James and John do not understand what they’re getting themselves into. They think they’re choosing job titles for themselves, sitting at Jesus’ left hand and right hand. They’ve followed Jesus through his ascent to popularity and are looking for a cabinet post. But that is not how Jesus’ power works. He didn’t come to give them powerful positions, but rather calling them to a life of service. Maybe they would reconsider if they knew in advance about Jesus’ journey to the cross.
One of the words that stands out in this gospel reading is “baptism.” Jesus asks the disciples, “Are you able to be baptized with the baptism I am baptized with?” Sarah Hinlickey Wilson, a Lutheran pastor in Tokyo, helps explain Jesus’ teachable moment in Mark. Jesus is telling James and John that baptism isn’t something you can do yourself. It’s not an activity one does, so much as a gift one receives. Jesus’ own baptism is something he receives or undergoes in terms of his passion and journey on the cross. We in turn are baptized into Jesus’ passion – his death and resurrection. Baptism isn’t a position Jesus appoints his favourite disciples to. Baptism is about receiving God’s love and grace.
Are we really any different than the disciples? We too get caught up in thinking about discipleship as a promotion because that’s how much of our world works. Jesus reminds us also that our baptism isn’t about getting promoted into becoming Jesus’ followers. We aren’t a step above others. But rather it is shifting the way we think about work, merit, and being worthy of love. We are invited to receive the gift of baptism because we are God’s creatures, because we are human, because we are children of God. That is enough. Not because of the things we do, not because of our gifts and talents, as important as all those things are.
As we prepare to baptize Eva, Ziek, Lena, and Jack it helps us reframe our understanding of welcome, inclusion, and love. They will be baptized into God’s love not because of future report cards, extracurriculars, education, or job prospects. We baptize Eva, Ziek, Lena, and Jack because they are children of God. And this is enough. They don’t even have to understand what baptism is because that is part of the responsibility their parents, baptismal sponsors and godparents, and we as a congregation undertake supporting them in their faith and journey as Christians.
Looking with a wider lens, often we cannot understand why there is so much hate is the world around us. Every day, especially this past month, we’ve heard people’s basic humanity is questions. Whether people without housing, food, work, or suffer addictions are worthy of living. Whether Indigenous people are deserving of autonomy and justice. Whether trans kids deserve to be granted basic freedoms. Whether refugees deserve to flee violence and find a new home. Sometimes these forces feel bigger than we can deal with as individuals. And yet God is giving us this gift of welcome in baptism. It is a rite in which anyone may receive the love of God that buffets against societal forces. No matter who others may say is deserving, Jesus tells us we are loved. Jesus tells us we are enough. Jesus tells us to follow him into a different way of living. And that is a powerful message we have to share with the world. Baptism is the beginning of grace and welcome. And no one can take that away.
A story about welcome. These past two weeks Church of the Cross has welcomed a wide range of people into the building. We had BC Elections here for four days of advance voting. We have the Shelbourne Community Kitchen here, who had to adjust their hours during voting. We had people showing up to vote who may never have stepped inside the church. There were people who were friendly and people who were abrupt. One woman admonished elections workers for not having signs leading from the parking lot to the church. There were a dozen signs in front of the church, including the church sign, directing people to vote here, pointing people toward the front door and the upper hall. —>
There were signs on the rotunda door, signs in the hallways, and still people stopped to ask Marc in the office where to vote. It was a humbling experience to see how very basic things cannot be taken for granted. We had people stop by expecting the Shelbourne Community Kitchen to be open. One person had pushed a Fairway Markets shopping cart all the way up the hill perhaps to bring groceries home. Disappointed the Kitchen wasn’t open that day, they abandoned the cart on the church lawn. We wheeled it around the back and someone from the Kitchen has returned it to Fairway Markets. There were conversations in the hallways including with elections workers making coffee in the servery. There were people looking to vote on Thursday, the day after Advance voting. We were getting ready for a memorial and had to turn away some would be voters, telling them to show up on election day at their polling station. The memorial was another occasion in which we welcomed a family who had grown up around Church of the Cross to say goodbye to a brother, father, and grandfather. A time to support children of God with comfort and love. And after all that the front door lock stopped working. Even the church entrance had run out of steam. Thankfully Marc was here to welcome a locksmith who fixed it. All of these interactions, any of them small, are part of our living into Jesus’ ministry of welcome and love of neighbour.
In closing know that God loves this children we are about to baptize. And God loves you. Despite us being like James and John who stumble around, getting things wrong, Jesus continues to welcome and love us the way we are. Amen.
