What is to Keep Me From Being Baptized? Nothing, Nothing At All Preached for Wollaston Congregational Church On Sunday May 2nd, 2021 Scripture: Acts 11:1-18 What is to keep me from being baptized? Nothing, nothing at all. This morning we heard a weird and wonderful story, about the Apostle Philip, a traveling eunuch from Ethiopia, and God’s Spirit. We haven’t heard much about Philip, so far, either in the gospel of Luke or the book of Acts. He seems to have been a quiet disciple, traveling and learning with Jesus, but not getting much of the limelight. Now, though, Philip seems to come into his own. The apostles have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. They’ve been sent to be Christ’s witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Philip, as a Greek speaking Jew, has been appointed to care for the members of the community in need who are also Greek speaking. He has also traveled to Samaria to preach the gospel and began a mission there. Now, the angel of God sends him to the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza. We have to imagine that Philip is quite athletic. I picture him sprinting for miles along this parched and dusty desert road. The Spirit prompts him to catch up with a chariot carrying an official of the Queen of Ethiopia’s treasury. This man, we are told, is a eunuch and he has been in Jerusalem to worship. He is reading from the scroll of Isaiah out loud, as was typical in ancient times. Having caught up with the chariot, Philip is not too winded to jog along and converse with the man. The eunuch does not understand what he is reading and needs some help. Finally he invites Philip to get into the chariot with him and interpret the scripture for him. It is notable that the eunuch is reading from the prophet Isaiah, who speaks tenderly to those who may feel like outcasts from the mainstream religion. The eunuch is not reading the books of law, like Deuteronomy, that declare that “No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.” (Deut 23:1) He is reading Servant Song of Isaiah that proclaims that “eunuchs who keep [God’s] Sabbaths” will be welcome in the house of God and will receive “a name better than sons and daughters.” (Isaiah 56:4-5) And the passage the Ethiopian is reading right now says “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Philip explains to the man that, for the followers of Christ, this passage has been related to Jesus himself. Jesus is seen as the suffering servant who identities with the suffering and the outcast, and so shows God’s great love for them. While the law determines who is in and who is out, the prophet simply expands the circle of who is in. Jesus stood in the position of anyone who might be considered “out”, so that his followers would be compelled to expand their circle to take them in. The Spirit of Christ is already present with the Ethiopian eunuch through the words of Isaiah. Now, he wants to be “in” with this infant sect of Judaism that will become Christianity. Low and behold the chariot reaches a place where there is water, and so he asks Philip: “What is to keep me from being baptized?” Nothing, nothing at all. They come down from the chariot and Philip takes the man to the waters of baptism. This morning a young woman came to the waters of baptism right here during our worship service. When this young woman first approached me and we began a conversation about her baptism, around Christmas time, the question was not posed in the negative. Rather it was something like “how might I be baptized?” The one thing in the way was the pandemic. We discussed a virtual baptism, one in which I would say the words and lead the prayers over Zoom, and maybe her partner would administer the water to her at home. We decided against that, though, in favor of waiting a while so that we could do a real in-person, hands on baptism. What qualifies our baptismal candidates to be baptized? Basically a desire to be baptized, or in the case of an infant the desire of their parent. It takes a short while to go through the promises of baptism, and for the candidate to decide whether they want to make those promises. Usually, by the time someone has approached me, they have already made up their mind. This is what they want. I think one of the reasons why each baptism fills us with so much hope, is that we are encouraged by new people coming to faith. We are moved by their willingness to join us in Christ’s family, even when that family has shown itself to be imperfect in so many ways. These days, the question “what is to keep me from being baptized?” might be answered simply “the Church.” Philip showed an extravagant welcome by including a man who, according to the law, was excluded from the house of God. Philip heeded Isaiah over Deuteronomy, he expanded who is “in” over deciding who is “out.” This decision surely began to shape the church of Jesus Christ in new exciting ways. It expanded the church to “the ends of the earth” places like northern Africa to include people who looked quite different from the Jerusalem Jews. The Church has not always done well with this, though. Over centuries we’ve created systems and structures around our beloved sacraments. Churches say things like “when you understand, then you can receive communion” or “when you’ve turned your heart over to Jesus Christ, then you can be baptized.” In the early 90’s I traveled with my husband to Seattle Washington to visit my great uncle, George Barry. He was my grandmother’s beloved younger brother and they exchange correspondence regularly across the miles, in little blue airmail envelopes, until the end of their lives. Uncle GB had reputation in the family for being a rebel. I was intrigued to meet him. During the wartime, GB had befriended Italian prisoners of war who were commissioned to work the farm in our home village. And he brought some of these prisoners home for tea with my great-grandmother on a regular basis. I suspect she was also something of a rebel. I’ve been told that for years after the prisoners returned home to Italy, one of them would write to my great grandmother, addressing her as “my English mother.” Shortly after the end of World War II Uncle GB left the United Kingdom to start a new life on the West Coast of the United States. Uncle George Barry, told me that he had always been open and inclusive of every kind of person. Since the 1950’s he had developed wide circle of friends in Seattle, including many people of color and from all walks of life. If he were alive today he may say that he had no racism in him at all. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt. Uncle GB actually had a gift for seeking out those, like the Ethiopian eunuch, who did not fit in. After all, he had some experience with not fitting in. Although he never officially came out to the family, it was clear that he was gay. When I visited he was living very happily with his partner, John. I’ve told you before, that I experienced a strong sense of belonging in the village Methodist chapel, where I grew up. Uncle GB told me he did not have fond memories of that same chapel. Of course, he was there a couple of generations before me, when the Methodists’ attitude was much stricter than in my time. Still, he experienced a feeling of being “out” while I experienced a feeling of being “in.” It was an oppressive environment for him. I realized that my place of belonging looked different through GB’s eyes. I wondered what church had looked like for my Sunday School friends, Mike and Devon, who came out as gay later in life. Their sense of belonging in the chapel I loved may not have been as straight forward as mine. I’m proud that in 2011, Wollaston Congregational Church modified our bylaws to clarify that “Membership is open to all and the church does not discriminate against persons based on race, color, previous religion or denomination, sex, disability, marital status, national origin or ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression … or any other protected class as designated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or as determined by the United Church of Christ. But, of course, the work of creating a church where everyone is “in” and no one is “out”, is not only a matter of words. It is an ongoing work, led by the prodding, stirring Holy Spirit, who sends us to uncomfortable places. And so, my friends of this church, as we begin the gradual process of re-gathering in person, may we be reminded that this is our work. We are called like Philip, to hear the Spirit’s prompting, to go to the weird and wild places. To discover that Spirit of Christ has gone there ahead of us. And when someone asks “What is to keep me from being baptized?” may we answer “Nothing … nothing at all.” May all God’s people say, Amen What is to Keep Me From Being Baptized? Nothing, Nothing At All Preached for Wollaston Congregational Church On Sunday May 2nd, 2021 Scripture: Acts 11:1-18 What is to keep me from being baptized? Nothing, nothing at all. This morning we heard a weird and wonderful story, about the Apostle Philip, a traveling eunuch from Ethiopia, and God’s Spirit. We haven’t heard much about Philip, so far, either in the gospel of Luke or the book of Acts. He seems to have been a quiet disciple, traveling and learning with Jesus, but not getting much of the limelight. Now, though, Philip seems to come into his own. The apostles have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. They’ve been sent to be Christ’s witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Philip, as a Greek speaking Jew, has been appointed to care for the members of the community in need who are also Greek speaking. He has also traveled to Samaria to preach the gospel and began a mission there. Now, the angel of God sends him to the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza. We have to imagine that Philip is quite athletic. I picture him sprinting for miles along this parched and dusty desert road. The Spirit prompts him to catch up with a chariot carrying an official of the Queen of Ethiopia’s treasury. This man, we are told, is a eunuch and he has been in Jerusalem to worship. He is reading from the scroll of Isaiah out loud, as was typical in ancient times. Having caught up with the chariot, Philip is not too winded to jog along and converse with the man. The eunuch does not understand what he is reading and needs some help. Finally he invites Philip to get into the chariot with him and interpret the scripture for him. It is notable that the eunuch is reading from the prophet Isaiah, who speaks tenderly to those who may feel like outcasts from the mainstream religion. The eunuch is not reading the books of law, like Deuteronomy, that declare that “No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.” (Deut 23:1) He is reading Servant Song of Isaiah that proclaims that “eunuchs who keep [God’s] Sabbaths” will be welcome in the house of God and will receive “a name better than sons and daughters.” (Isaiah 56:4-5) And the passage the Ethiopian is reading right now says “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Philip explains to the man that, for the followers of Christ, this passage has been related to Jesus himself. Jesus is seen as the suffering servant who identities with the suffering and the outcast, and so shows God’s great love for them. While the law determines who is in and who is out, the prophet simply expands the circle of who is in. Jesus stood in the position of anyone who might be considered “out”, so that his followers would be compelled to expand their circle to take them in. The Spirit of Christ is already present with the Ethiopian eunuch through the words of Isaiah. Now, he wants to be “in” with this infant sect of Judaism that will become Christianity. Low and behold the chariot reaches a place where there is water, and so he asks Philip: “What is to keep me from being baptized?” Nothing, nothing at all. They come down from the chariot and Philip takes the man to the waters of baptism. This morning a young woman came to the waters of baptism right here during our worship service. When this young woman first approached me and we began a conversation about her baptism, around Christmas time, the question was not posed in the negative. Rather it was something like “how might I be baptized?” The one thing in the way was the pandemic. We discussed a virtual baptism, one in which I would say the words and lead the prayers over Zoom, and maybe her partner would administer the water to her at home. We decided against that, though, in favor of waiting a while so that we could do a real in-person, hands on baptism. What qualifies our baptismal candidates to be baptized? Basically a desire to be baptized, or in the case of an infant the desire of their parent. It takes a short while to go through the promises of baptism, and for the candidate to decide whether they want to make those promises. Usually, by the time someone has approached me, they have already made up their mind. This is what they want. I think one of the reasons why each baptism fills us with so much hope, is that we are encouraged by new people coming to faith. We are moved by their willingness to join us in Christ’s family, even when that family has shown itself to be imperfect in so many ways. These days, the question “what is to keep me from being baptized?” might be answered simply “the Church.” Philip showed an extravagant welcome by including a man who, according to the law, was excluded from the house of God. Philip heeded Isaiah over Deuteronomy, he expanded who is “in” over deciding who is “out.” This decision surely began to shape the church of Jesus Christ in new exciting ways. It expanded the church to “the ends of the earth” places like northern Africa to include people who looked quite different from the Jerusalem Jews. The Church has not always done well with this, though. Over centuries we’ve created systems and structures around our beloved sacraments. Churches say things like “when you understand, then you can receive communion” or “when you’ve turned your heart over to Jesus Christ, then you can be baptized.” In the early 90’s I traveled with my husband to Seattle Washington to visit my great uncle, George Barry. He was my grandmother’s beloved younger brother and they exchange correspondence regularly across the miles, in little blue airmail envelopes, until the end of their lives. Uncle GB had reputation in the family for being a rebel. I was intrigued to meet him. During the wartime, GB had befriended Italian prisoners of war who were commissioned to work the farm in our home village. And he brought some of these prisoners home for tea with my great-grandmother on a regular basis. I suspect she was also something of a rebel. I’ve been told that for years after the prisoners returned home to Italy, one of them would write to my great grandmother, addressing her as “my English mother.” Shortly after the end of World War II Uncle GB left the United Kingdom to start a new life on the West Coast of the United States. Uncle George Barry, told me that he had always been open and inclusive of every kind of person. Since the 1950’s he had developed wide circle of friends in Seattle, including many people of color and from all walks of life. If he were alive today he may say that he had no racism in him at all. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt. Uncle GB actually had a gift for seeking out those, like the Ethiopian eunuch, who did not fit in. After all, he had some experience with not fitting in. Although he never officially came out to the family, it was clear that he was gay. When I visited he was living very happily with his partner, John. I’ve told you before, that I experienced a strong sense of belonging in the village Methodist chapel, where I grew up. Uncle GB told me he did not have fond memories of that same chapel. Of course, he was there a couple of generations before me, when the Methodists’ attitude was much stricter than in my time. Still, he experienced a feeling of being “out” while I experienced a feeling of being “in.” It was an oppressive environment for him. I realized that my place of belonging looked different through GB’s eyes. I wondered what church had looked like for my Sunday School friends, Mark and Debbie, who came out as gay later in life. Their sense of belonging in the chapel I loved may not have been as straight forward as mine. I’m proud that in 2011, Wollaston Congregational Church modified our bylaws to clarify that “Membership is open to all and the church does not discriminate against persons based on race, color, previous religion or denomination, sex, disability, marital status, national origin or ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression … or any other protected class as designated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or as determined by the United Church of Christ. But, of course, the work of creating a church where everyone is “in” and no one is “out”, is not only a matter of words. It is an ongoing work, led by the prodding, stirring Holy Spirit, who sends us to uncomfortable places. And so, my friends of this church, as we begin the gradual process of re-gathering in person, may we be reminded that this is our work. We are called like Philip, to hear the Spirit’s prompting, to go to the weird and wild places. To discover that Spirit of Christ has gone there ahead of us. And when someone asks “What is to keep me from being baptized?” may we answer “Nothing … nothing at all.” May all God’s people say, Amen What is to Keep Me From Being Baptized? Nothing, Nothing At All Preached for Wollaston Congregational Church On Sunday May 2nd, 2021 Scripture: Acts 11:1-18 What is to keep me from being baptized? Nothing, nothing at all. This morning we heard a weird and wonderful story, about the Apostle Philip, a traveling eunuch from Ethiopia, and God’s Spirit. We haven’t heard much about Philip, so far, either in the gospel of Luke or the book of Acts. He seems to have been a quiet disciple, traveling and learning with Jesus, but not getting much of the limelight. Now, though, Philip seems to come into his own. The apostles have received the gift of the Holy Spirit. They’ve been sent to be Christ’s witnesses “in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) Philip, as a Greek speaking Jew, has been appointed to care for the members of the community in need who are also Greek speaking. He has also traveled to Samaria to preach the gospel and began a mission there. Now, the angel of God sends him to the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza. We have to imagine that Philip is quite athletic. I picture him sprinting for miles along this parched and dusty desert road. The Spirit prompts him to catch up with a chariot carrying an official of the Queen of Ethiopia’s treasury. This man, we are told, is a eunuch and he has been in Jerusalem to worship. He is reading from the scroll of Isaiah out loud, as was typical in ancient times. Having caught up with the chariot, Philip is not too winded to jog along and converse with the man. The eunuch does not understand what he is reading and needs some help. Finally he invites Philip to get into the chariot with him and interpret the scripture for him. It is notable that the eunuch is reading from the prophet Isaiah, who speaks tenderly to those who may feel like outcasts from the mainstream religion. The eunuch is not reading the books of law, like Deuteronomy, that declare that “No one who has been emasculated by crushing or cutting may enter the assembly of the Lord.” (Deut 23:1) He is reading Servant Song of Isaiah that proclaims that “eunuchs who keep [God’s] Sabbaths” will be welcome in the house of God and will receive “a name better than sons and daughters.” (Isaiah 56:4-5) And the passage the Ethiopian is reading right now says “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.” Philip explains to the man that, for the followers of Christ, this passage has been related to Jesus himself. Jesus is seen as the suffering servant who identities with the suffering and the outcast, and so shows God’s great love for them. While the law determines who is in and who is out, the prophet simply expands the circle of who is in. Jesus stood in the position of anyone who might be considered “out”, so that his followers would be compelled to expand their circle to take them in. The Spirit of Christ is already present with the Ethiopian eunuch through the words of Isaiah. Now, he wants to be “in” with this infant sect of Judaism that will become Christianity. Low and behold the chariot reaches a place where there is water, and so he asks Philip: “What is to keep me from being baptized?” Nothing, nothing at all. They come down from the chariot and Philip takes the man to the waters of baptism. This morning a young woman came to the waters of baptism right here during our worship service. When this young woman first approached me and we began a conversation about her baptism, around Christmas time, the question was not posed in the negative. Rather it was something like “how might I be baptized?” The one thing in the way was the pandemic. We discussed a virtual baptism, one in which I would say the words and lead the prayers over Zoom, and maybe her partner would administer the water to her at home. We decided against that, though, in favor of waiting a while so that we could do a real in-person, hands on baptism. What qualifies our baptismal candidates to be baptized? Basically a desire to be baptized, or in the case of an infant the desire of their parent. It takes a short while to go through the promises of baptism, and for the candidate to decide whether they want to make those promises. Usually, by the time someone has approached me, they have already made up their mind. This is what they want. I think one of the reasons why each baptism fills us with so much hope, is that we are encouraged by new people coming to faith. We are moved by their willingness to join us in Christ’s family, even when that family has shown itself to be imperfect in so many ways. These days, the question “what is to keep me from being baptized?” might be answered simply “the Church.” Philip showed an extravagant welcome by including a man who, according to the law, was excluded from the house of God. Philip heeded Isaiah over Deuteronomy, he expanded who is “in” over deciding who is “out.” This decision surely began to shape the church of Jesus Christ in new exciting ways. It expanded the church to “the ends of the earth” places like northern Africa to include people who looked quite different from the Jerusalem Jews. The Church has not always done well with this, though. Over centuries we’ve created systems and structures around our beloved sacraments. Churches say things like “when you understand, then you can receive communion” or “when you’ve turned your heart over to Jesus Christ, then you can be baptized.” In the early 90’s I traveled with my husband to Seattle Washington to visit my great uncle, George Barry. He was my grandmother’s beloved younger brother and they exchange correspondence regularly across the miles, in little blue airmail envelopes, until the end of their lives. Uncle GB had reputation in the family for being a rebel. I was intrigued to meet him. During the wartime, GB had befriended Italian prisoners of war who were commissioned to work the farm in our home village. And he brought some of these prisoners home for tea with my great-grandmother on a regular basis. I suspect she was also something of a rebel. I’ve been told that for years after the prisoners returned home to Italy, one of them would write to my great grandmother, addressing her as “my English mother.” Shortly after the end of World War II Uncle GB left the United Kingdom to start a new life on the West Coast of the United States. Uncle George Barry, told me that he had always been open and inclusive of every kind of person. Since the 1950’s he had developed wide circle of friends in Seattle, including many people of color and from all walks of life. If he were alive today he may say that he had no racism in him at all. I don’t know if that’s true, but I’d like to give him the benefit of the doubt. Uncle GB actually had a gift for seeking out those, like the Ethiopian eunuch, who did not fit in. After all, he had some experience with not fitting in. Although he never officially came out to the family, it was clear that he was gay. When I visited he was living very happily with his partner, John. I’ve told you before, that I experienced a strong sense of belonging in the village Methodist chapel, where I grew up. Uncle GB told me he did not have fond memories of that same chapel. Of course, he was there a couple of generations before me, when the Methodists’ attitude was much stricter than in my time. Still, he experienced a feeling of being “out” while I experienced a feeling of being “in.” It was an oppressive environment for him. I realized that my place of belonging looked different through GB’s eyes. I wondered what church had looked like for my Sunday School friends, Mark and Debbie, who came out as gay later in life. Their sense of belonging in the chapel I loved may not have been as straight forward as mine. I’m proud that in 2011, Wollaston Congregational Church modified our bylaws to clarify that “Membership is open to all and the church does not discriminate against persons based on race, color, previous religion or denomination, sex, disability, marital status, national origin or ancestry, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression … or any other protected class as designated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, or as determined by the United Church of Christ. But, of course, the work of creating a church where everyone is “in” and no one is “out”, is not only a matter of words. It is an ongoing work, led by the prodding, stirring Holy Spirit, who sends us to uncomfortable places. And so, my friends of this church, as we begin the gradual process of re-gathering in person, may we be reminded that this is our work. We are called like Philip, to hear the Spirit’s prompting, to go to the weird and wild places. To discover that Spirit of Christ has gone there ahead of us. And when someone asks “What is to keep me from being baptized?” may we answer “Nothing … nothing at all.” May all God’s people say, Amen https://www.waterwomensalliance.org/july-august-ritual-hand-in-hand-by-diann-l-neu/
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