRENTICE WAS UNUSUALLY QUIET. THE MONK ASKED THE YOUNG MAN IF ANYTHING WAS WRONG. THE YOUNG MAN ANSWERED, “ITS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!” IN AN ANGRY VOICE. THEY WALKED ALONG TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME UNTIL THEY WERE CLOSE TO THE MONASTERY. THEN THE MONK IN A KIND AND GENTLE VOICE SAID AGAIN, “IS THERE ANYTHING YOU WISH TO TALK ABOUT. THE YOUNG APPRENTICE HEARD THE COMFORTING TONE OF HIS MASTER’S VOICE AND THE SOFTNESS OF HIS MASTERS EYES AND HE MELTED AND TOLD TO HIS MASTER, “ LAST NIGHT I SINNED AND TOTALLY ABANDONED MY VOWS. I’M NOT WORTHY TO ENTER THE MONASTERY AT YOUR SIDE.” THE TEACHER PUT HIS ARM AROUND THE YOUNG MAN AND SAID, “ WE WILL ENTER THE MONASTERY TOGETHER, AND TOGETHER WE WILL CONFESS YOUR SIN. NO ONE BUT GOD WILL KNOW WHICH ONE OF US FELL.” IN THE ACT OF BAPTISM CHRIST CLAIMS US. WE CLAIM THAT IN THE ACT OF BAPTISM CHRIST STANDS BY OUR SIDE, EVEN WHEN WE FALL AND SIN. WE HAVE BEEN CLAIMED AND THE ONE WHO CLAIMS IS PLEADS OUR CASE BEFORE GOD.
THERE WAS A NEWSPAPER ARTICLE THAT READ, “LOST, ONE DOG. BROWN HAIR WITH SEVERAL BALD SPOTS. RIGHT LEG BROKEN IN AUTO ACCIDENT. LEFT REAR HIP HURT. RIGHT EYE MISSING. LEFT EAR BIT OFF IN A DOG FIGHT. ANSWERS TO LUCKY.”
BAPTISM REMINDS US THAT WE ARE LUCKY, BECAUSE CHRIST CLAIMS US. ISAIAH 49:16 READS, “I HAVE YOUR NAME WRITTEN ON THE PALM OF MY HAND.” CHRIST CLAIMS US AND WE BELONG TO HIM. GO REMEMBERING YOUR BAPTISM AND KNOWING YOU ARE CLAIMED AND FORGIVEN.